Fishing in Ocracoke

June 23, 2013

As I mentioned in an earlier post, Anchorage Marina is busy with charter fishing boats. This afternoon, the charter, Gecko, came into dock and unloaded their catch.  A large yellow fin tuna was the prize.

Gecko charter boat

I guess it is a little unusual to catch a yellow fin tuna that large.  The Gulfstream is so close to Ocracoke that they tend to catch some large fish.  Charlie has been impressed. He is now planning a trip to Ocracoke via the Ferry   He thinks he could do it in a day.  I heard the whooping and hollering on dock so I went down to see what was going on.  By the time I got to the deck, the young son of the gentleman who caught the tuna was dragging that prize all over the dock. He was a strong fella!

Yellow fin tuna

We investigated the island on our bikes today.  There is a paved, large bike path to the Hatteras Park beaches on the island.  While we sat enjoying the beach, we talked to a nice woman who lived part of the year on Manteo and part of the year on Ocracoke.  I asked her which she liked better, but she couldn’t decide.  What a life!  On the way back, we stopped by the Ocracoke lighthouse, which is not open to the public, by the way.  But it does present a nice photo op.

Ocracoke lighthouse

We shared a delicious ice cream at Sweet Tooth and then went to the museum dedicated to the pirate Blackbeard.  The nice woman let us take Bella in for the short video presentation.  Blackbeard’s real name was Edward Teach.  He was born in Bristol,  England and historians think he may have come from a wealthy family because, unlike other pirates, he could read and write.  He was captured, killed and beheaded aboard his ship in Ocracoke.  The order  to capture Blackbeard came from the governor of Virginia, Spotswood.  Royal Navy Lieutenant Maynard was chosen to lead the mission.

On November 22, 1718, the heated battle took place. Maynard’s two ships, Jane and Ranger, were both fired upon by Blackbeard. Ranger was badly damaged and several of Maynard’s crew died instantly. When Jane was hit, Maynard instructed his crewmen to go below and the entire ship took on the illusion of death. In the smoke and fire of battle, Blackbeard was fooled into leading a charge aboard Maynard’s vessel. Maynard and his men surprised the pirates and proceeded to cut them down one by one. After suffering twenty-five stab wounds and five bullets from the vicious battle, Blackbeard died. 

http://www.nps.gov/caha/historyculture/blackbeard.htm

Blackbeard's last battle

Our little Blackbeard

In the afternoon, we enjoyed music by a local band The Dye Wells. We think she sounds a little like Amy Winehouse.