Pholo by Nancy Davis 



The other side 

 of paradise 



BY NANCY DAVIS 



Life on Bald Head Island is everytiiing it's 

 craclced up to be . . . and more. Along witli tlie 

 stunning sunsets, pounding surf and sootliing 

 silence come monstrous mosquitoes, hungry 

 alligators and, read carefully, NO BRIDGE. 



We're not trying to be negative, 

 mind you. We just want to point out 

 that island life isn't for everybody. 



Residents who pay a healthy price 

 for the beauty and serenity of the 

 remote island also get an expensive 

 dose of inconveniences. 



And the emphasis is on remote. 



There is no bridge from the 

 mainland to Bald Head. Residents 

 say that after a week, they quit wor- 

 rying about it. 



For newcomers, that three-mile 

 span of water makes the island 

 seem as though it's 300 miles from 

 the mainland. 



But what if I have to get off of 

 here? 



If you have your own boat, it's 

 simple. 



If not, you'll have to wait for the 

 ferry. It leaves every hour on the 

 half-hour from the island and on the 

 hour from the mainland. And it's just 

 a 15-minute ride. 



But what happens late at night 

 when the ferry stops running and 



I'm sick and I need to get to the 

 hospital? 



The village employs four public 

 safety officers who serve as 

 emergency medical technicians, 

 firemen and police. 



If you need to get to a hospital, 

 just pick up your CB and call them. 

 They can have you to the South port 

 hospital within 28 minutes, says 

 Wallace Martin, village manager. 



What's this about CBs? When 

 can I phone home? 



Well, phones will be available by 

 the first of the year, but some 

 residents still plan to do without. 



There are about five phones on 

 the island now. But they're operated 

 by a microwave system set up in the 

 Bald Head lighthouse. On foggy 

 days or when a tall ship passes, 

 calls are likely to be cut off. 



So you'll just have to learn to pick 

 up your CB, good buddy. 



Where can I eat on the island? 



Your choices are limited. There's 

 one restaurant and one deli. 



What about groceries? 



There is a small store on the 

 island. And it's even stocked with 

 items such as fresh gourmet coffee 

 beans, a good selection of wines 

 and an assortment of caviar 



But for a week's worth of 

 groceries, you may want to go to the 

 mainland. 



Plan your trip carefully. It will re- 

 quire close scrutiny of your remain- 

 ing rations, a detailed list of next 

 week's meals and plenty of travel 

 time. 



Suppose you take the 10:30 a.m. 

 ferry from the island. Depending on 

 where you live, allow yourself extra 

 time to get to the ferry. Remember, 

 only 18 mph in your electric golf 

 cart. 



By the time you get to Southport 

 and do your shopping, it will be 

 after noon. You drive back to the 

 dock just in time to reserve your 

 place on the 1 p.m. ferry. Another 

 15 minutes, and you're back on the 

 island. 



What about my ice cream and 

 milk? 



If you were smart, you 

 remembered to bring along the 

 cooler Better yet, just buy your ice 

 cream from the island's store. 



I'm not discouraged by those 

 little inconveniences. I'm ready 

 to build my dream vacation 

 home. But where do I get my 

 supplies? 



The mainland, of course. All the 

 construction materials have to be 

 shipped to the island by barge. 



Everything has to be carefully 

 scheduled so that crews and 

 materials arrive on the island at the 

 same time, Martin says. 



"You get the workers over here 

 and find out they need three 

 2-by-4s," Martin says. "So they're sit- 

 ting there twiddling their thumbs un- 

 til the next barge comes." 



One contractor estimates that 

 shipping building supplies by barge 

 adds as much as 25 percent to con- 

 struction bills. ■ 



