No Ordinary Seaman
A couple weeks ago my parents came to visit me and my husband Will here on Ocracoke Island. On their return trip to Hatteras Island they noticed something they hadn’t before while on the ferry; a female captain! My dad told me about seeing her and said, “You should write an article about her for the Ocracoke Current!” And I agreed!
Captain Sue Garrett was born in western Pennsylvania, then moved to Iowa when her father accepted a job. When she was in sixth grade the family moved back east to New Jersey, and a coworker of her father strongly recommended he take the family on a vacation on the Outer Banks. That year was the first time Sue visited Hatteras Island, where she fondly remembers camping at Cape Point and making friends with other children who were also on vacation. Each year the family returned to Cape Point, and reconnected with many of the families from previous years.
Like many people who come to vacation on here, Sue fell in love with the place, and in October of 1978 she moved to the Outer Banks permanently, residing in Hatteras Village. For the next two years she helped care for and maintain property owned by a merchant seaman while he was away, and in 1980 submitted an application to the North Carolina Department of Transportation Ferry Division. Soon after, she received a call asking her to come to the ferry docks, so she got on her bicycle and “rode down in a pair of cut-off jeans, a t-shirt, and flip flops” where she promptly found herself on a boat wearing an orange vest (ferry personnel attire from that time).
Sue was hired seasonally and continued helping the merchant seaman while he was away. She also helped monitor polling during the 1988 vote to decide whether or not to sell wine and beer in stores located in Dare County. As seasonal employees, many people had to pick up extra jobs, and Sue had quite a variety. She did some waitressing, commercial fishing, made 50-pound containers for and packed fish, read water meters, and helped care for about 20 banker ponies owned by Mr. Bill Burrus to bring in extra income until she got permanent employment status with the Ferry Division in 1987.
By 1995, Garrett had earned her Captain’s License after successfully completing several levels of written tests, earning her different degrees of maritime licensure, and racking up hundreds of hours of “practical experience” on the ferries. She started with her Mate’s License, which allowed her to be on a ferry’s deck and park vehicles. When Garrett first became a Mate, every vehicle was secured with two large chocks made of oak; one was placed in the front of a vehicle, the other in the rear. From there she earned her Ordinary Seaman’s License, Able Bodied Seaman’s License, Mate’s License, and finally her Captain’s License. The United States Coast Guard issues all the tests and licenses, and at that time Sue and other ferry employees had to travel to Charleston, South Carolina in order to take the written tests (Baltimore, Maryland was and still is a testing site, but Charleston is the more convenient location). In recent years Maritime Schools have been established, making testing and licensure a bit more accessible for people who work on water vessels.
Working for the Ferry Division has brought much happiness to Garrett, and she spoke of the closeness between herself and coworkers saying, “They become your second family. Actually more like first family during the week.” Since the ferry employees work seven days on/seven days off, the members of each crew have gotten to know each other well enough where they, “finish each other’s sentences.” She also enjoys meeting and speaking to the people who are loaded onto the ferry, as well as being on the water because, for her, “it so beats sitting in an office and talking on the phone.” She said sometimes hiccups can occur when the wind picks up or sudden, unexpected schedule changes occur, but despite those she feels, “It’s an awesome job, an awesome place to work.”
While she earned her new qualifications and continued rising in rank, she met and married Steve Garrett, a charter boat captain. She describes their story as a true Outer Banks love story, and they remain happily married today. Garrett has also adopted Banker Ponies since construction of her house was completed in 1995. She currently cares for a twenty-five-year-old mare, named Honey Bee, who is the granddaughter of an Ocracoke pony. Sue spends much of her time off with Honey Bee and making sure she has enough hay and grain. When she does have to get Honey Bee more food, it’s an all day adventure to the mainland, which can be complicated due to hurricanes and other severe weather.
After Hurricane Irene slammed the Outer Banks in August of 2011, numerous issues impacted the residents of the Outer Banks. A new inlet was carved between the Bonner Bridge and Rondanthe, the Bonner Bridge was out of service due to safety inspections that needed to be conducted, and Hatteras Inlet (which the ferries use to go between Hatteras and Ocracoke) also needed to be inspected and dredged. A temporary ferry route was used between Rodanthe and Stumpy Point so the residents could get onto the mainland, but ferries were loaded on a “first come, first served” basis, so priority passes were considered invalid. Once the storm cleared Sue needed to get more food and supplies, and what is usually a day’s trip turned into 18 hours of traveling, waiting, loading up her truck, and returning to her home in Frisco. But she says those types of inconveniences are worth it to live in a place like this, especially because of the tightly-knit community. Even a trip to Conner’s Market can last about an hour when she spots friends and residents she hasn’t seen for a while. Many enjoyable conversations occur when she goes to the grocery store, and she cherishes those interactions as well as being a part of that community.
Sue is also an avid surf fisherwoman and belongs to two competitive teams: The Hatterascals and The Rod Runners. Her sister Bonnie is a member of The Rod Runners, and for big tournaments the two teams join to make a phenomenal group of fishing women.
So, next time you’re on a ferry, look up to the Pilot House. You may just get to see Captain Sue Garrett.
Crystal continues to enjoy interviewing "women being awesome" for the Current.
