Island Free Press ...Local News

Day at the Docks: Hatteras community turns out to celebrate its watermen
WITH SLIDESHOW

By IRENE NOLAN and JORDAN TOMBERLIN

The Hatteras Island community came together on Saturday, Sept. 20, at the harbor in Hatteras village to celebrate the island’s watermen at the fourth annual Day at the Docks.

Hundreds of folks over the course of the day roamed the waterfront to eat seafood, attend cooking demonstrations, listen to music, paint sea critters on T-shirts, watch the kids’ fishing tournament, vote for the island’s best chowder, toss mullets into a basket, and, finally, watch the parade of workboats and the blessing of the fleet.

The crowd included island residents and their extended family members and friends who came for the event, regular island visitors, and vacationers who happened upon the excitement at the harbor.

“It’s almost become a homecoming event,” said Lynne Foster, who organizes the event with the help of an army of volunteers.

Gusty winds have become the signature weather of Day at the Docks, and this year was no exception to the rule.

The wind blew northeast at a steady 15 to 20 with gusts over 30 mph. But after a brief morning drizzle, the day was mostly sunny and warm.

The weather never seems to cooperate fully when Hatteras Island gathers to celebrate its watermen.

The first parade of boats and blessing of the fleet was on Saturday night, Sept. 18, 2004, the first anniversary of Hurricane Isabel, a devastating storm that destroyed most of the eastern end of Hatteras village and cut an inlet between Hatteras and Frisco.

That first event was a celebration of the spirit of villagers and their recovery from the storm. But it was a gray, cool, windy evening with a sunset that was hidden by the clouds. Later at a dance at the village’s volunteer fire department, a light rain failed to dampen spirits.

The next year, in 2005, villagers expanded their celebration to include the Day at the Docks event on the Hatteras village waterfront. It was designed to showcase the coast’s disappearing working waterfronts and to educate islanders and visitors about the life and work of the island’s watermen and the culture and history of fishing for a living. It was scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 17.

That year’s event was almost blown out of the water by Hurricane Ophelia, which aimed for the Outer Banks and brought hurricane-force winds to the islands on Thursday, Sept. 15. The island was evacuated for the storm and visitors were not allowed back for a day. The Day at the Docks and blessing of the fleet was almost cancelled, but the intrepid organizers pulled it off, though on a smaller scale.

In 2006, the weather was warm and humid for the event, which was well attended and very successful. A squall with gusty winds blew through in the late afternoon, tumbling exhibits and almost taking down the exhibit tent. But the blessing went on – again with some windy weather.

Last year, a cold front with storms passed over the islands Friday night and brought a Saturday morning of stiff winds, a slight drizzle, and low, gray clouds. The rain moved out to sea, and the clouds gave way to intermittent sun. But the wind kept blowing.

Lynne Foster thinks the weather that dogs the event is most appropriate.

“This is the way we live our lives,” she said, “adjusting for the weather.”

And, so, after moving some tables, exhibits, and events to the lee side of buildings, the celebration went on.

Some of the events were just for fun, and other aimed to raise money for North Carolina Watermen United. The mullet toss, organized by Spurgeon Stowe, raised $665, Foster said.
The Chowder Cook-off to benefit the Hatteras Island Cancer Foundation has become one of the most popular events. There was a long line of folks waiting to taste the chowder, and by 12:30 p.m. or so, a couple restaurants had already run out.

The cook-off is sponsored by the Salty Gourmet in Hatteras villages and organized by the owners, Forrest and Jennifer Paddock. Local restaurants and individuals were invited to cook up whatever kind of chowder they wanted, and visitors to the booth would sample and vote.

Restaurants and individuals that entered included Shrimp Shack, Hatteras; Pop’s, Buxton; Coastal Blue, Avon; Martha Jane’s Kitchen, Hatteras; The Salty Gourmet, Hatteras; The Hatterasman, Hatteras; Eddie Jack Scarborough; Teach’s Island Bar and Grill, Hatteras; Dirty Dick’s, Hatteras, and Diamond Shoals, Buxton—last year’s defending champions.

First place this year went to Coastal Blue for its creamy seafood chowder. Second place was Diamond Shoals, also with creamy seafood chowder, and the Shrimp Shack took third place.

The event raised about $1,200 for the cancer foundation.

Seafood cooking demonstrations were also quite popular.

The demonstrations started with Brian Van Druten and his seafood ceviche. Next came George and Judy Banks with crab picking, Dwight Callahan with fish cakes, Don Oden with his whole fried flounder, and Vicki Harrison with her smoked fish.

Just on the other side of the cooking demonstration was the T-shirt painting booth, which had steady traffic all day and gets busier ever year.

Ruth and Phillip Webb came up with the idea. They took a bunch of plain, white T-shirts, and a variety of fresh, local marine life (including a small sting ray, which seemed to be this year’s most popular creature), and for just $10, they let children (and adults, too) paint whichever species they liked the best, however they want to paint it, then they press the painting to the shirt, and you have your very own, handcrafted, one-of-a-kind, Day at the Docks T-shirt.

All proceeds from the T-shirt painting went to Day at the Docks and North Carolina Watermen United.

The kids’ fishing contest is always popular and well attended. This year, 64 youngsters competed for honors and prizes.

The winners were:

•    First place for longest fish and the grand prize to William Willis for a 14 1/2 –inch lizard fish. Second place in this category went to John Canning with a 14-inch lizard fish, and third went to Avery Johnson for an 8-inch hog fish.
•    Ethan Batchelor won for the heaviest pinfish with a .55-pound fish. Second place went to Nya Machie; third to Eric Fulcher, and fourth was a tie between Shawn Robinson and Austin Doss.
•    Tori Williams took first place for prettiest fish. Second place went to Rebecca Hodges, and Delaney Johnson took third.
•    Bud Willis took first place for the ugliest fish, with two ugly hog fish. Nathaniel Keifer was second, and Christian Meekins was third.
•    The prize for the most unusual catch went to Emilie Fulcher for a barnacle-covered oyster. Second went to Maverick Webb for a jellyfish, and third to Kaleigh Canning for hooking a judge!
•    The Hugging Hovens were named the most dedicated fishing family.

The musicians kept the entertainment going on the main stage, and scores of folks sat in bleachers or just stood around to listen.

Chris Bellamy is widely known and well-regarded for his Jimmy Buffet-esque island music. He is a familiar figure to a lot of local fishermen because he used to run a charter boat out of the Wrightsville Beach area.

The other musician was Bob Zentz. He’s from Norfolk, Va., and is a life-long musician. He plays a bevy of instruments and has recently taken up some lesser known, unique instruments, such as the concertina, melodia, and the hurdy-gurdy (a kind of medieval automated violin).

Zentz brought along some visiting musicians from Australia, the Red Hot Polka Dots, who definitely pleased the crowd.

An added feature of this year’s event was free skin cancer screening by Dr. Jose M. Acostamadiedo of Outer Banks Hematology and Oncology.

Acostamadiedo is from Colombia and worked his way through medical school there as a mate on a boat. After he got his medical degree, he did post-graduate work at the Mayo Clinic and Wake Forest University. He never gave up his love for fishing, and says he spent all his vacations on the Outer Banks until he was able to re-locate in Nags Head and open his practice.

The physician, still an avid angler, volunteers at tournaments to screen captains, mates, and other avid anglers who spend a lot of time in the sun.

At Day at the Docks, Acostamadiedo saw 50 people in a room at Village Marina Motel, and referred 12 of them for biopsies.

As the day drew to a close and all the awards were given out, the crowd headed to Hatteras Harbor Marina for the parade of workboats and blessing of the fleet.

Last year 40 boats left the harbor and lined up outside the breakwater to parade back in for the blessing.

Last year was breezy, but this year, with winds even higher, only nine intrepid captains and their crews risked the high winds, choppy waters, and the intricate maneuvering to get back into the harbor and into a slip for the blessing.

They included two boats of the Albatross Fleet, Sea Creature, Native Son, Country Time, Hatterascal, Miss Hatteras, Good Times, and the U.S. Coast Guard, which brought up the rear.

Once all the boats were at Hatteras Harbor Marina, Johnnie Baum, the Hatteras Island poet, read a poem that he wrote especially for Day at the Docks. Dale Farrow recited a poem/prayer, in which he implored the Lord to “help me to see clearly the course I must take” and to “ride with me always. Be the captain of my boat.”

The Rev. Cory Oliver, pastor of the Hatteras United Methodist Charge, then blessed the fleet.

“We ask you, Lord, that you bless the fleet…and the captains and the mates…Bless each one of us as we prepare to support one another.”

Oliver then joined Eph O’Neal and Chris Hickman on a workboat that Hickman uses for longhauling in the sound.

They headed out through the breakwater to toss a wreath in memory of all watermen who have worked these waters and are now gone.

As the trio headed out in the well-worn workboat with the wreath, the voices of the Hatteras Island Community Choir, joined in a rendition of “Eternal Father,” which is also known as “The Navy Hymn.”

Eternal Father, strong to save,
Whose arm hath bound the restless wave,
Who bidd'st the mighty ocean deep
Its own appointed limits keep;
Oh, hear us when we cry to Thee,
For those in peril on the sea!

DAY AT THE DOCKS

By JOHNNIE BAUM

Old boats drawn up on the shore, and old men swapping tales.
Still reminiscing loudly, about the days of sails.

Before a boat had motors, just oars and a long wooden pole.
When you just out and pushed off, if you ran on a shoal.

When the fish were a'plenty, without government rules.
You could catch all that you wanted, they came in such great schools.

All of the big ones that got away, the vagaries of the sea.
Times out on the water, when none other you would see.

Those old men would spend all day at the docks, memories to share.
When times at home got lonely, there was always fellowship there.

They'd wait until late evening, when the younger ones came in.
Their daily catch not quite as much, as it once had been.

They'd watch the boats unload, and holler out advice.
You could always find them there, when the day was nice.

But along with wooden boats with sails, oars and wooden poles.
And the times you could just shove off, when you got stuck on shoals.

These times are now just memories, of a finer yesteryear.
That when they're remembered, might bring forth a tear.

We'll honor the old ways, whenever opportunity knocks.
And we'll have a grand time, spending the day at the docks.

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