23 August 2009
Time to Respect the Ocean
25/08/09 21:12
If you check the pictures linked in my post, "The Ramp to Nowhere," you might just wonder what would have happened if Bill had paid us a visit. While Bill moved a lot of sand around on the Point, two years ago just after I bought my permit to drive on the beach, the same ramp was even in worse shape.
Water was lapping at the foot of it. This past winter so much sand came back, that I heard talk of a parking area on the Point for four wheel drive vehicles. It is the nature of the ocean to change things.
Bogue Inlet which borders the Point at Emerald Isle is a very unique spot. It is not static real estate. The strong currents and shifting sands never seem to be satisfied. There is always a new cut or sandbar popping up.
While it means that a printed chart of Bogue Inlet can be near worthless, it does not mean that Bogue Inlet is unnavigable. Actually Bogue Inlet is very well marked and assuming you are not trying to boat during a storm, you should not have any trouble as long as you take your time.
While I would not choose to do it myself, I have even seen kayakers out in the roughest part of Bogue Inlet. The currents are very strong where the ocean waters meet the waters of the sound.
Of course that very spot is where the fishing is often great. Even with a couple of experienced boaters, maintaining your position can be a challenge.
The Point is great magnet for beach goers. It is a little bit of a hike to get to the CAMA accesses nearest the Point. However, I do not mind the extra walking. It is worth a little effort since the other beaches get much heavier traffic than the Point. That means the Point is usually cleaner with fewer people.
It is also a special spot. No place on the island is a better example of where the water meets ti sky. Enjoy the Point, it is a special place.
A World of Foamy Water
23/08/09 21:22
In the end what we got out of Bill was not worth any complaints. We watched with interest as Bill headed to Halifax, Nova Scotia, where we lived for a couple of years. I got a kick out of the local newspapers covering the arrival of Bill. Maritimers in Canada and the US are noted for their ability to handle almost any situation with complete calm.
One local Nova Scotian was interviewed and asked how he felt about the approaching storm. He said that he was much better prepared than he was for the last storm. He had purchased a manual can opener so he no longer had to worry about the power going out. I think Halifax escaped Bill with lots of rain and some wind. Here on the Crystal Coast, we ended up with a lot of foamy waters.
When we first walked on the beach last evening we could tell immediately that there had been some changes and some high water. The sand was wet almost to the steps of Third Street Beach. Also the small sand bench that is often on the beach had been replaced by a gently sloping beach.
However, the most obvious difference was the water. It had been whipped around so much that in places six inches of foam floated on the waves. I thought it felt neat until a larger than normal wave managed to soak most of my shorts.
Somehow it felt like our favorite beach had been transformed for a time into a beach with waves of foam. The waves seemed to be breaking a little farther from shore than normal which seemed to mean that the water got crashed into the sand multiple times before reaching the shore. Perhaps that action is what created all the foam.
It was also very still on the beach with almost no wind. The firm sand made for really great walking. However, it appears that all of our shells have temporarily been transported to another time zone. There were almost no shells on the beach. If past experience is any guide, they will be back.
Our little piece of favorite beach which is just about as far east as you can get before driving out of the town of Emerald Isle was also one of the few places last evening with any blue sky. Back down the beach towards the town of Emerald Isle the sky was especially dark. We could also see dark clouds across Bogue Sound and storm clouds to the east of us. Only the ocean water to the South seem to lay claim to some blue sky.
It was just another one of those cases where we managed to find some blue sky for our evening out. The calm water made it easy to lose oneself on the beach. We will get to see enough rough surf over the year. It was a treat to walk in the foamy waters of the Atlantic even for one August evening. The nice light and foamy waters caused my camera to go wild, and I ended up posting four pages of photos that I selected out of the three hundred that I took.
As we headed back to Emerald Isle, the rain caught us, and our drive back to Bluewater Cove required the windshield wipers the whole drive back to Bluewaterr Cove.
Still even a drive in the rain was a small price to pay for a magical evening and a miss by a hurricane.