UPDATE: Hatteras ferry operations resumed today (May 8) at 7:30 am taking light loads. Be aware that operations could be suspended at any time throughout the day. 252-986-2353 for more.
UPDATE: For the latest press release from the NCDOT ferry division, please click here.
As of 9 a.m. Monday, the Hatteras Inlet ferries are making limited runs with partial loads.
“We are running a couple of boats,” Lucy Wallace of NCDOT Ferry Division said. “Our main priority this morning was taking care of the people who were stranded last night.”
Yesterday afternoon, the ferry captains made the difficult decision to cancel runs for the rest of the evening. Ferry operations were suspended at 7 pm, leaving many visitors stuck on Ocracoke and O’cockers stuck on Hatteras.
“It was way too unsafe yesterday to keep running,” Wallace said. “The wind was blowing from the northeast, and it was a low tide. The channel is too narrow and too shallow, and there’s not a whole lot of room to work with. The boats didn’t have enough room or water to maneuver.”
Wallace said that the ferry division is in conversation with the Corps of Engineers and the Coast Guard about the problems in Hatteras Inlet.
“It’s the Corps' jurisdiction and their money. They’re aware of the situation,” Wallace said.
Wallace said the ferry operations are keeping a constant watch on conditions and doing what they can.
It’s possible that runs may yet be cancelled today; it all depends on the whims of Mother Nature. It’s a good idea to call ahead if you plan to use the Hatteras ferry 252-986-2353.
A dredge should be on its way Wednesday, and begin operating 12 hours a day by Friday night or early Saturday morning, reported Commissioner Darlene Styron after speaking to Senator Stan White, who owns a home on Ocracoke. Senator White told Styron the dredge will work 12 hour shifts for 10 to 12 days to clear the inlet, and return periodically throughout the summer.
"It seems that the DOT is at the mercy of the Corps [of Engineers], and the Corps is at the mercy of the environmental clearance," said Styron.
Pipe dredging, which removes the sand to the spoils island in Hatteras Inlet, cannot happen until nesting closures end in September. Until then, a sidewinder dredge will shift sand around to clear the inlet. Engineers may decide to open a new channel and cut out the dog leg, said Styron.
"They really won't know what they're up against until they get here and see it," said Styron. Her husband, Ernest Doshier, is a charter boat captain on Ocracoke. He and other captains stay in touch with the Hatteras fleet. They've heard reports that multiple vessels are running aground, and that the inlet is shoaling up to a foot per day.
Hatteras Island Charter Boat Captain Eddie Scarborough ran aground and did major damage both to his vessel and himself, said Styron, who, like others, has heard that "within two weeks they say you won't be able to get through there." Some reports put the window at as little as one week.
There is no reason not to be optimistic that ferries will be running regularly by Memorial Day, said Commissioner Styron.