Features 



Coastal Tidings 2 



The Big Ditch: A Scenic Maritime Byway 



For many visitors to the North Carolina coast, crossing the Intra- 

 coastal Waterway is simply a sign that the drive is nearly over. 

 But for boaters, the waterway is a destination in itself. Join 

 T. Edward Nickens on a waterway adventure 6 



Shipshape: Harkers Island Boatbuilders 

 Keep Tradition Alive 



Harkers Island is a haven for boatbuilders. Meet traditional 

 craftsmen who create sportfishing boats from wood and 

 fiberglass 14 



Built in North Carolina 



Boatbuilding is big business in North Carolina. Multimillion- 

 dollar manufacturers boost the state's economy 19 



The Launching of the Water Lily 



A writer with little power-tool experience takes on a task that would 

 daunt many a backyard carpenter — building a wooden sailboat 

 from scratch. Julie Ann Powers shares her pride and joy in the 

 process and its final product 20 



Erosion-Control Options: Revising Regulations 

 to Preserve our Estuaries 



As developments spring up along North Carolina's estuaries, 

 property owners look for ways to protect eroding shorelines. 

 What are the options? Revised regulations could mean new 

 restrictions for landowners 24 



A Historian 's Coast: All Good Things 



A historian's tools include canoes and kayaks — at least for historian 

 David Cecelski, who gathers stories from fragile freshwater 

 wetlands and blackwater swamps 28 



Naturalist's Notebook: Beautiful, Bountiful Bay Scallops 



The bay scallop is a royal find, and you can dig for it in our sounds. 

 Read up on the lifestyle of this celebrated mollusk 31 



Sea Science: Estuarine Trawling: 



Study Measures Impacts of Fishing Techniques 



Does inshore shrimp trawling help or harm the environment? 



This year, researchers join fishers in an attempt to find out 32 



COASTWATCH 



