Ocracoke  May 23

I’m on the Cedar Island-Ocracoke Ferry, heading north. It’s a two-hour 15-minute crossing. Two hours longer than my first ferry ride at Mayport, FL. And like there, I had to churn through some thundery rain to get to the dock.  But it’s nice not to have to run my feet in circles in order to make progress.

A couple of people have asked where I’m going and why but no one has volunteered to donate.

A state police officer drove his car on board. He’ll be stationed in Avon and most of his action will come from accidents, he says.  “And I’m going to do as much fishing as I can when I’m not on duty.”

This is the island were Edward Teach, aka Blackbeard, was killed in 1718. A party led by Lt. Robert Maynard under orders from the governor of Virginia trapped Teach and his men in the harbor. Teach’s body was thrown into the bay and his head was hung from a bow sprit. 

The island reminds me somewhat of Block Island off Rhode Island’s coast. There’s an initial flurry of commercialism, more so than on Block Island, but that quickly disappears amid the modest homes that cluster on the southern end of the island. The rest of the island is national park land. 

Sign seen on a house fence:  No trespassing without permission.

While on the ferry I received a call from Jason Sherwood whom I worked with in Pittsburgh. He invited me to stay with him and his wife who now live in Manteo. So, I’ll be up early tomorrow to peddle to the other end of the island to catch the Ocracoke to Hatteras Ferry.

To make a donation to the ALSA, please go to: http://web.alsa.org/goto/deirdresride