OBX/NC Waterways By Sea and by Land
- Capt. Greg Handal
- Mar 18
- 3 min read
God bless Aunt Ruby Styron, my wife's aunt who passed away at 95 this past March 8. Born in Manning, SC, she married a shrimper (Milton) from the Outer Banks and and lived in the small town of Davis, NC for the rest of her days rearing a wonderful family.
I always enjoyed Ruby and Milton and their kids and their grandkids at family reunions in Manning. I pestered my wife for years about going to Davis to visit them, though it took Ruby's passing to finally get us there this past weekend.
Rewind to September of 2023. A friend of mine purchased a sailboat in Annapolis, Maryland and hired me and my crew (Harry Pecorelli-who deserves volumes of books written about him!) to deliver her boat to Folly Beach. That trip deserves a post of its own and will occur. However, the point of mentioning it in this blog entry is the fact that it was my first time sailing NC waters (or the Chesapeake or Virginia, for that matter). I was enamored by the beaty of the area and of the and by the abundant sailing/cruising opportunities. I excitedly recounted to my wife these feelings and, like General MacArthur, I vowed to return. I have yet to do so by boat (but I WILL). However, this past Friday, my wife and I (and my mother inlaw) finally drove to Davis for Aunt Ruby's funeral.
The hours-long back country portion of the drive to the town was in and of itself quite enjoyable and scenic. As we neared and drove along the ICW, I recanted some of my experiences of my boat delivery through the area in 2023. Not sure if my passengers enjoyed the memories, but I enjoyed sharing them.
The town of Davis was utterly charming and the people were nothing short of wonderful. We stayed in a hunting lodge filled with family who also came in from out of town. The lodge was unique and rustic and dated back to the 1800's.
Between times visiting with family, my wife and I took several long walks around town and along the waterfront of Core sound, which is the waterway upon which Davis is located https://www.google.com/maps/place/Davis,+NC+28524/@34.7994227,-76.4859936,14z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m6!3m5!1s0x89a89ffc593fc5d1:0x63b8950beb91ccae!8m2!3d34.7973848!4d-76.460199!16s%2Fm%2F012ht3f_?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI1MDMxMi4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D .
The scenery was magnificent with its wide swath of waterway between us and Core Banks. The ferry docks and the ferry services were bustling with trucks and tourists loading up to explore the banks. The fog in the morning added mystique to environment. The ducks were flying (this is apparently a popular duck hunting area, hence the hunting lodge where we stayed) and as we explored, I was envisioning a sail to the area as we combed the dirt roads, breakwaters and landings.
We enjoyed everything about our trip. The few businesses that were there were manned by friendly, interesting people; the woman at the ferry smiled and recounted kind words and rememberances of Ruby and Milton when she discovered the purpose of our visit to the area. The visiting of family was wonderful, as well. Catching up with everyone is always enjoyable and even more so in such and idyllic setting. My wife and I were even able to spread our daily addiction to dominoes (more about that in another blog) to other family members, which is always a joy.
Rustic, scenic, expansive. We shall return by land and by sea.
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