Hattie

On this date in 1887 the sharpie "Hattie" with a crew of two was stranded in Pamlico Sound on nearby "Legged Lump." The crew was aground for several days with nothing to eat. When the Life Saving Crew arrived they all "got overboard and work[ed] hard to get her off as they was in a bad condition...." But the effort failed. They tried again on the next flood tide but were forced to leave the vessel there over night. The next morning, after more than three hours of hard work, they succeeded in freeing the Hattie. Keeper James Howard reported that the captain said "they wold have to....starve if it wold not bin for our service."

Today would not be a good day to be stranded in Pamlico Sound. It is barely 40 degrees this morning, and the winds are blowing more than 30 miles per hour. Where has spring gone? But at least it's above freezing, and we don't have snow. And we know this cold snap won't last forever.

This month's Ocracoke Newsletter tells how to make a traditional wooden whistle from a myrtle branch. You can read the newsletter here.