Category Archives: OBX News

Outer Banks: 2011 World Championships of Surf Kayaking Highlights – Jennette’s Pier, Nags Head NC

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Outer Banks: 2011 World Championships of Surf Kayaking

Outer Banks: 2011 World Championships of Surf Kayaking

September went out, and October arrived, with a bang on the Outer Banks. Actually, it was more of a splash…a big splash; a worldwide splash.

Fall on the Outer Banks is awesome. Empty beaches, warm weather, warm water, and fantastic surf. The perfect time to bring a huge surf kayaking contest to the OBX!

For 10 days, from September 29th – October 9th, the 2011 World Championships of Surf Kayaking were held on the Outer Banks, specifically at Jennette’s Pier in Nags Head, NC.

This is a huge contest. It is  held every two years, and the last event was in Brazil; we are very happy that it found its way to the Outer Banks. 10 days worth of events, contestants from all over the world, a wide variety of event categories, and the Outer Banks provided some perfect conditions. The weather and waves varied a bit over the 10 day period, but there was plenty of sun, a lot of great waves, and some amazing kayaking.

I was able to make it to the event five of the ten days. It was great to see so much excitement and energy on the beach…and in the water. I couldn’t get there everyday, but I made sure to get there when all of the fickle surf ingredients lined up to throw some great waves our way. And there were plenty of gorgeous waves to go around.

I’ll let the official website of the event (http://www.worldchampionshipsofsurfkayaking.com/) offer the full recaps, including opening and closing ceremonies and list of  winners, but I do want to share some of great surf kayaking highlights…and amazing OBX waves.

Sit back, kick up your feet, enjoy the scenery; the waves and kayaking are mesmerizing…and don’t forget to turn up the speakers, I think you’ll enjoy the jam from Foster the People – “Pumped Up Kicks.”

Hope to see y’all kayakers back on the OBX soon!…thanks for the show.

Outer Banks T-Shirt Design Contest: The Champ has Been Crowned!

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The crowning moment has finally arrived!

After months of collecting fabulous Outer Banks t-shirt designs for our t-shirt design contest, we narrowed the field down to five amazing pieces of art, and Tuesday we opened the final stage of voting on our Facebook page.

It was a 24-hour period of heated voting with two awesome designs battling it out down to the last minute of voting at midnight. And in the end, the fabulous “Mermaid” design, created by Ms. Patsy Bachus Ridlon, was crowned the victor!

I asked Patsy if there was a story behind the design, and here’s what she had to say…

Yes! I’m southern, so I always have a good story:)

I was raised in Asheville, North Carolina, and now live in the Pacific Northwest, soon to move to the coast of Oregon. Still, the Outer Banks has a feeling and life all it’s own. There is no place like it.

The first time I visited the Outer Banks, I was a kid. That was 30 years ago. We went to a local restaurant and the waitress was so beautiful she looked like she belonged on the front of a ship!

She and her family had lived there for generations. She had the most exotic green eyes, so she made me think of the mermaid and the Pirate bandana she is wearing.

The horse, turtle, fish, crab, the dolphin hidden in the wave, the little seahorse…all the wildlife, to me, is one of the most amazing and important parts of the Outer Banks.

Horses! I love the wild horses.

She is part of the ocean and the OBX, and protecting it, as the people of the Outer Banks do.

The Surfboard, energy and fun!

Thank you for having the contest, it was great. I am sooo happy to be a tiny part of this. All the designs were amazing, and I am honored to have won. Please thank your awesome staff. I read about you all every day. You’re my link to my favorite place.

Thank you!
Patsy

Awesome description.

It is amazing how much the Outer Banks can effect people. There is so much “everyday magic” on the Outer Banks. So much so, that we can be changed by it and not even realize it’s happening. I can speak from experience (as I’m sure most of y’all can as well). I grew up in Boston, but after vacationing on the Outer Banks a couple times, I knew this is where I wanted to spend every available minute. Now, here I am with my entire life built around this amazing place.

Patsy lives on the opposite side of the country – 3k miles away? – yet she stays tuned into our daily updates everyday, took the time to enter our t-shirt design contest, and created the winning design based on inspiration from her first OBX visit 30 years ago!  Amazing!

Great design, and great story. Thanks so much Patsy.

This was such a fun contest! We can’t wait to see the great design on the Seaside Vacations 2012 t-shirt, and we can’t wait to do it again next year! Get your creative thinking caps on. :)

T-shirts will be available soon. We’ll be sure to announce it as soon as they are ready. Stay tuned!

Outer Banks T-Shirt Design Contest: "Mermaid" - Winning Design

Outer Banks T-Shirt Design Contest: "Mermaid" - Winning Design

 

 

Outer Banks T-Shirt Design Contest: 5 Finalists!…Voting Starts Tuesday at Midnight!

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Drum-roll please….

After months of preparation, the time has finally arrived. We have been collecting some amazing t-shirt designs over the passed few months, the t-shirt design contest closed on September 30, and we have now narrowed the field of 26 down to the TOP 5 FINALISTS!

We want to thank everyone who took part in this awesome contest. We were hoping to get some fun designs, and y’all blew us away! The designs that we received are all AMAZING.

Below are the 5 finalists, and voting will begin at midnight on Tuesday (i.e. Tuesday morning) and run for 24 hours. The voting will take place on our Facebook page (www.Facebook.com/SeasideVacationsOBX), and after the 24 hour voting period, the design with the most votes will be crowned the King/Queen of the Outer Banks T-Shirt Design Contest!

And to the victor go the spoils. The winning design will be printed on the back of the 2012 Seaside Vacations t-shirt, and the winning designer will win an Outer Banks getaway courtesy of Seaside Vacations.

Please tune into our Facebook page and vote…the more the merrier. :)

Without further ado, here are the top 5 finalists…

Outer Banks T-Shirt Design Contest - 5 Finalists

Outer Banks T-Shirt Design Contest - 5 Finalists

Please note, the above image is not the best quality and the numbers on the designs are no longer relevant. New images for each design will be uploaded to Facebook for the voting.

Let the voting begin on Tuesday!

Outer Banks Beach, Surf, & Fishing Report – 9.29.11 – 2011 World Championships of Surf Kayaking

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Outer Banks: 2011 World Championships of Surf Kayaking

Outer Banks: 2011 World Championships of Surf Kayaking

Good morning. Here’s the Outer Banks Beach, Surf, & Fishing Report for Thursday, September 29, 2011.

This video was shot at Jennette’s Pier in Nags Head at 7:30 AM.

I was up bright an early to head down to Jennette’s Pier in Nags Head to catch some surf and catch the opening day of the 2011 World Championships of Surf Kayaking. I had to hold off for a few minutes for a thunder storm to move out to sea, but it turned out to be a beautiful morning…and a beautiful day.

The sun is shining, air temps are in the 80′s and water temps at 74 degrees. This will stick with us for tomorrow, and then the weekend starts to feel like fall. Temps will drop to the high 60′s for the weekend, but plenty of sun, some good swell in the water, and temps will jump back to the upper 70′s early next week.

We have a nice offshore breeze cleaning up the waist high surf today, but the swell is fading today and tomorrow before it jumps over the weekend as Tropical Storm/Hurricane Ophelia moves through the Atlantic. Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like the wind will cooperate with the swell this weekend.

But the big news in the water is that the 2011 World Championships of Surf Kayaking kicks off today at Jennette’s Pier. Today is a free surf, a setup day, and the opening ceremonies. The first round of the contest starts tomorrow morning at 8 AM sharp. Hopefully the surf cooperates, but the weather and water temps should be great, so it will be a fun competition at any rate.

This is a pretty significant event. The Championships are a worldwide event, so contests are on the OBX from around the world. It is held every two years, and the last event was in Portugal. We are very excited to have such a great event on the Outer Banks. Definitely worth a trip to Nags Head if you are in the area. Jennette’s Pier is gorgeous, and this kayakers can do some amazing things in the water.

OBX fishing is going strong. Definitely settling in to some great fall fishing. Offshore is catching their limits on yellow and black fin tuna. The piers, bridges, surf, and Sound are very consistent with a wide variety of fish – speckled trout, blue fish, pompano, croaker, sea mullet, Spanish mackerel, spot, black drum. A great time to be fishing on the OBX!

Hope to see you soon. Have fun!

Outer Banks Photo Contest: Find the Magic in the Everyday

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Whitney Norko Photography - Wedding Magic

Whitney Norko Photography - Wedding Magic

As the wise Ferris Bueller says, “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”

It’s important that we take time to cherish the beauty that’s all around us and appreciate the magic that each new day holds.

So, Seaside Vacations is asking, “How do you find magic in the everyday?”

We’re looking for some magical photos accompanied by magical descriptions, and the winner(s) will be published in our 2012 Outer Banks Vacation Guide.

Submit the entry of your “everyday magic” – include a high-resolution digital photograph (at least 300 dpi), contact information, date and location of the photograph, and a short description (75 words or less) to submissions@seasiderealty.com.

Please make sure your photo description shows how you find magic in the simple things in life.  Our favorite photo will be featured in our 2012 Outer Banks Vacation Guide.  Contest ends 9/30.

Can’t wait to see your magic!

Good luck!

Officials Asked to Reconsider Opening Hatteras Island to Tourists

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Usually when vacationers head to Hatteras they get there by crossing Bonner Bridge and heading south on Highway 12- but thanks to Hurricane Irene there are two large inlets and several others, that have forced no land access for the area. Since N.C. 12 is still impassable north of Rodanthe, the only way for visitors to get to the island’s southern communities is by making a reservation on a ferry from the mainland or driving through Ocracoke and taking the free ferry to Hatteras Village.

With the ferry system booked beyond capacity, tourism officials urged Dare County Thursday to reconsider the decision to open lower Hatteras Island to tourists. The ferries are booked through next Tuesday. Saturday reservations, when most rentals turn over, are also booked solid.

Scot Leggat, a Hatteras Island real estate executive, asked the Dare County Tourism Board to pass a resolution seeking another look at the call to reopen Hatteras Village, Frisco, Buxton and Avon. Re-entry for tourists started Thursday morning. County Manager Bobby Outten said Thursday that he and members of the Board of Commissioners made their decision in the interests of people in Dare County who faced losing their jobs if some business did not return to the island.

He acknowledged that officials were aware of the potential problem with ferry access, but they weighed that against the prospect of layoffs by businesses struggling in the three weeks since Hurricane Irene and believes this decision couldn’t be rescinded now.

Complicating any decision is that some travel insurance no longer is valid if a mandatory evacuation order is lifted. So in many cases, vacationers who have already paid for their rentals cannot get to them and may not be reimbursed.

The emergency ferry from Stumpy Point to Rodanthe is reserved for residents, property owners, essential personnel and vendors. Opening that ferry route to tourists would likely mean losing FEMA funding to keep it running. The decision has also created a backlash on Ocracoke Island because Hatteras vacationers are now competing for limited ferry reservations.

The North Carolina Department of Transportation is making $10 million in emergency repairs that include building a temporary bridge over the largest inlet, which is in the Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge, and filling the rest with sand. Transportation officials say the road could be re-opened sometime in October but no decision on permanent repairs has been made.

Outer Banks Beach, Surf, & Fishing Report – 8.25.11 –Gearing up for Ms.Irene

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Looks like Hurricane Irene is having no mercy and is heading right for us here in the Outer Banks. Here at Seaside we are battening down the hatches and making all efforts to secure all of our vacation homes in preparation for the storm. As of now Irene is a category 3 and is expected to hit the OBX early Saturday morning. There has been a mandatory evacuation for all guests and residents of Dare County throughout the night into early morning.

We still have our fingers crossed in hopes that this storm will stray from its path and head out into the ocean, leaving us only with its memory. It is scary how devastating a hurricane that is this powerful can have on the Outer Banks, so we need everyone’s thoughts and prayers to keep Irene out at sea.

For our current guests we strongly recommend you vacate the home you are staying and head inland. If you are supposed to check in this weekend please keep a close eye on our weather alerts page as we will keep you updated as best as we can as the storm makes its way in.

Save a Horse, Ride a Land Cruiser. But With New Restrictions?

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Currituck County officials are developing a plan to impose limits on the expanding business of Corolla wild horse tours. They are discussing plans to restrict the number of vehicles per tour to 4 and requiring tour operators to get a license each year and the number of licenses issued would be limited to eight companies that must be based in Currituck County.

Other requirements include:

- Vehicles would have to be registered with the county, with a photo included for each one.

- Each vehicle would get a number and must have a sign on the side with lettering at least 3 inches tall showing the ID number and the company name.

- All vehicles would have guides, instead of one guide leading several vehicles.

- More than one violation of the ordinance in a month could mean being shut down for a day or more.

A county law already requires people to stay 50 feet away from wild horses.

Operators could still carry a similar number of passengers by using vehicles with larger capacities, Woody said.

Officials are considering whether to limit tour times. Now they travel dawn to dusk. Residents want hours limited to something like 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

“I’m in favor of this, believe or not,” said Jay Bender, owner of Corolla Outback Adventures and Club Seaside partner. “It’s in the best interest of the horses and in the best interest of everybody over the long haul to keep some sort of control over it.”

Complaints from residents and the Corolla Wild Horse Fund explain, “It’s all day every day,” said north beach resident and Corolla Wild Horse Fund Vice President Phyllis Castelli. “There’s never really a time of day when there’s not a tour group going by. It’s completely out of balance.” Castelli saw two wild horses on the beach last week surrounded by people from three different tours. “If I feel this way, imagine how the horses feel,” she said.

There are a couple of things to remember here. If we reduce supply of the horse tours and with demand always increasing this is going to drive up the prices of the tour which is already on the high side. On the other hand it would be in the best interest of our area to restrict the number of companies as to eliminate people in Charlotte, Raleigh or Virginia who see the horse tours as an easy way to make money and have already expressed interest in starting new tour companies.

What do you guys think? There has to be some kind of happy medium…

Here is a video of our recent wild horse tour with Corolla Outback Adventures.

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Spotlight on the OBX: Nags Head Beach Nourishment

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Outer Banks: Nags Head Beach Nourishment 2011

Outer Banks: Nags Head Beach Nourishment 2011

The beaches of the Outer Banks are beautiful; however, they also are extremely fragile. There are many factors that have contributed to the erosion of our beaches throughout the years, including hurricanes, nor’easters, high winds and tidal changes. Starting late May, the Town of Nags Head began dredging sand and pumping onto the shore near Jennette’s Pier to help restore our beautiful beaches.

Once finished, the project will have “nourished” 10 miles of the Nags Head Coastline. Currently, 9,000 feet of beach has been completed between mile post 15 and Jennette’s pier and construction is moving forward better than expected.

Here’s the latest news on the progress of the project:

The first dredge to arrive on the project, the Liberty Island, started in the vicinity of Mile Post 15.5 and has finished just past Jennette’s Pier. The dredge is now located offshore near the Hargrove public beach access. Construction associated with the Liberty Island is now moving north from about the Hargrove beach access to the area just south of Jennette’s Pier. After finishing near Jennette’s Pier, the Liberty Island will move south again towards the Outer Banks Pier.

On Tuesday June 21, an additional dredge, the Texas, arrived from Norfolk and began pumping sand in south Nags Head. Construction related to the Texas is currently scheduled to first move north from Oregon Street, near Surfside Drive, to the Outer Banks Pier, where construction will meet work associated with the Liberty Island dredge.

The project plan calls for widening the beach by an average of ~50 to 150 feet.  After initial construction, the beach may appear wider than expected because sand can only be placed on the upper part of the beach profile (say to 6 ft depth or so). Nature will redistribute sand to match a natural profile, meaning some sand will move offshore in the underwater portion of the beach profile (to ~20 ft deep). This does not mean the beach is losing sand; rather, the profile is adjusting following nourishment. The beach width will naturally decrease initially after the project. Obviously sand will erode from the project area over time, but with the sand closely matching the natural beach, erosion rates should be similar to what has been observed over recent years.

For the latest updates and schedules visit www.townofnagshead.net

Outer Banks Summer Blue Fish Blitz – 6.30.11

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Yesterday was a pretty classic OBX day. Dare I say that it was the best day of the year so far?! Perfect OBX conditions.

Bright sun, temps in the 80′s, light onshore wind blowing a cool breeze with a fresh salt air smell, the water was an amazing aqua green-blue, crystal clear, and 75 degrees! Doesn’t get much better than that.

The great day carried over to a great evening on the beach too. We had a fun company picnic planned for the beach after work, and as I set up the food, and popped the first adult beverage, I saw the distinct vision of a classic fish blitz starting. The water close to shore was “popping” with blue fish, and the shore fishing crew was hustling with their poles towards the water line. The summer blue fish blitz was on!

The fish were biting for almost two hours. The school of blues moved up and down the beach, and fish were being caught with almost every cast. Amazing site to see, and some great entertainment for our picnic.

Here’s a quick video of the action…