Hey folks,
Here is an update from one of our two shops in Hatteras (Ocean Air).
“The shop actually fared well all things considered. Our sign at the street was destroyed, an outside wall where we would store rental gear blew down, knocking our air conditioning units over into the water, and a few other minor things. I was sure we would have lost our waverunner dock, fortunately we did not. You can see in the picture I am holding my hand up to how high the dock went up the pilings, we had about an 8’ tidal surge. The big bummer is that there still is no word when they will let property owners down there. Residents will be allowed access starting Sunday via a 2 hour ferry ride from Stumpy Point to Rodanthe. I don’t think they have started to try and fix the road yet, and with Hurricane Katia, things could get set back even farther. Hopefully that storm will break to the north, but if Hatteras were to take a direct hit from it, well, I would think that would be the nail in the coffin for Hatteras Island. Just taking it day by day right now, it has taken 6 straight days of pitch forking the seaweed out of our neighborhood to get our life here in Nags Head back to normal. To get to the shop to check damages I had to ride a waverunner 50 miles, hung out for a few hours to take pictures, then made the trip back, big debris fields out in the sound, it was a pretty stressful ride…Check out the pictures. Brian”
Really hoping we can help Ocean Air and Fox Watersports out with some donations. Please give if you can. We need these guys in business. Hatteras is one of the most important windsurfing destinations in the world to us.
Hey what happend to Fox watersports? GS’s shop is there. Did Buxton get creamed? Was looking at buying a home there also. Oh and how is that precious OBX Bird doing?
I think the Fox shop is doing fine. The problem right now is that access to the Outer Banks is so bad, that both residents and tourists will not be flowing. The road is severely damaged in a number of places. it is a mess.
These shops count on fall sales to stay in business. I’m deeply concerned that our two shops in particular are going to really struggle.
For anyone that has ever sailed the Outer Banks, you all know just how convenient it is to have a windsurf shop out there. Not only can they take orders, but they can help with repairs, warranty claims, sailing advice, weather info, and are the heartbeat of the windsurfing community for Hatteras and far beyond. Lots of sailors come to Hatteras for vacation from the mid west, Canada, and all points between.