Hatteras Ferry Route Suspended Due to High Winds; Rumors Abound
From the NCDOT update at 7:15 p.m. Saturday: Hatteras-Ocracoke route to resume operations tomorrow morning. Will be running every other hour schedule until after Christmas. Call the terminal for more information. 252-986-2353.
Update: 11 a.m. :The Hatteras Ferry has not run yet on this blustery Saturday morning.Ferry personnel have suspended operations so far this morning. They will re-assess the situation every few hours and hope to be able to run later today.
The Pamlico Sound ferries are running on schedules.
Last update: Friday, 2 p.m.: Hatteras ferry made a run around 1 p.m. today, from Hatteras to Ocracoke.
<It was high tide, many people had been waiting all night, and the captain decided to take a boat over. There's no word yet on whether he will be able to return to Hatteras. We'll keep you posted when we know.
Pamlico Sound routes may also be affected. The Swan Quarter ferry left on its scheduled run at 12:30p.m. today
The word on the street is all about the ferry situation. Although NCDOT's ferry division sent this helpful press release (below), I have had many concerned Current readers insist that the Hatteras ferry absolutely won't run until Sunday and that the word came down from Raleigh.
I called Lucy Wallace, the ferry division's communications officer. She was quick to dispel the rumor.
"If conditions allow us to run, we will certainly do so," she said. "We are being cautious and don't want to endanger any lives. It's gusting to 50 right now and that's just not safe."
Lucy assured me that the choice to run the ferry is still decided locally, not in Raleigh.
"Ultimately, it's the captain's decision," she said. "We will resume operations as soon as possible, and run a ferry as soon as it's safe to do so."
And, she added, she will put the word out as soon as operations resume. She's got a press release ready to go, and we'll post it on the Current as soon as it arrives in our inbox.
Today's press release:
RALEIGH — Travelers using the Hatteras-Ocracoke ferry route will encounter suspensions due to extreme high winds caused by a winter storm today, tonight and tomorrow. Winds of 40 miles per hour sustained, gusting to 50 mph, coupled with shallow water depth at the inlet, are making conditions such that it is unsafe to cross. Operations are currently suspended at this time.
The Pamlico Sound routes from Swan Quarter and Cedar Island to Ocracoke could also suspend operations due to the high winds. Information about closures, if they occur, will be posted to Twitter and recorded on the 800-BY-FERRY number, weather information option 1. For up-to-date status on the situation at Hatteras and other routes, travelers can sign-up to receive messages on Twitter by going to www.twitter.com/ncdot_ferry or call the Hatteras terminal at 252-986-2353 for updates.
