offshore waters from locations all 

 along the Carolina coast. From the 

 Outer Banks, it's about 20 miles to 

 the Gulf Stream, a northbound 

 interstate highway for game fish such 

 as blue marlin, white marlin, sailfish, 

 swordfish, wahoo, dolphin and tuna. 



A charter boat for six to this 

 fishing heaven can cost more than 

 $700 a day and may require several 

 months of advance planning if a 

 particular boat and captain are sought. 



From Morehead City south, the 

 Gulf Stream is 40 to 50 miles 

 offshore. Some charters go the 

 distance, but many take advantage of 

 inshore waters, ferrying their paying 

 customers to locations where they can 

 angle for Spanish and king mackerel, 

 Bahen says. 



A new type of charter industry is 

 building along the coast, Bahen says. 

 Smaller 20- to 28-foot charter boats 

 are taking parties of two to four 

 people for full days and half-days to 

 fish inshore for drum, trout or 

 Spanish mackerel. The cost for a half 

 day of fishing fun is about $125. 



For those who don't mind fishing 

 in mass, climb aboard one of several 

 headboats that ply North Carolina's 

 offshore waters. For $20 or $30, you 

 can join 30 other anglers fishing for 

 snapper, grouper or sea bass. 



sailing — If you like the cool, 



quiet appeal of sailing, then the North 

 Carolina coast is the place for you. 



The state's coastal rivers, sounds 

 and offshore waters offer a variety of 

 sailing experiences for everyone from 

 the beginning sailor to the experi- 

 enced old salt, says Bill Lynn of 

 Whitaker Creek Yacht Harbor in 

 Oriental. 



"North Carolina has an attractive 

 climate, and the sailing is super 

 steady because of the consistent 

 winds," Lynn says. 



Most sailors, he says, sail for the 

 sake of the experience and not as 

 means of getting from place to place. 

 But for those who are destination- 



bound, the state has a ready supply of 

 marinas and public docks. 



To learn to sail, enroll in one of 

 two sailing schools located in Orien- 

 tal, Lynn says. Oriental is the sailing 

 mecca of North Carolina, but other 

 towns — Beaufort, Belhaven, 

 Elizabeth City, New Bern and 

 Wrightsville Beach — cater to the 

 sailing crowd too. 



For sailors bitten by the racing 

 bug, there are organized regattas. Or 

 you can come to Oriental on a Sunday 

 afternoon for what Lynn calls "beer 

 can racing" that is rowdy, informal 

 and lots of fun. 



Don't let the lack of sailboat stop 

 you from cruising the Carolina 

 sounds. A boat of almost any size can 

 be rented from a yacht harbor. You 

 can even hire the services of captain if 

 you don't know how to sail. 



Summer isn't the only time to set 

 sail in Tar Heel waters. Fall and 

 spring offer milder temperatures and 

 better breezes to catch your sails. 

 Even winter, particularly along our 

 southern shores, serves up enough 50- 

 and 60-degree days to make sailing a 

 year-round sport in North Carolina. 



windsurfing — In spring and 



fall, there's a spot on the inside elbow 

 of Hatteras Island that attracts 

 Canadian windsurfers like kids to 

 candy. In fact, the area has been 

 named the Canadian Hole in honor of 

 its popularity among our northern 

 neighbors. 



"The Canadians come here in 

 droves," says Ralph Buxton of Kitty 

 Hawk Sports. "They make up fifty 

 percent of our windsurfing traffic in 

 the spring and fall. Hatteras is the first 

 warm water they can hit and get good 

 winds." 



Buxton says some days 200 to 

 300 windsurfers congregate at the 

 Canadian Hole. They come because 

 of the excellent windsurfing condi- 

 tions and because they like to social- 

 ize while they're riding their boards. 



But other areas along the Outer 



Banks and the North Carolina coast 

 offer conditions that are just as 

 favorable for windsurfing, Buxton 

 says. 



"Oceanside, we have hundreds of 

 miles of shoreline with wave condi- 

 tions for real enthusiasts," Buxton 

 says. "But most people prefer the 

 sound. The water's warmer, especially 

 in spring, and the sounds are shallow. 

 That makes it easy to get back on if 

 you fall off." 



surfing — When it comes to 



catching a wave, the waves along 

 North Carolina's Outer Banks are the 

 ones to catch. The Outer Banks surf is 

 famous along the East Coast for those 

 folks, usually teenagers and young 

 adults, who hang ten. 



"It's the most consistent place to 

 surf, particularly the area near the 

 Rodanthe pier and the Cape Hatteras 

 Lighthouse," says Ashley Long of 

 Wave Riding Vehicles, a surf shop. 

 "Here, you can find a ridable wave 

 every day." 



Long says surfers come from as far 

 away as Florida and Maine to ride the 

 waves. The best waves roll ashore in 

 winter, Long says. Then surfers must 

 don wet suits, booties, gloves and 

 hoods to withstand the elements. 



Long says the Outer Banks' 

 reputation for surfing has spread by 

 word of mouth and advertising by 

 local surf shops. Good surfers know 

 when surfing is at its best by listening 

 to the weather report, but Long says 

 surfers can also call ahead for a surf 

 report. 



Most surfers are just weekend 

 visitors, and typically they camp, Long 

 says. But those who travel from farther 

 distances stay longer. Long says 

 surfers make good tourists because 

 they spend money in shops and 

 restaurants. "Surfing is totally good for 

 the tourism," he says. 



Iiang gliding -If you ever 

 wondered what it would be like to soar 

 like a sea gull, then you'll probably 



16 JULY/AUGUST 1992 



