The Outer Banks
18 October 2006 | Ocracoke, NC
Jim Lea
These porpises rode our bow wave down Pamlico Sound from Manteo to Hatteras, wishing Jeannie a happy birthday!
Today we left Hatteras for Ocrakote, the next island down on the chain making up the Outer Banks. Hatteras was a commercial fishing town up until a few years ago, but that seems to have disappeared, to be replaced with sport fishing, with a huge charter fleet, and luxury condos reminiscent of a beach styled Whistler. Ocrakote, on the other hand is a small town that is very much older with a real sense of community, but still dependent on tourism. Except for the small town the Island is a national park, so development has been much slower, and there is little room left to develop. We left Hatteras, motoring out the channel, then trying to sail, but the wind had lightned, and the short chop for which Pamlico Sound is famous left us wallowing, so we motored. When we arrived in Ocrakote, I smelled diesel, and discovered a pin-hole leak in a high pressure fuel line. It had let a small amount of diesel run into the bilge, creating a smelly mess. But luckily I bought some absorbent padding a few weeks ago, so was able to clean it up fairly easily. I will now have to take the line off to make a temporary repair for our sail into Oriental on Saturday where I have ordered a replacement line. Another on the list of maintenance items. But its not just due to boat age. We have been traveling the same route as a 42' catamaran, and last night we went over for drinks. They proudly showed us their four month old boat, which was very nice, with all the latest toys. But he also showed me his maintenance log, with pages of repairs he has made already! Pounding around in a salty atmosphere takes its toll on equipment, so its just part of the process. And it highlights the value of preventative maintenance. Last fall I had the boatyard in Maine replace some other fuel lines, but this one looked fine, so I left it. Oh well, live and learn.