Gale Warning

It is a good thing we got into Ocracoke when we did.  As pretty as Saturday was, Sunday brought quite a change.  The day started nice enough but the wind was building.  We had appetizers and "Squeezers" on Southern Style Sunday evening with friends Russ, Michelle, and Larry.  "Squeezers" are a local drink that mixes vodka with fresh squeezed grapefruit juice.  Believe us, they are delicious!

                                                    Larry making "Squeezers"

Our guests left around 8:00 PM and the wind began to howl.  Sunday night was particularly brutal with gale warnings posted for the area.  We got up around 3AM just to check the lines and were seeing sustained wind at 30-40 mph with occasional gusts of 50-57 mph.  Offshore waves were predicted to be 9-13 feet.  Hard rain also came through over night Sunday.  Southern Style did well as the wind was pushing us off the dock and we had extra lines out.

                                          Wind at 43 mph on Monday morning around noon

                                     Even the ducks were hunkered down beside Southern Style

Russ and Michelle were kind enough to lend us their SUV while we are here on the island for the week.  What a luxury.  So just to get out a bit Monday afternoon Keith and I took a ride out to the pony pen on the north end of the island.  (See blog from October regarding the Ocracoke ponies).

                                                            Two Ocracoke ponies

The wind was still blowing but slightly less (around 20-30 mph sustained).  We walked out to the beach near the north end of the island.  The ocean was very kicked up.

                                                                     

The sand gets blown across the road here just like snow up north.  They have to use front end loaders to keep the road open in weather like this.

  Blowing sand across Hwy 12

                                                         Loader clearing sand off the road

Sunday dinner was fresh yellow fin tuna from the fish market and fig cake, yum (Again, see October blog).  Monday overnight the temperature started falling.  When we woke up Tuesday morning it was only 48 degrees and still a hefty wind, although much improved (15-20 sustained).   If this weather keeps up we may never get off this sand bar (which would not be all bad).