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Cape Hatteras Notebook: Old Christmas

January 6, 2014

Old Christmas has been celebrated in the island village of Rodanthe for generations.

Photo from the UNC University Library website.

Today is the last day of the holiday season for us here on Hatteras Island. It is the day that Old Christmas is traditionally celebrated. A day that for many people is a forgotten date. In 1752 the British government adopted the Gregorian calendar to align with the other European countries who had changed the calendar many years prior. By doing this 11 days disappeared from existence and by doing so, moved Christmas day from January 5th to December 25th. Well, either from isolation from news or from pure stubbornness the Outer Bankers kept the original Christmas day in January. Over the years it has changed again to January 6th with the 5th being considered Old Christmas Eve.

These days Old Christmas does not get the attention that December 25th does. Even us islanders have lined up with the “new” date. We observe the birth of Jesus on December 25th and Santa Claus visits our children that night. But, Old Christmas is still remembered here, most especially in the village of Rodanthe on the Northern end of the island. For that village it has become a day of family and community. A day to get together and eat good food, tell stories, and see Old Buck once again.

Who is Old Buck? His apperance is the highlight of the evening’s festivities. Old Buck is a bull that magically has reappeared every year to romp through the crowd. Folklore says he was a massive bull that came ashore in a shipwreck over a hundred years ago. He roamed the island and sired many calves. He was greatly admired and when he died his spirit still lingers here. Old Buck lives among the trees of the maritime forest in the village of Frisco (Trent) and every year on Old Christmas makes the trek to Rodanthe to be admired once again. I love that the people of Rodanthe have held on to this special night.

I have never been to see him at the Rodanthe celebration but my house sits right in the middle of Frisco’s woods. Every year on Old Christmas night my son, Joe, finds a little bag of candy that Old Buck has left for him on the porch if he has been a good boy. We usually have a dinner that is a little special, duck stew or oysters or fish, and remember that Old Christmas is still a day to be celebrated. While it is not as exciting as the Rodanthe party, it is my way to see that another generation knows about Old Buck, and that there is a day called Old Christmas that is remembered on Hatteras Island.

Natalie Perry Kavanagh
Hatteras Island Fishing Report

January 5, 2014

Here is the Frisco Rod and Gun Outer Banks Fishing Report for Hatteras Island.

Today we had partly cloudy skies. The temperature was around 62F, with winds out of the south-south-east at 5-10 mph.

The ocean is still a little rough. There were a few puppy drum caught at Cape Point, before high tide.

There is no inshore or offshore report for today.

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Hatteras Island Fishing Report

January 4, 2014

Here is the Frisco Rod and Gun Outer Banks Fishing Report for Hatteras Island.

Today we had partly cloudy skies. The winds were from the north-east at 5-15 mph and the temperatures were in the low 50’s.

The low pressure that pushed off the coast yesterday has the ocean very rough on both the north and south beaches here on Hatteras Island. There was even some ocean over wash at Rodanthe and the north end of Buxton during high tides. There were no fish to report from the beaches or boats today.

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Hatteras Island Fishing Report

January 3, 2014

Here is the Frisco Rod and Gun Outer Banks Fishing Report for Hatteras Island.

Today we had overcast skies with lots of wind. The winds were from the north-west at 20-30 mph and the temperatures were in the mid 30’s. We did have a little bit of snow today.

With the weather as rough as it was we have no report of anything caught.

There is no inshore of offshore report

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Cape Hatteras Notebook: Nor’Easter

January 3, 2014

All across the island this morning was one exciting bit of news: It’s snowing on Hatteras Island! For those of you almost anywhere north of us this is not such a big deal, but we are happy to see a few flurries blowing around outside our windows. The other bit of news that is not making anyone too happy: the tide is rising on the Soundside. Combine these two pieces of information and you have a classic Nor’Easter storm on Hatteras.

It is grey and gloomy outside. It is cold and windy, and blowing about 30 knots. People here are used to dealing with this weather. This doesn’t look like a bad storm. We move our cars to higher ground for a few hours if we live near the Pamlico Sound. We make sure our boats are tied up safely. And we watch the weather to judge our day’s activities.

One tool we use these days that past generations did not have is the internet weather sites. We can check all kinds of data, watch the weather forecasts, and read the NOAA statements. One of my favorites is the NOAA site at Hatteras Inlet Coast Guard Station. This tells you at a glance how high the sound tide is, what the wind is doing, air temperature, and air pressure right in our own backyard. This data is pretty useful for the southern end of Hatteras Island.

This is great as long as the power stays on! If we lose that then it is time to revert back to the old fashioned way, the barometer. I remember growing up watching my dad thump the side of the barometer, and then gauge what the storm was doing by the air pressure reading and his past experience to know what that reading meant for our island.

Watching the weather the old fashioned way-the barometer!

So, right now I can see that the air pressure is rising, the storm is passing by, the tide has come up, but is leveling off. Looks like a good day to come in the shop and hang out around the counter. Because, besides watching the weather, the other pastime on Hatteras Island during a Nor’Easter is telling fish stories!