Ocra-Lovely
17 July 2012 | Ocracoke, NC
by Jen
Ocracoke! Ocracoke! Ocracoke! Our NEW Favorite! Why have we never visited this quaint little town by boat before? Oh the time wasted! We should have made this little island a MUST DO in previous years, but oh well...
We have been here for 8 days and counting; anchored in Silver Lake in the heart of town. Early in the morning we hear the hustle and bustle of the Cedar Island ferries and the passing of parasail boats filled with excited vacationers waiting for their time in the sky. We have heard of poor holding here in the lake of which we have not had any issues. When we arrived, we dropped our 55lb Rocna and just left it there, not backing down with the engine at all so it could settle through the thick silt layer and get down to the good stuff worth holding on to. In perfect timing, mid-day of the next day we had a decent squall come through and pull us back enough to set really well so no other attention was needed. The harbour is well protected in all directions but is still well open to the breeze. Anastasia is great in the summer, so we are finding really well this season, with her 12 port holes, generous forward hatch and huge butterfly hatch in the main salon. With everything open we stay pretty cool.
We chose to visit Ocracoke this year because Jen's parents, her sister and husband were paying us a visit. We thought this to be a perfect spot to meet. It has been 8 months since we said farewell in the fall so it was a nice reunion. Ocracoke turned out to be a perfect place indeed!
The island is small but well populated with locals and vacationers. Plenty of restaurants to keep you full and tons of water sports to keep you busy. We have frequented a few of the many ice cream stands and have worn out the back roads with our bikes. For the shopper there are boutiques and galleries on every corner stocked with local treasures. The trendy bars have nightly live music whether waterfront or tucked away on a special side street.
So, when will we leave? Good Question! The oceanfront beach is a quick pedal north on highway 12 and a relaxing dip in the sound waters of the Pamlico are even closer. We have all we need here...who knows we might look into renting a P.O. box???
Cheers!