Moonlight Ghost Tour of
The Whalehead Club

Saturday December 5th, 2009 at 7:00 pm

Docent led tour of the Whalehead Club at
Currituck Heritage Park , Corolla, NC
Just past Milepost 11 on Rt. 12 North

Admission $14 per person, age 8 & under $7

Reservations Required: Call 252-453-9040 ext. 2

Dress for the weather and bring a flashlight as part of the tour is on the grounds.

Addictions come in all shapes in sizes, and amazingly enough marathons are an addiction for some!

Eugene Defronzo, 73,  is a self-proclaimed marathon addict, and last week he finished his 402^nd marathon.  The 2009 OBX Marathon took place on November 8^th, and Eugene made the trek from Connecticut to participate in the scenic race.

As a result of his accomplishments, the Wall Street Journal “ran” an article today, and a video interview with Eugene was featured on the homepage of MSN.com today.  The video has some great footage of the 2009 Outer Banks marathon.        

Eugene feels that marathons are a way to relieve stresses and feel a sense of accomplishment.  A subculture of mega-marathoners, or people that have run hundreds of races, has emerged as running marathons has become more popular. 

Many people get caught up in their “run time” and lose the ability to take in the full marathon experience.  Not Eugene, “My aim is to run this in finish time — whatever time it takes to finish,” he said. “I’m not looking for any hour or minute.” The winner ended up beating Eugene by 4 hours and 27 minutes as he finished with a time of just over 7 hours.  When he crossed the finish line, he said “I’m glad that’s over with,” as a volunteer draped him with another finisher’s medal.  ”It wasn’t that hard, but still, it’s 26 miles.”

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.

Join Kitty Hawk Kites on Saturday, November 28th, 2009 to kick off the holiday season in the Outer Banks. Visit the Kitty Hawk Kites store in Nags Head (mp 12.5) around sunset for free hot apple cider and cookies. As the sun sets behind Jockey’s Ridge, Kitty Hawk Kites will illuminate the night sky with large kites, decorated in Christmas lights. Holiday music will play and the kites will soar through the air. This is a wonderful way to kick off the holiday season. For more information, call 1-877-FLY-THIS or email events@kittyhawk.com.

2009 Festival of Trees Schedule

Where: The Pearl Restaurant at the Sea Ranch Hotel, Kill Devil Hills
When: Dec. 3 – Dec. 6

• Thursday, December 3, Noon-9 p.m.

Trees and gifts available to view, Holiday Bazaar with Thrift Shop finds; musical performances by local groups all day.

Portraits with Santa (courtesy of East Carolina Bank) from 6:30-8 p.m.

Suggested donations: canned goods, household supplies or pet food for local food pantries and shelters. 

• Friday, December 4, Noon-9 p.m.

Trees and gifts available to view; Holiday Bazaar with Thrift shop finds; musical performances by local groups all day.

Outer Banks Extravaganza: New! A donated gift or service from local businesses will be on sale at bargain prices. Proceeds to benefit Outer Banks Hotline’s crisis intervention programs. A great opportunity to shop for holiday bargains and support Hotline at the same time. “Everything must go!” countdown begins at 7 p.m.

Suggested donations: canned goods, household supplies or pet food for local food pantries and shelters. 

• Saturday, December 5, Noon-2 p.m.

Trees and gifts available to view, Holiday Bazaar with Thrift shop finds for sale from noon-2 p.m.

Holiday Social, a ticketed dressy event, begins at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $35 each; heavy hors d’oeuvres; mellow jazz; cash bar.

Benefit Auction: sale of donated decorated Trees and Gifts, 8 p.m. until…; George Moore, Guest Auctioneer, Heritage Auction Company.

Suggested donations: canned goods, household supplies or pet food for local food pantries and shelters. 

• Sunday, December 6, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.

Brunch with Santa! Tickets on sale through The Pearl Restaurant.

Trees and items from last night’s auction will be on display; Santa and photos courtesy of East Carolina Bank.

The Festival is brought to the OBX by Hotline.  Hotline is dedicated to providing information and referrals, crisis intervention, temporary shelter, advocacy and prevention education services to residents of and visitors to the Northern Outer Banks. Their Mission is to promote a safe and compassionate community.

 
(Shot Thursday Afternoon)

The November nor’easter is sticking around on the Outer Banks.  The storm (really two systems; a high and a low pressure systems, the low being the real “nor’easter” and the remnants of Ida.) set in late Wednesday and is very reluctant to release its grip on the OBX. 

The wind and rough surf have been relentless.  Due to the large waves and higher tides than normal, the beach no longer serves as a boundary for the ocean; water and debris have flowed onto the streets in many areas.  The damage is still being assessed and cleanup crews are diligently working to clear sand and debris from roadways, but flooded areas are slowing the process.  Traffic is restricted to flooded areas.  However, based on debris and some first responders able to brave the conditions, there are some severe damages in need of attention.     

As of Friday morning the tide swept back into the area, and the next high tide is scheduled for about 4 pm. The high tide yesterday evening were less than a foot below hurricane Isabel in 2003.  A Coastal Flood Warning and a High Surf Advisory are still in effect for the area.  There is also a high threat of rip currents through Friday evening.  A strong low pressure near Cape Hatteras will slowly drift east while still impacting the region through Saturday.

A State of Emergency has been issued for all of Hatteras Island, and NC Highway 12 is closed at the Oregon Inlet Bridge with no passage available through the Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge to the Rodanthe area.  At this time, it is not known when Highway 12 to Hatteras Island will reopen.  North Carolina DOT is on-scene working to clear sand and water from the roadway.

There are no reports of power outages, but Dare County Schools are closed.

(Shot Friday Morning)

The “November Nor’easter” has arrived and is hanging over the Outer Banks area.  The highest winds and the worst tides will occur today as the remnants of Ida glide by just south of Hatteras.

A coastal flood warning is in effect until 8:00am Saturday, November 14.  A coastal flood warning means flooding is occurring or imminent.

A strong low pressure system will move slowly along the coast today and produce strong northeast winds of 30 to 40 mph.  The strong winds and building seas could result in overwash and coastal flooding.

The low pressure will slowly move along the southeast NC coast through this afternoon as an upper level trough moves in from the northwest. Gusty winds will continue through Friday.  The low will move to a position just off the Outer Banks early Friday then slowly drift further offshore Friday night. This slow movement will compound the coastal flooding impacts and keep seas in the double digits entering into the weekend, especially over the Northern Outer Banks.

Rough surf conditions are expected along with a high threat of rip currents in ocean waters.

Seas through this afternoon are expected around 10-15 feet, highest along northern waters. The long northeast fetch through Friday afternoon will drive high seas towards the northern OBX.  Breakers could build as high as 8 to 10 feet generating high surf and dangerous rip currents.  By the weekend, high pressure builds over the area and seas will begin to subside.

Nights in Rodanthe
The rough seas pose a serious threat to houses located on the oceanfront.  A great example of the potential for property damage from a coastal storm is the very well-known house from Nights in Rodanthe.

The Nights in Rodanthe house sits directly on the beach at the northern tip of Hatteras Island.  It is precariously perched in the pounding surf, and its days seem numbered.  It’s tragic to see property damaged, especially a gorgeous oceanfront home, but nature is a force much greater than our construction materials.

It’s sort of like watching a car accident (albeit in very slow motion), but you can view real time video of the famous house with this webcam; as of now, the webcam is faced directly at the house.  The southern Outer Banks is doing pretty well in comparison to the northern Outer Banks in this system, so this could be good news for the famed house.  Perhaps this is not the storm that takes it down, but odds are nature will claim it at some point in the not-too-distant future.

Relatively good news for southern Outer Banks:  The low (remnants of Ida) has gotten close enough to the southern part of the Outer Banks to allow the pressure gradient (difference in pressure) to relax greatly; so the wind hasn’t been too bad along the southern Outer Banks. However, the northern Outer Banks is experiencing more severe weather.  While Hatteras has been experiencing 25 mph wind gusts, Duck to Corolla has been experiencing 50 mph gusts. The pressure gradient has a huge effect; the greatest pressure gradient  leads to the highest winds, hence the biggest waves, and the biggest problems with flooding, overwash, and coastal property damage.

In addition to the pressure gradient, high tides play a significant role in severity.  This storm system will extend through four high tide periods.

High tides for Oregon Inlet in this period include:

Thursday 11/12 – 3:40am
Thursday 11/12 – 3:53pm
Friday 11/13 – 4:32am
Friday 11/13 – 4:51pm

Forecast
The set up Wednesday through Friday is somewhat grim. The perfect ingredients for a strong nor’easter are forming along the OBX coast.

A strong high pressure system to the north of the area is pumping in strong winds. Mix in the remnants of Ida stalling out east of the Georgia coast and wind is pumping in from the north and the south.  It’s the perfect set up for a rather large, long nor’easter for the local area. Winds are expected to reach speeds of 40-50 mph.

This would be less of an issue if it lasted 10 or 12 hours; it would most likely only generate some minor tidal flooding and rain. But these systems are creating a much different scenario.  Forecasts have the pattern stalling out, bringing terrible conditions for 72 hours, leading to more significant coastal flooding, beach erosion and possibly causing some homes perched too close to the ocean to collapse.

Most coastal flooding will occur during high tide cycles and get increasingly worse Wednesday through Friday.

Video Updates

• Weather Channel
• Local Virginia Beach news – Wavy 10

What is a nor’easter?
A “nor’easter” is an intense low pressure area that forms in the winter along the east coast of the Unites States, producing strong northeasterly winds and sometimes heavy snowfall and rainfall. This is a favored region for winter storm formation, where the warm ocean water and airmass along the coast meets cold air pouring down out of Canada.

These storms often travel up along the coast, eventually affecting the entire eastern seaboard. Persistent strong winds with these storms can cause beach erosion and damage to houses along the coast from large waves and high water levels that result from the ocean water being piled up against the coast by the wind. The nor’easter is usually followed by unusually cold weather as the cold high pressure area that helped create the strong winds moves into the region.

Interesting facts:
THE PERFECT STORM – The movie “Perfect Storm” was based upon the true story of a swordfishing boat, the Andrea Gail, that was caught in an intense nor’easter in October 1991.

The Outer Banks was recently featured in StandUp Paddle Magazine, a publication that focuses on Stand Up Paddle Boarding. 

All of the conditions that make the Outer Banks a classic surf destination, friendly locals, uncrowded breaks (most of the year), consistent surf in a variety of conditions, and potential for amazing waves under perfect conditions, also apply to Stand Up Paddle Boarding (aka SUP).

From a broad perspective, SUP is pretty much longboarding while holding a large paddle, but there’s more than meets the eye.  SUP is a fantastic full body workout that focuses on “core” muscles, and you don’t need waves to enjoy a paddle and a workout….although it is much more fun (and challenging) with waves.  SUP can be fun and physically challenging on flat water as well as in hefty waves. 

SUP also allows experienced paddlers to catch waves earlier than traditional surfers, giving the advantage of a longer ride.  SUP boards are long, usually 10 foot plus, and the paddle allows you to pick up speed faster than paddling with your arms like traditional surfers, both aspects that help catch waves early. 

The OBX offers ideal SUP conditions.  There is plenty of great scenary around the Sound to enjoy an interesting paddle, which is a great way to learn the sport and gain experience.  And there is 200 miles of coast that offers the potential to enjoy great waves. 

Congratulations to the 2009 Outer Banks Marathon, Half Marathon, 8K, Fun Run & 5K runners!

There were over 6500 participants this weekend…the biggest turnout yet!

It was a classic fall day on the Outer Banks with sunny skies, warm weather, and a light westerly breeze.  Possibly a bit warm for the runners, but not too bad, and the enthusiastic spectators definitely enjoyed the race and the weather.

Results: (Full race results)

Top Male Finisher
Ryan Woods    2:32:37.94

Top Female Finisher
Kelley Taylor    2:55:40.21

Top Master Male Finisher
Bill Shires         2:43:44.03

Top Master Female Finisher
Sarah Smith     3:10:31.97

Top Wheelchair Finisher
Angela Dykes   2:19:26

Here’s a great list posted by one of the runners after completing the marathon.

Good stuff about the OBX Marathon:

• Incredibly, most (meaning more than half) of the course is shaded, either in neighborhoods or on wooded trails or roads.
• There WERE spectators! And they were enthusiastic. I taught a few little kids how to high-five, or I could hear their parents teaching them after I had swished by with my hand out.
• There are some small, rolling hills on a road that goes through the woods, and there is a tall bridge, but otherwise it’s really quite flat.
• There is a REAL expo. Not a huge one, and some of the booths were selling real estate, but running gear was plentiful too.
• They started the race in corrals, honor system, two minutes apart, which worked fine. I like that, even with just 1800 runners. My corral started 10 minutes after the first one, but it was the right place for me.
• Transportation is an issue in point-to-point marathons, and they did it well. We parked at the finish and took a bus to the start, but you could do it the other way too.
• They had put out “Burma Shave” signs along the way, telling facts about the area (highest sand dune in the USA, first flight, whatever, even some bad jokes. If you don’t know what a Burma Shave sign is, your youth may be a minor hindrance in reading this blog
• Example series of signs:
  • First successful flight
  • in motor driven heavier
  • than air machines by
  • Orville and Wilbur Wright
  • December 17, 1903
  • Kill Devil hills, just south of Kitty Hawk
• There is a lot of history here, including the first powered flight and Roanoke Island. It might be worth an extra day (or several) just enjoying the Outer Banks. The beaches are delicious – be sure to get a motel with access.
• The race goes right through the Wright Brothers Memorial.
• And it goes along the waterfront for some distance (unlike Kiawah Island, you can actually SEE the water!).
• There is a swashbuckling pirate theme to the whole marathon (arrrrgh!).
• Nice booty bag (expo bag), nice long-sleeve tech shirt.
• People were very nice to my sweeties, even though they were near the end of the race.