TEACH'S HOLE . . .

Yo ho, ho ho! Avast ye! For those asking about Jett she is doing fine. Jett was just down one day. When she woke up yesterday there was no sign of any injury. I think she had just had too much fun, pulled a muscle and just wanted sympathy. Well she at least got a visit to a cool restaurant out of it. 

With today being our last day in Ocracoke we decided we should at least do some pirate hunting. Tim and I set out to find Blackbeard's grave. As it turns out just off the coast of Ocracoke was where Blackbeard died. 

Jolly Roger! Edward Teach, also known as Blackbeard would anchor close to shore hiding in the sound. Pirate lookouts would spot passing merchant ships, allowing the crew to sail out to plunder the cargo. Teach's Hole is named for his favorite alias. 

At the request of North Carolina planters in 1718, a British naval force was dispatched to North Carolina to deal with Blackbeard. Blackbeard’s forces were defeated and he was killed in a bloody battle of Ocracoke Island. Legend has it that Blackbeard, who captured more than 30 ships in his brief pirating career, received five musket-ball wounds and 20 sword lacerations before dying.

Tim and I never found a grave for Blackbeard but we had fun looking. We did however find a few others though. The Old Diver and the British Cemetery. The British Cemetery is the final resting place for four British sailors from the British trawler HMS Bedfordshire which was torpedoed and sunk offshore in 1942 by a German submarine. The British were here protecting our shores during the early years of World War II. This cemetery is now maintained by the Ocracoke Coast Guard Station personnel. 

Tim and I hope to return here. There are about 14 miles of pristine untouched beach here. Other than in the village of Ocracoke there are no condos, hotels or massive mansions here. No commercialization. And other than the village at the southern tip and this campground three miles north nothing else exists here. It's all a part of the Cape Hatteras National Seashore except Ocracoke. 

The island is quiet this time of year and the weather is PERFECT. We enjoyed all the quaint little houses and small businesses in town. Next time we plan on spending some time Surf Fishing as this seems to be a very popular past time here. 

Rrrrgh ... Matey! We're off to the next location tomorrow.