Raleigh Bay

I wonder how many of our readers are familiar with Raleigh Bay. Roger Payne, in his book Place Names of the Outer Banks, describes it as a 75 mile long bight along the coast of Carteret County, Hyde County (Ocracoke Township), and Dare County.

The coordinates of Raleigh Bay are 35°14'40"N 75°31'38"W (northeast end), 34°34'57N 76°32'01"W (southwest end), and 35°00'00"N 76°00'00"W (center). 

A bight is a large open bay created by a bend or curve in the coastline. Wikipedia explains that "explorers defined a bight as a bay that could be  sailed out of on a single tack in a square-rigged sailing vessel, regardless of the direction of the wind (typically meaning the apex of the bight is less than 25 degrees from the edges).

Click here to see an aerial view of Raleigh Bay: https://mapcarta.com/21319764.

Of course, Raleigh Bay was named for Sir Walter Raleigh, English organizer whose expeditions explored the Outer Banks in the 16th century.

Sir Walter Raleigh

Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is a history of the Ocracoke Lighthouse, with information (and an artist's sketch) about the earliest lantern room. You can read the Newsletter here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/ocracoke-lighthouse/.