He soon met his first prospective mate, Luna, a white pony who will hopefully soon be carrying his foal. It is hoped that this foal, and others like it, will carry on the heritage and history of Ocracoke’s beloved wild ponies. FOR MORE INFORMATION You can see a video about Alonso’s trip to Ocracoke at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gSbzE7gdInc&feature=share For more information, go to the Corolla Wild Horse website at: http://www.corollawildhorses.org/  or for information about the Ocracoke ponies, go to http://www.nps.gov/caha/historyculture/ocracokeponies.htm.

March 19, 2012 | Local News | By: Pat.Garber

By PAT GARBER The wild ponies of Ocracoke Island and Corolla have been an important part of Outer Banks heritage for centuries. Separated by two major inlets and a distance of more than 100 miles, the two herds have, until now, had no contact with each other. That changed in February when the National Park Service, which […]

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He soon met his first prospective mate, Luna, a white pony who will hopefully soon be carrying his foal. It is hoped that this foal, and others like it, will carry on the heritage and history of Ocracoke’s beloved wild ponies. FOR MORE INFORMATION You can see a video about Alonso’s trip to Ocracoke at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gSbzE7gdInc&feature=share For more information, go to the Corolla Wild Horse website at: http://www.corollawildhorses.org/  or for information about the Ocracoke ponies, go to http://www.nps.gov/caha/historyculture/ocracokeponies.htm.

March 19, 2012 | Local News | By: Pat.Garber

By PAT GARBER The wild ponies of Ocracoke Island and Corolla have been an important part of Outer Banks heritage for centuries. Separated by two major inlets and a distance of more than 100 miles, the two herds have, until now, had no contact with each other. That changed in February when the National Park Service, which […]

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Restoring the Blanche, a traditional Ocracoke fishing boat

August 3, 2011 | Local News | By: Pat.Garber

Seventy-five years ago an Ocracoke fisherman, Stacy Howard, commissioned a master boatbuilder, Tom ‘Neal, to begin building him a fine new fishing boat. The work was finished by another island boat-builder, Homer Howard, who added a rounded cabin near the prow. Proud of his well-designed craft–a traditional “deadriser,” Stacy Howard gave it the name of […]

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“North Carolina’s Ocean Fishing Piers, from Kitty Hawk to Sunset Beach,” Al Baird. $14.99

July 26, 2011 | Local News | By: Pat.Garber

GeeGee Rosell, proprietor of Buxton Village Books, has gathered up a list of new releases for your summer reading pleasure. Her picks include historical fiction, fishing and beachcombing guides, poetry, and a nifty new guide to visiting The Cape Hatteras Lighthouse. And, in this year when we celebrate the 150th anniversary of the start of […]

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While walking the Ocracoke beach the other day, just north of the pony pens, I stopped to study a configuration of timbers and metal, partially buried in the sand. I had seen it before, and I knew that it was the remains of a ship that had wrecked nearby, but it never ceases to draw my attention. I have watched my share of movies about shipwrecks, and I’ve spent some pretty scary moments on storm-tossed boats myself. I know what awe, terror, and sometimes heroism they can inspire, and I always wonder what story these timbers would tell, if they could. The waters off of Ocracoke Island are part of what is called “the Graveyard of the Atlantic,” and the shores are no stranger to ships and boats that have run awry here. The Labrador and Gulf Stream currents converge nearby, causing frequent storms and unpredictable weather conditions. The shoals that lie just off the coastline change quickly and charts are often unreliable. Ocracoke’s beaches are littered with the remains of victims of the sea, and the Coast Guard logs abound with accounts of them. Forty shipwrecks have been officially recorded at Ocracoke, according to Carl Goerch, author of the book “Ocracoke,” and this does not include ships of fewer than 50 tons. A list compiled by the Hyde County Historical Society in 1976 for its book, “The Story of Ocracoke,” lists 39. The first of these was wrecked in 1819; the last three in 1942, the victims of German submarine attacks during World War II. Most were wooden sailing vessels, but the last three were tankers. The list does not include the wreck of the Tiger, which happened in 1585, when Simon Fernando, chief pilot for Sir Richard Grenville’s English expedition to the new world, ran aground in his flagship. Most of the gear was destroyed by the saltwater, but the Tiger was eventually repaired and re-launched. It went on, along with the rest of the expedition, to Roanoke Island and what later became known as the Lost Colony. Also not on the list was a shipwreck described by David Shears in his book “Ocracoke: Its History and People.” Shears relates how, in 1750, a Spanish mercantile vessel, the Nuestra Senora, was wrecked on the island (recorded as “Occacock”) during a fierce storm. Its rich cargo–a million pieces-of-eight — was plundered by islanders who, according to Shears, were angered by previous Spanish pirating. Alton Ballance includes in his book “Ocracokers” a copy of a letter written by the captain of the sloop Henry, traveling from New York to Charleston, S.C., in 1819. It says that the ship ran aground “on the south beach of Ocracoke Bar, four miles from land” in a strong gale. All hands but the captain were lost. This shipwreck was included on the above mentioned list, as are those that follow. Local legend has it that Ocracoke’s wild ponies landed on these shores after a shipwreck, perhaps during the 17th or 18th century. There is also a story about a ship called the Black Squall, which was carrying a circus troupe and animals from Havana to New York in 1861, being caught in a storm near Ocracoke. The ship wrecked on the beach, and all aboard were lost, except for two beautiful Arabian horses, who escaped and made the island their home.

February 17, 2011 | Local News | By: Pat.Garber

By PAT GARBER By PAT GARBER While walking the Ocracoke beach the other day, just north of the pony pens, I stopped to study a configuration of timbers and metal, partially buried in the sand. I had seen it before, and I knew that it was the remains of a ship that had wrecked nearby, […]

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