SURFER Magazine's Dispatch: Outer Banks, NC
Roadside Attractions
Jockey's Ridge: “It’s this huge sand dune that we used to sand board down it when we were kids. You’d get sand in every crevice of your body rolling down that thing,” recalls Hines.
The Cape Hatteras Lighthouse: Climb all 246 steps to the top of the barber pole while you’re there. Interesting fact: During the Civil War the South removed the light to deter the Union invasion.
Wright Brothers Memorial: “I mean, they flew the first plane,” marvels Hines. “Think about how far flight has come in the last hundred years. We’re in space now. You gotta check that out.”
Fishing: “In the winter, people catch 30-pound striped bass,” says Hines. “Striped bass are really good to eat and they’re really strong fish that are fun to catch.”
Night Life
Half of the island is a nature preserve, so if you're itching to bar hop, don't expect to be slamming body shots. In the Southern Bible Belt, blue laws forbid the service of hard liquor. Nonetheless, do stop by Kelly's Tavern for "Barryaoke" night, Goombays, and the Outer Banks Brewing Station. They brew their own beer. And it is good.
Legends:
Blackbeard: Also known as Edward Teach, the infamous pirate made Ocracoke Island one of his homes toward the latter part of his life. During the 17th century, the Outer Banks' ports provided plenty of booty to plunder. Rough seas and relative isolation made this place a cesspool for eyepatches and wooden legs.
Delbert: "He's just a modern-day surf pirate," says Hines of Nags Heads’ beloved, cartoonish local, Delbert. "All I see him drink or eat is Cobras, 40s, Food Lion lemonade, and fried chicken."
Tom Fearing:Allegedly, the first to ride waves on the Outer Banks in the 1930s. As a result...thank you, Tom.
Lore
In 1587 Queen Elizabeth commissioned ships to venture west, creating the first English-American civilization in the United States. Their legacy didn’t last long—the community disappeared just three years later. The only evidence of its existence was a Croatan marquee etched into a fort left by the Native American tribe. The fate of the community has puzzled historians ever since.
More recently, Hollywood shot a film called Nights in Rodanthe, at a house that overlooks S-Turns. Unfortunately, the shoot coincided with a stint of perfect waves and ruffled local feathers. Hines explains: “They were getting a shot of Richard Gere on the porch looking at the waves and they told us to move down. Everyone was like, ‘F. U. Hollywood! Richard Gere, we don’t give a crap about you…maybe if you give us some pizza and beer we’ll move down. Go back to California!’” Needless to say, the Outer Banks surf community rarely gets starstruck.
Links:
Special thanks to Jesse Hines, Whitney Hines, Mickey McCarthy, and Billy Diggs
RELATED STORIES
|
READER COMMENTS
Fri Jun20, 2008, 8:27 AM
Just a word to thank you for mentioning my namesake uncle Thomas C.(Tom)Fearing,1916-1944 as the first to surf this area OBX.Tom was quite the waterman in his short 28 years having built wooden paddleboards and using them to access the many wrecks so he and his cronies could freedive and spearfish.He also was one of the first to charterboat here using the 30' "FEARMAC" to fish these waters.An early aviator,he joined the US Navy,flying an F6U Hellcat and was killed in a crash 4-16-1944. I still have his photo album containing many shots of life on these sands as it was in the late 1930's& early 1940's. His legacy was instrumental in drawing me into the '60's surf scene and I have surfed off and on for 35 years. Thanks for the memories and the mention,Surfer you have always been apart of my OBX life. Thomas M.(Tom) Fearing 1954.....