"I've waited five months for the finest burger on the island," said Joelle LeBlanc, who was dining al fresco with a jovial crew. "The day couldn't be better."

The Dream Girl and the Drumstick had returned from their half day trips by 1 pm, and the morning catch of drum, trigger fish and sea bass were ready for their photo op next to the fish cleaning bench. Captain Farris O'Neal was heading back out for a 3/4 day of fishing, defying all laws of time, and proving yet again that he is one of the hardest working people on the island.

The morning anglers were treated to a whale sighting while heading back in.

"It was a small whale," said O'Neal.

"It was huge," said one of the fishermen.

Their group from the Raleigh area was enjoying their first ever trip to Ocracoke. "I had friends growing up that used to rave about the island," said Elliot Anderson. He will "definitely be back" even though he was still rolling a bit after a morning offshore. They found a cottage through a friend of a client's brother, as one does, and plan to prepare their catch simply, with a lemon butter dill sauce, said Anderson.

They have nothing else planned for their week here, other than to stroll the beaches.