They that go down to the sea in ships, that do business in great waters;  These see the work of the Lord, and his wonder in the deep.  For he commandeth, and raiseth the stormy wind, which lifteth up the waves thereof.  They mount up to the heaven, they go down again to the depths:  their soul is melted because of trouble.  They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wit’s end.  Then they cry unto the Lord in their trouble, and he bringeth them out of their distresses.  He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waters thereof are still.
—Psalm 107



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

Perhaps that’s just appropriate.  After all, their lives and livelihoods are ruled by the weather, which often doesn’t fully cooperate.

And so it was again on Saturday, Sept. 15, for the third annual “Day at the Docks, a Celebration of Hatteras Island Watermen” and the fourth parade of boats and blessing of the fleet.

 A stormy Friday night as a cold front passed over the islands 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.

That’s been a hallmark of the event.




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.

Last year, 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.

This year, Saturday’s damp, gray start to the day didn’t dampen attendance or the enthusiasm of the crowd.

The folks who came visited the exhibits from groups that included North Carolina Marine Fisheries, the North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island, the North Carolina Coastal Federation, the Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum, the Monitor National Marine Sanctuary, the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, and Dare County Libraries – and many more.

There were porch talks by folks in the industry, including many of the older watermen, who told stories of what fishing for a living was like in days gone by.  There were competitions, demonstrations, and boat tours and a very popular kids’ fishing contest.

Kids on Stage, a new Hatteras Island theater company for youngsters, made its debut with “Fish Tales,” a collection of three stories by local author Suzanne Tate.

There was food to eat – from hot dogs to local shrimp.  Folks waited in a long line to taste and vote for the chowders in the second chowder cook-off, sponsored by the Hatteras Island Cancer Foundation and the Salty Gourmet. In the cooking demonstrations, Michael Peele handed out 360 fish cakes in 20 minutes. Brian Van Druten was out of his first 50 clams casino before he brought out the next 50. Nikki and Richie Spear won over the crowd with their presentation of skate wing.  Don Oden of the Breakwater restaurant did fried scallops and shrimp with remoulade sauce.  And there was also Down East style scallop fritters and shrimp stew. 

Music was also part of the day, and after the exhibits closed, The Frisco Jubilee with the Diamond Shoals Band and Martin and Friends played bluegrass and good foot stompin’ music from the stage while people sat in the bleachers and listened and others visited with friends.

Day at the Docks is a success because of the dedication of the volunteers who plan it all.  They are almost all folks involved in the fishing industry in one way or another.  They are commercial fishermen, charter boat captains, fish house owners, businesses around the harbor in Hatteras, and the spouses and families of watermen.

They are all united by their drive to preserve the fishing industry on the coast with its rich culture, heritage, and history.

The working waterfronts, not only on the North Carolina coast but in other states, are seriously endangered as waterfront land values skyrocket and more and more waterfront property is bought for residential development.

The maestro of Day at the Docks is Lynne Foster, along with her husband Ernie, who organizes the parade of boats and the blessing of the fleet.  Ernie’s father, Ernal Foster, is credited with beginning the charter-boat industry on Hatteras Island with his first boat, The Albatross I, which was built in 1937.

Lynne would be the first to say that the event is not a one-woman show.  She was joined this year by a small army of volunteers.  She figures there were more than 60 of them, including students from Cape Hatteras School of Coastal Studies, Dare County Parks and Recreation Department, and many community people who are eager to help.  You can add to that all of the commercial fishermen and charter boat captains who stayed at the dock that day to help with the events.

Funding for Day at the Docks came from a variety of sources, including the Outer Banks Visitors Bureau, last winter’s waterman’s roast, the North Carolina Department of Agriculture Seafood Marketing, Environmental Defense, and many individual businesses that are part of or support the industry.

As the day’s events came to an end, folks milled around on the waterfront.  There were older couples, young singles, families with babies in strollers and youngsters, some of who were soaking wet after having taken a dive into the harbor after the kids’ fishing contest.  Among them were Hatteras natives, newcomers to the island, and visitors.

“Someone mentioned to me,” said Lynne Foster, “that it feels like a reward after a summer when no one has time to enjoy family and friends.  It is really an island get-together at which visitors are most welcome.”

By 5 p.m., the sounds of engines revving up dominated the harbor.  A steady stream of boats started out through the breakwater and into the sound to get ready for the boat parade.

I’ve always watched the parade and blessing from the docks, though I have been invited to go on the boats before.

This year, I decided to get a new perspective and took Lynne and Ernie Foster up on their invitation to ride on the Albatross I.

We headed out about 5:30.  When we passed the breakwater and got into the Pamlico Sound, all I could see were boats on the horizon – big boats, small boats, medium-size boats.  Commercial fishing vessels with buoys and other gear.  Sleek charter boats.  And even a few small pleasure craft.  There were about 40 boats in all.

Their captains were all milling around waiting to get in line for the parade.

They were on the radio, talking back and forth with each other as they maneuvered to line up and good naturedly fussing at each other about the process.

“They sound like a bunch of women hanging out their laundry,” said Mike Scott with a grin.  Mike was Ernie’s “mate” for the parade.  He’s a boatbuilder, former owner of Scott’s Boatyard in Buxton, and good friend of the Albatross Fleet.  He runs inshore charter fishing trips on the Albatross I.

Milling around and lining up for the parade was a challenge in stiff northeast wind, blowing a steady 15 to 20 with some higher gusts.  The sound was choppy.

Eventually, all the captains managed to get into a line of sorts, behind Ernie as he led the parade on the Albatross I, the oldest of the working boats on the Hatteras waterfront.

We sailed into the harbor, which was lined with people waving, cheering, and shouting greetings.  Ernie headed into the assigned boat slip for the blessing in front of Hatteras Harbor Marina, about in the center of the waterfront.  Most of the boats headed into slips other than those they normally occupy to get all of the boats clustered together for the event.

Since we were first in, we sat and watched as the parade of boats came into the harbor and the captains maneuvered into their assigned slips.

This year for the first time, a community choir, comprised of singers from several churches and accompanied by JoAnne Pullen, sang hymns and patriotic anthems during the parade.

By this time, the sky had cleared to a lovely Carolina blue with wispy clouds.  The wind was still blowing, but the harbor was somewhat sheltered.  The sounds of “Rock of Ages,” “God Bless America,” and “America the Beautiful” could be heard over the sound of the boat engines.

For about 45 minutes, the boats paraded past, as their names and captains were broadcast on the marine radio and the speakers on the dock.

It was absolutely fascinating to watch those watermen maneuver the boats in the narrow creek in the harbor and into the slips.

The slip next to ours belongs to David Wilson on the Godspeed, a long, sleek lavender charter craft.  It’s his regular “parking spot,” so he’s pretty familiar with getting in there.  However, it was a windy evening.

He stopped several hundred yards down the harbor, turned around, and gunned his engines in reverse at a pretty good speed and backed toward us into his slip.  All of us – except maybe Mike Scott and Ernie -- gasped as the boat rushed toward us.  Then Wilson backed perfectly into the slip, which has only a foot or so to spare on each side of the boat, reversed his engines, and stopped dead.  As someone explained, he had to move fast in the brisk wind or his boat would have blown off course before he got to the slip.

The last into the harbor was a U.S. Coast Guard rescue boat, which got a large round of applause from the onlookers.

After poetry and prayers and a blessing by the Rev. Cory Oliver, of the Hatteras United Methodist Church, the ceremony ended with a rendition by the choir of “Eternal Father,” the Navy hymn.

Michael Peele and his family on their traditional island shad boat took the pastor and a memorial wreath to commemorate all deceased watermen back out into the sound. 

The wind was still blowing, and it was a wet ride on the small shad boat back into the waters.  The pastor offered a prayer, the wreath was tossed in the water, and the folks on the boat watched as the wind carried it away and into the September sunset.

Click here to see a slideshow of the events at Day at the Docks.

Click here to see some Faces in the Crowd