LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Mourning the loss of a way of life

In the last week of February, I and some friends drove to Hatteras village to enjoy the sunny day, the lack of summer traffic, and to try out my four-wheel-drive on the beach. Driving through town my sister and I pointed out childhood memories that seem to never fade and always bring a smile to our faces. We made a pit stop at Teach's Lair to see our dad's boat and grab some refreshments for our adventure.

As we walked out, I spotted the current Island Breeze. It was the cover shot that caught my eye — a young man hanging nets in his yard. It stopped me in my tracks because I still have a newspaper from the early ‘80s that captured my father in the same pose, doing the same ritual that belongs to a true Hatterasman.

Commercial fishing is the heart of the Outer Banks. It is what kept the men on these barrier islands and the women that loved them by their sides. Working on the water was a way of life that allowed men to truly see what they were made of, whether it was battling a storm and relying on their knowledge and intuition to survive or witnessing the ultimate calm of a breathtaking sky. They knew what it meant to be at the mercy of Mother Nature, yet were brave enough to go out another day and face the fates again. Their knowledge and tradition were passed on to their sons, never allowing the tradition to fade away but continuing it for another generation.

After reading your article, I was very saddened to hear how dim the future for commercial fishermen has become. I cannot believe that this battle is being lost to a commission of people that have probably never set foot on a boat.  Nor do they  know how to set nets and rely on the collection of data and numbers that was never needed for this way of life before.

I believe that this battle does not belong only to the fishermen but to the entire community. People visit the Outer Banks to see the boats, walk the docks, and see the bounty that was caught for the day. We are fishing villages. These fishermen are the examples of the past. These men continue to do things the same way that they were done hundreds of years ago. Do not let this way of life fade away. Do not rely on memories to explain how life once was, but use living example to educate and show how it is. It is what makes us who we are and what our area is about.

We need to keep the people with saltwater in their blood and sand in-between their toes. They are the ones who make the Outer Banks the unique place that millions of people come to visit.

I only hope that the young men in your article maintain their commitment and continue on with our living history. May their nets remain full and their hearts strong.

Faye Skakle

Manteo

A scary incident for Hatteras dog

A black Labrador named Princess that belongs to my long-time friend, Nancy Scarborough of Hatteras village, was shot and injured in February.  After the incident, I spent some time with Princess, and this is what I imagine her version of the events might have been:

On Feb. 26, I went for my walk at 8:30 a.m. like I always do. I say "hello" to the other dogs. We all wag our tails, and sometimes we will bark.  It’s a simple life that I have here in Hatteras village.  But it’s home, and I feel safe and happy. I thought I was safe, but on that morning something was different.  Someone was mad at me. I don’t know why.

While walking along my usual route, I suddenly felt a pain in my side. I didn’t know what happened. I didn’t understand. I just knew I had to go home. I ran home to my human Mama and Daddy. I walked in the kitchen, and I had to lie down or I was going to fall down. My human Mama came over and started crying. I heard her scream for my human Daddy.

He rushed over, and they began to wipe me off with a rag. I could see something red on the cloth. It hurt so badly. I heard my human Daddy say someone shot me. I didn’t know what that meant, but I knew it hurt. They picked me up and put me in the big truck. We went really fast up the beach. They had to get me to the vet. I knew they wanted to help me, but it was scary and I didn’t feel good.

I lay very still and let the vet try and stop the horrible pain. I heard them say they needed to take X-rays. The vet told my human Mama and Daddy that he was able to see a pellet inside my abdomen.  I am 13 years old, and the vet didn’t feel it was safe to do an operation to take out the pellet.

I am better, but it still hurts.  Now I am scared to walk my usual route. I don’t know why someone would do this to me. Please tell all your humans to be careful and watch out for you.

Princess is recovering nicely.

Lynore Nash

Frisco

Setting the record straight on ORVs

Thank you for publishing my letter concerning the ORV battle in the March issue, but I must take exception to the headline you put over it, "Visitor wants ORVs off the beach."

Perhaps I was not clear about my message. I am not advocating a ban on all ORV use on Outer Banks beaches. I am taking issue with those extremists who advocate that any restrictions on ORVs pose a threat to their "way of life" and state their position in an irresponsible manner.

This is not a simple issue, and an "all or nothing" attitude gets in the way of open and genuine discussion.

Tom Neveil

Chambersburg, Pa.

Reader takes issue with facts in story

This letter is about Alona Carter’s article about the old-time general stores in the March issue.

In it, she mentions that John Stowe ran a small store in Frisco, and it was taken over later by his son, Arthur Stowe.

John and Arthur Stowe were brothers, not father and son.  How do I know?  Because they were the brothers of my grandmother, Evelena Quidley.   Also, my 93-year-old father, Ed Quidley, has no memory of his Uncle John Stowe ever running that store.  Although it’s possible, it isn’t likely that this ever happened.

In my father’s memory and mine also, Arthur Stowe was the only one who had that store.

Janet Quidley

Buxton

(Editor’s note:  The Island Breeze has asked a half dozen older islanders who grew up in Frisco about John Stowe’s store.  The oldest agree that there was a John Stowe who had a store in Frisco.  He may or may not have been related to Arthur Stowe.  Our sources agree that Arthur Stowe had a store near what is today the intersection of Highway 12 and Sunset Strip and that he did have a brother named John. If anyone else has information, please contact us.)

ORVs are helpful to disabled visitors

Tom Neveil’s letter about the use of ORVs on the beach in your March issue contains some pertinent points, especially about the behavior of surfers and sailboarders, but I take exception to his tarring all ORV users with the same brush.  While I support some restriction, a blanket ban would further restrict the activities of a large number of Outer Banks visitors.

My family will be celebrating our 37th year of camping on the Outer Banks this summer. We spend two weeks at Cape Point, and, when we were younger, we trekked kids and gear on foot to the surf.  One of our four children is disabled, but we did it with him in tow and babies in backpacks.

Today, life is very different. At nearly 60, I have severe arthritis in my hips and knees and cannot walk comfortably in deep sand. My old Jeep Grand Cherokee is my link between the every day and the peace I feel sitting in the sand and watching the ebb and flow of the tides.  While my family fishes rather half-heartedly, the sole purpose for driving on the beach is for my comfort. We usually restrict ourselves to ramps 43 and 44 at the campground, with occasional forays at other ramps.

Like Mr. Neveil, I abhor Hummers, but it has been my experience that these vehicles bog down in deep sand more often than they travel through it. Two years ago, when one really obnoxious Hummer driver became stuck up to his fenders while he was trying to illegally cross a dune, we cheered. We were even happier when a park ranger ticketed him, and we knew the wrecker driver from Cape Point Exxon was licking his chops over the towing fee he would collect from this idiot. By the way, this guy was from New Jersey.

Also, my Jeep also saved precious time as an emergency transport vehicle when a friend was caught in rough surf and suffered a broken leg. With the help of two nurses, we were able to place him safely and comfortably in the SUV and get him the aid he needed.

Banning ORVs completely would be unrealistic and unfair to people like me who revere nature but have physical limitations. Sitting on the end of a pier is not the same. I want to park in a beach chair at the surf line and read or watch my grandchildren cavort in the waves.

I also have to ask Mr. Neveil where he stays during his visits. Does he stay in one of those energy-hog beach houses or does he ascribe to the simple life of the tent camper?

Deborah Buchanan

Charlottesville, Va.

Shaved heads raised needed funds

The Avon Surf Shop had a fundraiser on St. Patrick’s Day for the St. Baldrick's Foundation, which raises money for children's cancer research. We had 17 people shave their heads to show their support, and we raised $900.

I want to thank all those who shaved their heads and Chloe from Spa Koru for donating her time to shave heads.

Jennifer Harmon

Avon Surf Shop

Thanking residents of Hatteras village

This is a letter to the residents of Hatteras village.

I first want to apologize on behalf of the owners of Durant Station Condominiums for the inconveniences we created during the month of March. The delivery of our modular units and positioning them on site caused numerous traffic delays. 

I also want to thank everyone for their patience and good will.  I did not hear one horn honk during the numerous heavy equipment maneuvers that backed up traffic on Highway 12.  On the contrary, everywhere I went I received congratulations for the progress being made. I stayed across the street in a rental property.  I observed all that went on.   

Our general contractor, O.C. Mitchell Jr., has been a master at organization and coordination. On one occasion, I saw him moving units on site, moving trailers off site, directing traffic on Highway 12, getting the dumpsters exchanged, and all the while keeping the cranes fully engaged.  I am sure everyone has noticed he cleans debris from the site each and every night before leaving.

Durant Station Condominiums will never be the quaint motel conversion we all knew and loved.  It will, though, be a unique one-, two-, and three-bedroom condominium complex with some of the most innovative engineering on Hatteras Island.  The modular construction of today isn’t your daddy's prefab construction. Today, plants are fully modernized.  The now three-year old facility at Professional Building Systems in Mt. Gilead, N.C, where the Durant units were built, is a state-of-the-art production line.  

Platypus foundation anchors, roof-to-foundation tie-downs every 8 feet, double-framing walls between each unit, double floor and ceiling joists, hurricane straps, and both vertical and horizontal bolting will make Durant one of the most storm-resistant large structures on the island.

We have waited a long time for this day. All of us are so excited about the progress being made toward reconstruction. We hope to be completed sometime between July and September. I am sure you will see a number of the owners on site in late summer. Please come by and visit with us.  

Thank you again for your patience. Thank you too for your encouragement over the past 3 1/2 years.

Darr Barshis

Durant Station Condominium Association

Hatteras