Hatteras Jack

In his book, Legends of the Outer Banks, Charles Whedbee opens his chapter on a famous North Carolina dolphin (also called a porpoise on the Outer Banks), with these words: "For as many years as there have been deep water sailors, man has been fascinated by and strangely drawn to porpoises."

According to legend, in the late 18th century a remarkable albino dolphin  made it a point to greet sailing ships as they approached Hatteras Inlet. Captains soon discovered that the dolphin was poised to guide their ships through the inlet, making sure to navigate in the deeper channels and to avoid the sand bars that made the inlet so treacherous.

You can read a condensed version of the legend here: http://nclegends.weebly.com/hatteras-jack.html.

Also, a regular reader of this blog, Robb Foster, wrote the following poem about Hatteras Jack:

Hatteras Jack 

When chatting with other old briny blokes 

Folks, who rarely have sailed this way 

I sense their undeniable fear 

They dread the inlet that’s north of here 

I once, was one who held such dread 

Pled to Poseidon “Keep us us safe to the quay” 

Passing along this oft shoaling coast 

When safely home, we all offered a toast 

One day a dash of white was spied 

Eyed one single point in the low of a sway 

He danced in the water and was marking a path 

To save us all from the inlet’s wrath 

We mariners talk, and the word spread quite fast 

Last were the few who infrequent this caye 

 “Follow this dolphin, from the sea to the sound” 

“Jack knows the safest of routes to be found” 

Rare are the days, but I still find those folks 

Blokes still reluctant when anchor’s at weigh 

These days, I explain, we’ll be sure on our tack 

Now that Neptune protects us with Hatteras Jack

This month's Ocracoke Newsletter is a brief history of Howard's Pub. You can read it here: https://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news082117.htm.