2011 Outer Banks T-Shirt Design Contest, the Gift that Keeps on Giving

Posted on December 5, 2011

During the 2011 summer, we started a new Seaside Vacations tradition and ran a contest to design an Outer Banks t-shirt. Such a great contest. Here we are in December, and we’re still talking about it!

We received a whole bunch of amazing designs, and after some heated voting on our Facebook page, we crowned the Mermaid design as champ – thanks to the fantastic talents of Ms. Patsy.

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

In my mind, all was said and done. We mailed off Patsy’s prize (a free OBX getaway), and we had some fabulous t-shirts designed and sent to the printer. I was looking forward to our sweet 2012 Outer Banks t-shirts, but my mind had moved on to other tasks.

And then the t-shirt contest gave us a nice surprise. Our team of Vacation Specialists loved the winning design, but they had a soft-spot for one of the other designs. They took it upon themselves to have t-shirts made for the “runner-up,” Ms. SuAnn, and each member of our reservations team. Taken alone, this is a great story…but it gets better.

Outer Banks T-Shirt Design Contest: SuAnn's Design

Outer Banks T-Shirt Contest: Awesome T-shirts!

We put up a blog post to recognize the unsung hero of the contest and show off the new t-shirts, and the greatness snowballed from there. The team of Vacation Specialists were touched by this awesome design – and amazing person – and luckily I was able to capture a tiny piece of this genuine happiness in the blog post.

As a result, Ms. Patsy – i.e. the amazing artist that designed the winning t-shirt – saw the post and offered to give her free OBX getaway to Ms. SuAnn. Actually, let me rephrase that; she demanded (in a very nice way, of course ) that the prize must go to SuAnn. Patsy made it clear that her decision was made. She packaged up the vacation voucher and a card for SuAnn, and she sent it back to the Seaside Vacations office the next day.

We were amazed by the generosity; in fact, we’re still amazed.

We sent the voucher to SuAnn as a surprise, and we just got word today that the voucher arrived safe and sound…and it was quite a surprise. At this point, we’ll step back from our match-making role and let the “thank you’s” happen one on one. We’ve connected Patsy and SuAnn, and I think there’s a great friendship blooming.

However, before we close out the 2011 Outer Banks T-Shirt Design Contest and focus on 2012, I’d like to wrap up with a few points…

Kindness is definitely at the heart of what makes the world go round, and from the bottom of our hearts, we want to thank all of the participants for being a part of this awesome contest. And a big THANK YOU to Patsy and SuAnn for being super awesome people.
Take a look at the card that Patsy “whipped up” for SuAnn. Amazing, right?! Patsy, you have an amazing talent.
Last but certainly not least, there’s no way we’re letting Patsy go without her winnings! Patsy, a voucher for your free OBX getaway is headed your way along with a t-shirt with SuAnn’s design. Thanks for being so great. Hope you like your surprise.

2011 Outer Banks T-Shirt Design Contest - Ms. Patsy's Greatness

Outer Banks T-Shirt Design Contest: The Unsung Hero

Posted on November 10, 2011

Outer Banks T-Shirt Design Contest: SuAnn's Design

A few weeks ago we announced the winner of the 2011 Outer Banks T-Shirt Design Contest, but lost in the excitement of crowning the champ was an exceptional design and an even better story of the unsung hero of the contest, Ms. SuAnn.

During the Summer of 2011, Seaside Vacations challenged our guests to show off their creativity, and their love of an Outer Banks vacation, with a T-Shirt Design Contest! Our artists represented a diverse cross-section of guests; children and adults, experienced and beginners.

One such artist is SuAnn! SuAnn is a 13 years old from Pottsville, PA. She enjoys spending time with her 4 cats, and loves to dance, twirl the baton, and draw (obviously!). For the past 3 years, SuAnn has suffered from a permanent movement disorder called PNKD (Paraoxysmal Nonkinesigenic Dyskinesia). Despite this challenge, she is a happy and bright young lady!

Although SuAnn was not technically the highest vote-getter in our contest, she won the hearts of our Vacation Specialists with her vision of the OBX. Her thoughtful rendering of sand castles, lighthouses, and the First Flight captured what our team of Vacation Specialists loves the most about living and working here – it’s uniqueness!

We feel like there is no place on Earth like the Outer Banks, and we thank SuAnn for sharing her vacation with us! (We also thank her Aunt Elizabeth and Uncle Joe for bringing SuAnn, and her brother, Kenny, along on vacation each year!)

SuAnn & Kenny

Picture: SuAnn with her 9 year old brother, Kenny, taken at Pamlico Jack’s.

Thanks for being awesome SuAnn! Hope you enjoy your t-shirt!

Outer Banks T-Shirt Contest: Awesome T-shirts!

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

Posted on October 13, 2011

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: 5 Finalists!…Voting Starts Tuesday at Midnight!

Posted on October 8, 2011

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

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 Surf Competition: Throw Down North of Town

Posted on September 27, 2011

Outer Banks Surf Contest: 2011 Throw Down North of Town

Some local OBX boys doing good and giving back to the community they love.

Three years ago, local Outer Banks’ers (is that a word?…probably not), and surf enthusiasts, Greg Sherman, Stephen Lamm, and Randy Jones decided that they wanted to do something for the OBX community they hold near and dear to their hearts. So, they figured they would stick to something they know well, surfing. And the Throw Down North of Town surf competition was born.

The contest was started with the mindset of developing it into a yearly event where local surfers from the Outer Banks could come together, enjoy a day at the beach, compete, and most of all support a great cause.

The annual surf competition is open to everyone (although this year there will be a pro heat!), and the event is designed as a fund raiser for an Outer Banks charity. The charity changes year to year based on need.

In 2009, all proceeds went to support the Surfrider Foundation. The 2010 proceeds and donations were handed over to the Rainey family to help with some major medical expenses for a 13 year old suffering from a brain aneurysm. The 2011 proceeds will be donated to the Outer Banks Cancer Research Center.

A huge boost for the event also comes from the help of local OBX pro surfer, Noah Snyder and Hurley, who will be on site enjoying the show and adding to the festivities.

It’s a great event with some awesome Outer Banks people, great OBX vibes, all for a fantastic cause. Let’s keep our fingers crossed for great weather, and even more important, some great surf.

Throw Down North of Town
Saturday, October 8th, 2011

Chicahauk Beach Access
Registration starts at 8 am
Contest starts at 9am
Trophies, Prizes and Give-Aways at the end!
$15 Donation (Includes T-shirt) - Proceeds to benefit Outer Banks Cancer Research Center

Divisions

Push’n Go: 10 and under
Gidgets: All Ages
Barneys: 11 and under
Groms: 13-16
Hot Doggers: 17-28
Dudes: 29-39
Kahunas: 40+
Open Longboard: All Ages

OBX Pic O’ the Day: Fall at Its Best

Posted on September 22, 2011

Outer Banks: 9.22.11 - Perfect Fall Day in KH

Perfect fall day. Sun, 80′s, light southwest wind, water at 72 degrees.

The swell has dropped a bit, but there are a lot of fun waist to chest waves rolling through. Perfect day to soak up the fall sun, enjoy the warm water, and catch some fun surf. And a great day for the ESA finals at Jennette’s Pier.

Take a peek at the live action at the beach in Nags Head with our webcam.

Fall fishing is going strong. Tight lines all around – spot, croakers, speckled trout, black drum, puppy drum, pompano, stripers.

Hope to see you soon. Have fun!

Outer Banks Surf Contest: Rip Curl Grom Search Heads to Kitty Hawk

Posted on June 2, 2011

Rip Curl Grom Search

The Rip Curl GromSearch is a global series for the best young surfers around the world to showcase their talent…and it’s coming to the Outer Banks August 20- 21, 2011.

In the US, the Rip Curl GromSearch brings the best surfers from across the nation to their local, regional competition with the hopes of making the Rip Curl National Final at the Rip Curl Pro Search Somewhere in San Francisco in the Fall.

The 2011 North American series is made up of 4 regional championship events and the winners of each event advances to the National Final to compete for the title of Rip Curl GromSearch National Champion.

The first-ever Rip Curl GromSearch was held at Jan Juc, Torquay, Australia in 1999. This led to the creation of a National series including Europe, the United States, Brazil, South Africa, Indonesia, and New Zealand.

Entry is easy. To log on to check out dates, locations and availability, click here

MID ATLANTIC
Stop 3:

Rip Curl GromSearch OBX, Kitty Hawk, North Carolina 2011

Start: Saturday, August 20, 2011 @ 8:00 AM
End: Sunday, August 21, 2011 @ 3:59 PM

2011 Outer Banks Shootout: Pro Surfing & Pro Bodyboarding Contest

Posted on May 5, 2011

Outer Banks Shootout 2011

The Outer Banks Shootout, a pro Surfing and Pro Bodyboarding contest, will be held at Hayman Street in Kill Devil Hills, NC on May 13-15th, 2011.

Entry fees are:

Pro Surfing – $50
Pro Boogie – $50
Am Open Boogie – $25
Beater Open – FREE

Each event is limited to 24 people so enter today! Catch Surf and Duck Village Outfitters are currently accepting entry forms that you can find on their website.

2010 Outer Banks “Battle of the Banks” Surf Contest Highlights

Posted on November 16, 2010

Outer Banks "Battle of the Banks" Surf Contest

The Battle of the Banks is one of the best surf contests the OBX has to offer.

It pits a team of surfers from Virginia against a team of surfers from the Outer Banks, and if the rivalry isn’t enough to get the blood boiling, the contest has a 6-week waiting period to make sure it goes off in the gnarlyest conditions possible. The surf forecast is watched religiously, and the call is made at the last minute to make sure the surf conditions are ideal for huge Outer Banks surf with giant chocolate milk colored barrels the OBX is famous for.

The Battle of the Banks went off yesterday at the famed OBX surf spot, S-Turns, and I was there to take in the action. Bright sun, light southwest winds, and temps in the upper 60′s…perfect fall day with classic OBX waves rolling through.

After an hour or two of hemming and hawing about whether the conditions were big and bad enough, the call was made to let ‘r rip, and the surfers happily complied.

Rt. 12 running south into Rodanthe with lined with cars north and south. The dunes were lined with spectators and cameras, and the surfers put on a gnarly display of skill, courage, and athleticism.

In the end, the Virginia Beach team came away with the overall win for the third year in a row. However, for the third year in a row, the OBX team took the Best Barrel of the Day (Seth Barrick) and the Individual Winner (Matt Beacham) titles.

Not sure how you win both of those and lose overall, but I’ll leave the scoring to the judges.

At any rate, thanks to the organizers and the surfers for an awesome show.

Here’s to next year OBX!

Outer Banks Beach & Surf Report – 11.15.10 – Battle of the Banks

Posted on November 15, 2010

Good afternoon. Here’s the Outer Banks Beach & Surf Report for Monday, November 15, 2010.

I was up early checking the waves this morning. I missed the sunrise by about 10 minutes in Kill Devil Hills.

It’s a gorgeous fall day on the OBX. The low pressure system that brought heavy winds and ocean overwash last week has finally moved off, and the wind switched to a light breeze out of the Southwest. Just in time to clean the surf up for the annual Battle of the Banks surf contest.

After checking a few surf spots in the KDH and Nags Head area, I decided it was a bit to disorganized and chilly for an early session; so I headed south to S-Turns in Rodanthe to watch some of the Battle of the Banks.

Temps in the mid 60′s and not a cloud in the sky, plus head high waves coming through. Perfect day for an OBX surf contest.

I included some footage from the surf contest here, but I’ll have some more on the way for you soon.

Enjoy.