Tropical Storm Danny Passes Close to the Outer Banks, Brings Fun Surf

Posted on August 31, 2009

Tropical Storm Danny was almost a non-event on the Outer Banks. The storm drew attention throughout the week because it’s projected path brought it precariously close to the delicate strip of barrier islands. Luckily, Danny had some bark but lacked the bite.

The storm passed the Outer Banks on Friday evening. Rains and winds picked up, but most of the passage was cloaked in darkness and missed by the slumbering population of residents and vacationers. As Saturday arrived, the gorgeous Carolina skies brightened and the beaches filled up for a picture-perfect late August day on the Outer Banks.

Unfortunately, dangerous rip currents kept swimmers out of the water, but surfers were out in force. From Hatteras through Corolla, surfers hunted for the right spot that would offer the best waves. The surf was about 8 feet high and semi-clean, but closing out pretty quickly in most spots. Not the perfect OBX surf day, but you really can’t beat 80 degree air, 70 degree water, and head high waves…even if they are closing out.

A new storm is developing in the tropics, but at this time it doesn’t seem to be a threat to the Outer Banks.

Invest 94 Computer Models
Invest 94 Comp. Models 8.31.09

Birding Off the Outer Banks

Posted on August 28, 2009

Few people have the opportunity to see two dozen of the most majestic birds in the northern hemisphere. These birds are commonly referred to as pelagic species.

The Outer Banks has a wide variety of wildlife, including amazing birds. However, just off the coast of the Outer Banks towards the Gulf Stream are some hard to find species of birds. Birders that are familiar with the common terns that are typically seen on the OBX may be astonished by the birds that are encountered on the high seas…

• Garry Durham was fishing at the East Branch Reservoir when an American avocet touched down.

• The Pickerel Creek Wildlife Area in Sandusky County has been the shorebird hotspot recently, featuring red knots, Hudsonian and marbled godwits, and Western, Baird’s, white-rumped, stilt, and pectoral sandpipers, red-necked and Wilson’s phalaropes, both dowitchers, both yellowlegs, ruddy turnstones, black-bellied plover, and black terns, reported Kenn Kaufman, Gabe Leidy and Chris Pierce.

• The first wave of fall warblers arrived at the Shaker Lakes Nature Center last week, Scott Van Valkenburg reported. They included Blackburnian, black-and-white, chestnut-sided and yellow-rumped.

• Jeanne Hrenko tracked down a male mourning warbler skulking in the shrubs at the Beaty Landing MetroPark in Painesville.

• Two merlins at Carver Pond near the Holden Arboretum were a surprising find for Haans Petruschke.

• Sandy Ridge Park in North Ridgeville has hosted good numbers of shorebirds, waterfowl and raptors recently, as well as busy beavers. Naturalist Tim Fairweather will begin leading the fall bird walks on Wednesdays beginning Aug. 26 at 7:30 a.m.

Outer Banks is a World-class Wedding Destination

Posted on August 28, 2009

The Outer Banks is an amazing wedding destination. Every year couples come to the Outer Banks to include gorgeous scenery in their wedding plans and rent elegant rental properties to accommodate their wedding and/or their guests.

It is hard to find more picturesque scenery than the Outer Banks, and rental homes make a great alternative to other housing arrangements in many ways. Renting a vacation property makes it easier for the wedding parties and family to connect and to get to know each other before the big day. Maybe a vacation rental could also help trim the cost of a venue for a rehearsal dinner?

Sly Crandal and Rob Lehman chose to tie the knot on the Outer Banks, and decided on a beach wedding during June 2008. At first, the couple was a little apprehensive. After celebrating their special day on the Outer Banks, the expressed a different opinion. “I loved that the small-town feeling was in everything,” said Aly. “Everyone worked together and gave us great personalized service that made it easy.” It was a casually elegant wedding that also gave family and friends a chance to relax and get to know each other. A block of ten homes in Corolla and additional hotel rooms kept everyone together. “Most everyone came and spent four to seven days. Cousins spent hours playing volleyball and body-surfing the waves. We had golfers, runners, anglers and tennis players. People toured the wildlife museum and went to see the wild horses. Others just spent hours at the beach, reading and talking,” said Derrick Crandall, father of the bride. All of the wedding guests commented on how elegant the wedding was. What most of the guests said they enjoyed particularly about the wedding was the relaxing beach setting in which the event was held.

Event homes available! Come find out why the Outer Banks is the perfect place to say “I do.”

Tropical Storm Danny Brings the Outer Banks a Storm Alert and Surf

Posted on August 28, 2009

As of Friday morning, Topical Storm Danny is barely a tropical storm as winds drop, however, the Outer Banks is still expecting rain, winds, increased surf and rip currents. Now barely a tropical storm, Danny’s maximum sustained winds fell to 40 miles per hour. There is potential for some strengthening over next 12 hours, however Danny is currently poorly organized and struggling through wind shear, so it shouldn’t strengthen significantly.

On Thursday, The National Hurricane Center issued a tropical storm watch for the Outer Banks through Saturday, with windy and rainy conditions possible from Tropical Storm Danny. The watch, issued at 5 p.m. Thursday, covers the Outer Banks from Cape Lookout to Duck in Dare County and the Albemarle and Pamlico sounds. The watch indicates that tropical storm conditions, with winds in excess of 39 mph, are possible through Saturday.

Most tracking models keep the heart of the storm away from the U.S. East Coast, and the Outer Banks. Danny is about 350 miles south of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. It is forecasted to move northwest at 10 mph and then turn north and northeast while gaining forward speed.

On this course, Danny should pass near the Outer Banks overnight, approach the New England coast late Saturday and move over Nova Scotia and Newfoundland on Sunday.

Increased swell is starting to show on the Outer Banks, and hopefully conditions will cooperate to create some great OBX surf. As of this morning, the weather was ideal with air temperatures approaching 80 degrees and water temperatures in the mid 70′s. The waves are starting to line up, but not entirely clean and still in the waist to chest range. It is a great paddleboard and longboard day though.

Tropical Storm Danny Forecast

Outer Banks Surf Forecast

Outer Banks Plastic Bag Ban Takes Effect September 1

Posted on August 27, 2009

Retailers and merchants on the Outer Banks are hustling to prepare for the plastic-bag ban that will go into effect on Sept 1. “We’ve been trying to get ready, but it’s going to be really tight,” said Wes Gutekunst, Kitty Hawk Kites marketing director. “As much as we support that it’s going to happen, it did happen quickly.”

The legislation banning plastic bags on the Outer Banks was signed into law in June. Retailers bigger than 5,000 square feet and a stores with more than five or more outlets in the state in North Carolina will have to comply with this law. Customers will be offered incentives for using their own bags.

Tropical Storm Danny On Course to Breeze by Outer Banks

Posted on August 27, 2009

Tropical Storm Danny is moving westward towards the Outer Banks, but the current forecasts have it turning north and heading up the East Coast prior to making landfall.

NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration): TROPICAL STORM DANNY IS FORECAST TO BECOME A MINIMAL HURRICANE AS IT PASSES EAST OF THE OUTER BANKS FRIDAY NIGHT. GUSTY WINDS…LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN AND ROUGH SURF WILL BE POSSIBLE ALONG THE COAST FRIDAY NIGHT AND EARLY SATURDAY AS DANNY MOVES BY OVER THE OFFSHORE WATERS. AT THIS TIME THE FORECAST TRACK IS FAR ENOUGH OFFSHORE TO KEEP THE STRONGEST WINDS AND HEAVIEST RAIN EAST OF THE REGION…HOWEVER A SLIGHT SHIFT TO THE WEST COULD GREATLY INCREASE THE IMPACTS.

The Outer Banks seems secure for now, possibly some wind and rain, but no major impact; however, as the NOAA report indicates a small shift in course could change the impact significantly. Danny needs continued monitoring.

Currently, the OBX surf is predicted to increase over the next few days.

Tropical Storm Danny Forecast
TS Danny Forecast - 8.27.09

Tropical Storm Danny Computer Models

Outer Banks Surf Forecast

Tropical Storm Danny…More Outer Banks Surf?!

Posted on August 26, 2009

The 2009 Hurricane Season made a late debut in the Atlantic. The first named hurricane didn’t move up the East Coast until the middle of August, but it seems a late start doesn’t necessarily correlate to lower levels of activity.

Hurricane Bill pushed past the Outer Banks last weekend and left some great OBX surf in it’s wake. Now Tropical Storm Danny is forming in the Atlantic hurricane basin and threatening a close call for the Outer Banks by Saturday.

Tropical Storm Danny formed in the Atlantic Ocean east of the Bahamas on Wednesday and set a course that could take it near North Carolina’s Outer Banks and the northeastern U.S. states as a hurricane by the weekend. Danny is expected to gather strength over the Atlantic and could be a Category 1 hurricane by the weekend.

It is too early to forecast a precise path, but the current forecasts call for Danny to stay east of the Outer Banks. However, forecasters say the average error in their forecast three days in advance is about 200 miles.

Most computer models have the storm staying well off the U.S. East Coast, but one forecast shows it passing very close to the Outer Banks and heading up the coast.

Hopefully Danny follows a similar path to Bill and sends great surf but spares any potential damage. The storm’s progress will need to be monitored over the next few days.

The silver lining is that the Outer Banks will get some increased swell over the next few days. Hopefully the conditions line up for some great surf!

Tropical Storm Danny Forecast

Tropical Storm Danny Computer Models
Trop. Storm Danny Comp. Models - 8.26.09

Outer Banks Surf Forecast

Duck, N.C. Offers the Perfect Outer Banks Vacation

Posted on August 25, 2009

The town of Duck, NC is ideal for a relaxing vacation on the Outer Banks.

This stunning town is situated perfectly on northern OBX beaches; just North of Kitty Hawk and Southern Shores. Duck proudly markets itself as being more secluded than the rest of the Outer Banks. While the rest of the Outer Banks as developed significantly over the years, Duck has maintained its quaint setting; a small downtown with shops, restaurants, and a wide bike path. Wide, open beaches allow families to feel as though they are in total seclusion. Less of a crowd also translates into a more pristine beach.

Rainy day? No problem, Duck also boasts some of the best shopping on the Outer Banks, and there is no shortage of wonderful restaurants in Duck. So if you’re looking for a change of pace from your hectic work life, or just a change of pace from the rest of the Outer Banks, Duck is the perfect spot!

The fall is one of the best times to visit the Outer Banks, and Duck offers a one-of-a-kind Jazz Fest to celebrate the fall.

Great vacation rentals available.

Eastern Surf Championships Come to the Outer Banks 9.19

Posted on August 24, 2009

Staffor Hatteras Surf The Eastern Surf Championships grand finale will be held from September 19th to the 26th at the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse.

This is the 38th consecutive year the contest has been held at the Lighthouse. If the waves don’t cooperate there, ESA officials have the authority to move the event to a number of other spots.

Obviously local surfers in the contest will have the upper hand, but the ESA’s South New England team will not hand over the first place trophy without putting up a fight.

Here’s a look at some of the competitors from the Northeast that standout.

Ana Barend has competed for the past two years in both the Senior Women and Senior Women’s Long board divisions on the very tough ESA contest circuit. She has not only won the Northeast Regional Surf-Offs in both long and short board, but she has also won the East Coast Surfing Championships Grand Finals in both divisions as well. And she has done this for two straight years against different competitors and different conditions. The only question that lies with Ana is whether or not anyone on the East Coast can dethrone her.

Grand Legend, 70-year old Kitty Pechet is a 3-time winner of the Northeast Regional Surf-Offs and finalist at the East Coast Championships Grand Finals. And just for the record, Kitty is the only female competitor in that division on the entire East Coast.

Pat Redmond is without a doubt New England’s undisputed top bodyboarder. He has proved himself in both giant surf and tiny slop, placing in the finals of both the Northeast Regional Surf-Offs and the East Coast Surfing Championship Grand Finals. He is prepared to advance to the finals, after another great showing at this year’s regionals in Belmar, New Jersey finishing 3rd.

Chuck Barend is yet another local who has advanced to both the regional and eastern finals. Chuck will have another great chance to make the finals again, in both the Senior Men and Master Long board divisions. Ron Belanger has been a consistent finalist in both contests for the past decade and is planning on doing it again, surfing in the same two events as teammate Barend.

Hurricane Bill Sends Great Waves to the Outer Banks

Posted on August 24, 2009

After a slow start the 2009 Hurricane Season, Hurricane Bill, the first named hurricane of the year, passed by the Outer Banks on Saturday and sent the OBX some major swell.

Waves started to pickup Friday.

Hurricane Bill 8.21.09 003 Hurricane Bill 8.21.09 002

By Saturday the surf was mostly too messy and too large for much surfing, and definitely no swimming as the current was very strong and rip currents were prevalent. Saturday started out nice, but fog set in early and the seas grew rough as the day wore on.

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