It’s unclear what name will be used to “coin” last week’s storm that wreaked havoc on the Outer Banks as it lives on in the minds of those effected; is it the “November nor’easter,” “Veteran’s Day nor’easter,” “Friday the 13^th nor’easter,” “Nor’Ida”?

November nor’easter seems to be the most widely used for now, so we’ll stick with that.  What is clear, however, is that the storm (really two weather systems; a high to the north and a low to the south – remnants of tropical storm Ida) was the worst the area has seen in a few years with major damage that will require significant time, energy, and monetary funds to repair.  The damage is widespread from Hatters to Corolla and affects public and private property.

The storm arrived on the OBX on Wednesday afternoon and didn’t release its grip on the area until Saturday evening.  The long duration of the storm is one of the main reasons for the severe impact.  Residents and weather forecasters have compared this storm to Hurricane Isabel in 2003.  In the end, the current storm surge during high tides was approximately a foot below Isabel’s storm surge; however, a significant difference between the storms is the duration.

Hurricanes move quickly while nor’easters, and this storm in particular, tend to stall and barrage the Outer Banks for days rather than hours.  Hurricanes can be violent, but they are generally short-lived; nor’easters tend to create an ideal environment for increased damage from extended periods of high winds, high surf, high storm surge, and standing water/flooding.

Strong winds blew consistently for almost four days out of the northeast driving large surf to the beach, eventually overtaking the beach and dune lines.  Houses sitting precariously along the dune line faced imminent danger from the crashing surf.  Add to the dangerous surf and overwash significant rain fall, and flooding, especially along the beach, becomes one of the main forces underlying damage to roadways and residences.

As of now, a week after the start of the storm and four days removed from the return of the sun, the damage assessments are ongoing and repairs are underway.  Massive amounts of sand need to be removed; the area resembles the northeast after a major snowfall, but replace snow drifts with sand drifts.  Debris needs to be removed from streets, beaches, and the ocean.  Select roadways need significant repair; the main roadway casualty being Rt. 12 at the top of Hatters.

Rt. 12 at the top of Hatteras is a well known section of road for a  few reasons; Rt. 12 is a nationally recognized scenic byway, this section is well-known in the surf culture for great OBX surf, the house from Nights in Rodanthe is precariously perched in the beach here, and now it is gaining notoriety for the extensive damage from the November nor’easter.

From last Friday through today, the road has been shut down due to significant damage, and keep in mind this is the only road out of Hatteras.  On Monday, a temporary path was created for four-wheel drive vehicles, but it was a crude solution to a more significant problem.  As of today, one lane has reopened while crews continue to work tirelessly to repair the dune line and roadway.  As a result of the damage, Hatteras was declared a State of Emergency late last week, and Governor Purdue is expected to seek Federal aid for the repairs.

In addition to the focus on the road in this area, a significant amount of attention is focused on “Serendipity,” the house from Nights in Rodanthe.  The house has been treacherously close to the waves for quite a while, but this storm brought a renewed threat to the already empty house.  The devastating destruction caused by Mother Nature is clear from the disappearing dunes and mangled road.  It doesn’t require a large stretch of imagination to comprehend the damage “Serendipity” is facing.  As of today, Dare County has determined that “Serendipity” must be moved or removed from its precarious location.  It could be the end of an icon that has stood as an OBX treasure since 1988 when it was erected by a local builder.

 
The Outer Banks is known best for the long stretch of gorgeous beaches overlooking the Atlantic Ocean.  Most OBX visitors come with a single focus of enjoying every possible minute at the beach, and this is understandable.  However, the Outer Banks has more to offer than the beach overlooking the ocean…

 Like a beach overlooking the Sound!  

 A Sound is defined as:

1. a wide channel or strait linking two large bodies of water or separating an island from the mainland
2. a long inlet or arm of the sea

The Outer Banks is a narrow band of barrier islands that has the Atlantic Ocean on the east and the Currituck, Albemarle, and Pamlico Sounds to the west.  The Sound offers a variety of activities and a different OBX vibe than the beach. 

The Sound tends to be a tranquil respite with calm, quiet waters, wild life, and few crowds.  It offers a great opportunity for boating, jet skiing, fishing, and crabbing, and the Sound is also perfect for small kids.  The ocean can be rough and loud, and many small children can be intimidate by the crashing waves; the Sound offers a calm alternative to enjoy a day at the beach.  A recent Outer Banks vacationer wrote a great story about how they fell in love with the Sound when the ocean was too rough due to Hurricane Bill passing by.

The Sound is also the best spot to catch an OBX sunset!  It is great to have the opportunity to see the sun rise and set over water in the same day.

Every year, thousands of people visit Jockeys Ridge State Park to experience the largest “living” sand dune on the East Coast.  Many visit to take in the sheer beauty of this amazing landscape and the breathtaking views (arguably the best spot on the beach to watch the sunset over the Sound), but there is much more to Jockey’s Ridge than sand and views.

Jockeys Ridge is home to a wide array of wildlife and gorgeous scenery.  The park offers a variety of hiking trails with signs designating the wildlife and surrounding nature.

• The Soundside Natural Trail is a self guided tour that is only about a mile long.  This trail features a glimpse of several different coastal ecosystems; including, wetlands, grassy dunes and maritime thickets.  While hiking on this trail, you will be able to learn about some of the wildlife that call this park home.
• The Tracks in the Sand trail is another popular trail that runs a little longer than the Soundside Natural Trail.  This trail runs for a distance of approximately 1.5 miles,  and offers a glimpse at the parks different ecosystems with stations that will provide the hiker information.

The park also offers a full calendar of events and programs that are designed to be fun, educational, and hands-on…most of these are free to the public, but some may require prior registration.

Another unique feature of this incredible system of sand dunes is the ability to harness the amazing Outer Banks winds on just about any day of the year.  Jockey’s Ridge is a favorite for kite flyers on the OBX, and it is where many hang gliding enthusiasts got their start.

• Kitty Hawk Kites has been teaching hang gliding at Jockey’s Ridge since 1974!  They are the largest hand gliding school in the world, teaching hundreds of thousands of students since 1974 (over 300,000)!
  • They have taught students aged 4-92, male and female, physically fit and physically challenged. In fact, they can accommodate paraplegics, blind, deaf and other persons physically challenged. All they require is a desire to learn how to fly. They provide beginner, intermediate and advanced instruction.

Park hours:

November-February, 8 a.m.-6 p.m.

March and October, 8 a.m.-7 p.m.

April, May, September, 8 a.m.-8 p.m.

June-August, 8 a.m.-9 p.m.

Closed Christmas Day

Park office hours: 8 a.m.-5 p.m. daily

Closed Christmas Day

NOAA recently announced that a World War II Navy patrol boat (YP-389) was found at the beginning of August off the coast of Hatteras, NC.

The boat was sunk by a German sub in 1942 during the “Battle of the Atlantic” and has been untouched since.

YP-389 was involved in a 90 minute battle with a German U-boat that led to its demise.  The U-boat was sunk two weeks later about 10 miles north.

The “Battle of the Atlantic” refers to the early years of WWII when ships were regularly attacked by German submarines off the East Coast.  During this time, 137 allied, German, and merchant vessels were lost along North Carolina.  Of the 137 vessels lost, only 40 have been located!

The boat is 325 feet underwater, and it is believed that 5 men may be entombed.  The site is protected by federal laws that prohibit the touching or removing of artifacts.

A rare nest of Leatherback sea turtles located in Kill Devil Hills “boiled” around 9:00 p.m. August 27^th.  Approximately 60 baby turtles were hatched.

A Leatherback nest is very rare on the Outer Banks, and this is the first recorded occurrence.

Volunteers from NEST monitored the boil and assisted the baby turtles to the ocean when needed.

The Outer Banks is becoming the focus of a push for pollution-free electricity.  Surfers, Kiteboarders, and sailors know how fierce the winds can be along the Outer Banks, and energy experts are starting to take notice.

A small company from Chapel Hill, Outer Banks Ocean Energy Corp., has been developing plans for more than a year to build a “wind farm” 25 miles off the coast of the Outer Banks, and the plans are gaining momentum.  The goal is to harness some of the nation’s best wind resources to create environmentally friendly electricity.  The wind farm would generate enough power for about 42,000 homes.

If the project reaches fruition, this would be one of the first wind farms in the U.S., but the idea will need to overcome strong public opposition and pass intense environmental scrutiny.  The turbines’ blades would reach 465 feet into the sky.  At least 50 towers would be required for the first phase, and plans call for eventually increasing to 150 towers spread out over 54 square miles if demand supports the growth.  Even with such large turbines and blades, and at mass quantities, the farm would not be visible 25 miles from shore.  In addition, detailed environmental and coastal impact studies are needed: sea bed formation, bird flight patterns, fish movements, commercial shipping lanes, and military training zones.

Getting the project passed will be a formidable task, and building it could be just as difficult.  It is estimated to be a seven year project and cost upwards of $900 million.  Hurricane-resistant towers would need to be secured to the ocean floor, and underwater transmission cables costing upwards of $2 million per mile would need to come ashore over beaches, dunes, and wetlands.

Project founder, Donald Evans, feels wind is one of our best energy options, saying “Offshore wind is an inexhaustible, clean energy resource.  It’s been there since the Earth was here.”

Eventually, the plan also calls for underwater turbines to capture power from the steady Gulf Stream just off the OBX coast.

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.

Jockey’s Ridge State Park is one of the many natural wonders on the Outer Banks. 

This amazing park stretches 420 acres and is the tallest natural sand dune in the Eastern United States.  The park offers plenty of activities that are free and open to the public, and it is handicap accessible.  

The park is ideal for taking in the wide variety of OBX nature; there is a 384 ft boardwalk that winds through the park with informational signs explaining the local wildlife and stops with an excellent view of the ridge.  

The park also offers great activities like sandboarding (similar to snowboarding, but you guessed it, on sand), kite flying, and perfect conditions for hang gliding.  In fact, Jockey’s Ridge, and Kitty Hawk Kites located across the street, boast more hang gliders over the last 30 years than any other location in the United States.  Drop by Kitty Hawk Kites for more information on lessons.   

The activities offered at Jockey’s Ridge are second to none, but one of the best uses of the giant sand dune is to capture an unparalleled view of the Outer Banks.  It is arguably the best spot for viewing the gorgeous OBX sunsets over the Sound.

Please call 252-441-7132 for more information or visit http://www.jockeysridgestatepark.com/. 

Ocean Fishing Report:  Summer on the Outer Banks usually means high humidity, hot weather and blustery southwest winds, peppered with sporadic afternoon thunderstorms, and that’s what we saw this week. Every summer along the northern beaches, between Corolla and Rodanthe, the southwest winds push the warm surface water offshore, the cooler water rises to the surface and the cool water slows the fishing.

We’re in the dog days of August and fishing has been slow along most fronts. Looks like a brief wind shift to the northeast is in the offing during the next couple days, so that might help the weekend angling prospects.

During last year’s 25th annual Pirates Cove Billfish festival, on the Outer Banks of North Carolina, history was made! 

A state record breaking 1,228.5 pound blue marlin was pulled from the depths of the Atlantic.  This catch outweighed the previous record holder (1,142) by a long shot.

The gulf stream,  which is situated about 15 miles offshore from Hatteras Inlet, is home to a vast amount of fish and marine life, and attracts fishing enthusiasts from all over the world.  A wide variety of fish are caught on the OBX, from striped bass to mahi mahi, and of course, marlin. 

In most of the world , marlins do not exist in high populations.  Off the coast of North Carolina, many blue marlin thrive in the waters of the Atlantic. 

Curious about why fisherman from all over the world come to the Outer Banks to fish?  Come check out the Pirates Cove Fishing Tournament and see.