Sugarloaf Island

Sugarloaf Island, located within Bogue Sound bordering the Harbor Channel and the barrier island protecting Morehead City, North Carolina, spans just 47 acres yet retains its pristine, undeveloped charm devoid of residential or commercial structures.  As part of a series of small, preserved islands, this island benefits from perpetual conservation efforts facilitated by the North Carolina Coastal Federation.

Originally safeguarded from development through collaborative initiatives led by Morehead City, the island now boasts amenities designed to attract outdoor enthusiasts, including a floating dock accommodating small boats, canoes, and kayaks. Adjacent to this dock lies a natural park area ideal for picnics, offering panoramic views of downtown Morehead City from a waterfront perspective. Additionally, public restrooms enhance visitor comfort, while a nature trail winding through the island's interior, featuring a scenic yet brief boardwalk, invites exploration.

Despite its modest size, Sugarloaf Island offers diverse landscapes, from maritime forests to sound front beaches and marshlands, making it a haven for walkers, nature enthusiasts, and birdwatchers alike. Currently, only one commercial boat company, H2O Captain Eco-Tour Private Boat Excursions, offers short eco-tours of this barrier island, departing from Morehead City.

With plans underway for shoreline restoration, collaborative efforts involving the NC Coastal Federation, the Town of Morehead City, and aquatic restoration firm Sea and Shoreline aim to combat chronic erosion threatening the island's integrity. Restoration strategies include installing an offshore living breakwater to reduce wave energy, planting seagrass behind the breakwater, and establishing a living shoreline on the island. Designed to minimize disruption to vessel traffic, the breakwater will be strategically placed in shallow areas unsuitable for high-speed boat navigation. Construction of the wave attenuators is currently underway, with installation expected in the first quarter of 2024.

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Menhaden Fisheries in Beaufort and Morehead City, North Carolina

Our waterways are filled with history. History of its people, culture, occupations, weather, shoaling, terrestrial animals, marine animals, and fish. Frequently, they get all intertwined. E.g. whale hunting, people, occupations, etc. was a huge activity from Shackleford to Hatteras. Or Shacklefords’ wild banker horses, descendants from the Spanish Mustangs, and its challenging weather and waterways. The activity of going to see these wild horses and discovering great shelling is H2O Captain Eco-Tour Private Boat Excursions' most popular tour!

Another example is the menhaden fish, pictured at right, whose industry was centered in Beaufort, Morehead City, and Southport, NC. On their waterfronts, menhaden boats lined the wharves and factories processed tens of millions of tons of fish annually into massive quantities for fertilizer and oil. When the wind was right, the aroma of the fish covered those towns like a blanket.

The menhaden industry flourished for more than a century. The state’s last menhaden factory, Beaufort Fisheries, closed its doors in 2005. Capt. David Willis was one of the longest-serving menhaden boat captains in the United States.  Capt. Willis first took command of a menhaden boat when he was only 24. He grew up in Lennoxville, a neighborhood in Beaufort, NC that many of the old menhaden boat captains used to call home.  He dropped out of school in the 10th grade to go fishing. It was a family tradition. His father had been captain of a menhaden boat. His grandfather had been captain of a menhaden boat. Or as Jimmy Buffet would sing, a “Son of a Son of a Sailor.”

At the end of every day of fishing, the fishermen soaked their nets, called seines, in salt. “Pickling the nets,” it was called. The salt “killed off the slime.” A seine drying rack can still be seen in Lennoxville on Taylor’s Creek. Should your H2O Captain Eco-Tour Private Boat Excursions take you through Beaufort, just ask Captain Mark to point this out to you!

Captain Willis’s name lives on as his relatives run the Cap’n Willis Seafood Market located in the towns of Emerald Isle and Salter Path, both on Bogue Banks. On all H2O Captain excursions, you will parallel the Banks for at least a few miles.

Some excerpts above are from an article entitled, “Menhaden Fishing Days” from August 5, 2021, by historian David Cecelski.

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Indian Blanket / Firewheel / Gaillardia Pulchella

How Firewheel Got its Color
Firewheel has a rich history in Native American lore. In the book “Legends and Lore of Texas Wildflowers” by Elizabeth Silverthorne, an old Mexican legend tells how the firewheel got its unique color. According to the story, firewheel was once an all-yellow wildflower in the days of the Aztecs. Women would adorn themselves with the bright yellow flowers, and children would play among them in the meadows. Then Cortez came, spreading death and destruction throughout the land. The bright yellow flower felt pity for the deaths of the inhabitants and caught their blood as it fell. To this day the firewheel remains red with the blood of the Aztecs.

Indian Blanket Flower
Firewheel is also known as Indian blanket flower, a name that comes from another legend. In the same book above, the story goes that warriors from a certain tribe went to war, leaving behind their wives and children. Soon after, the chief's wife began weaving a blanket for her husband. In the blanket, she wove threads of red and orange, each pattern a symbol of her prayer to the Great Spirit to keep her husband safe. One day the daughter of the chief was out playing in the woods and got lost. Night soon fell, and the little girl prayed to the Great Spirit to send the blanket to keep her warm during the night. She fell asleep. The next morning she found herself covered in the same red and orange flowers as the blanket. Returning from war, her father found his daughter covered in the beautiful flowers. From that time on, the flowers were called Indian blanket flowers.

FAQ
Do blanket flowers like sun or shade?
They enjoy the full sun. The blanket flower grows in the sun in fast-draining soil as we have on Shackleford Banks and at Cape Lookout Lighthouse on the Crystal Coast, NC.

What are the health benefits of Indian blanket flower?
Native Americans found many medicinal uses for Gaillardia Pulchella including; tea of root for gastroenteritis (diarrhea for stomach “bug”, and chewed powdered root applied topically to skin disorders. Sore nipples of nursing mothers bathed in tea made from the plant. It can also used for sore eyes. The Kiowa tribe believed it brought good luck.

Do Indian blanket flowers come back every year?
Perennial Gaillardia, also known as Blanket Flower, is an easy grower that blooms in prominent color for months. Tough, cold hardy plants, these flowers have been dependably perennial for decades, attracting plentiful pollinators to their nectar-rich blooms every year.

Do Indian blanket flowers spread?
Each bloom will produce numerous seeds that resemble bad-mitten birdies. These seeds will be blown around by the wind, and frequently germinate the following Spring. So, yes – Blanket Flower will spread by self-seeding.

Photo by Captain Mark of H2O Captain Eco-Tour Private Boat Excursions: One of the first Indian Blanket blooms seen in the 2023 year on Shackleford Banks in the Southern Outer Banks of NC while looking for the wild horses.

Get Outside for Earth Day and All Days!

Saturday 22APR2023 is Earth Day here on our planet. We love the Earth and we love our Oceans which give life to it.

This is why we are involved in Eco-Tourism. Welcome eco-tourists to our shores along Atlantic Beach, Emerald Isle, and Beaufort, NC. Ecotourism is a form of tourism involving responsible travel to natural areas, conserving the environment, and improving the well-being of the local people. Ecotourism is about uniting conservation, communities, and sustainable travel.

To witness for yourself Mother Nature’s waterways, barrier islands, native plant life, our wild horses, discovering great shelling, our wild dolphins, etc. is a gift. It is like you won a prize—and you did!

At h2o Captain Eco-Tour Private Boat Excursions we will take you to Mother Nature’s creations both on the water and on land for you to see for yourselves what is possible should humans work in harmony with Mother Nature. We will also take you by boat through the Rachel Carson Preserve and the quaint towns of Beaufort and Morehead City along the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) to Atlantic Beach and its 3 goats that also live on a small barrier island.

Reserve your Adventure Travel Eco-Tour Excursion this week of Earth Day and make it every day Earth Day.

Support YOU can do on Earth Day and Every Day
- The Ocean Cleanup www.theoceancleanup.com 
- Ocean Voyages Institute www.oceanvoyagesinstitute.org 
- Wounded Nature-Working Veterans https://woundednature.org/
- Download the Ghost Gear Reporter App
- The SeaCleaners www.theseacleaners.org 

Photo by Roxanne Sonder, the Captain's wife of H2O Captain Eco-Tour Private Boat Excursions, one of the many 4Ocean Ambassadors: Gull Harbor Marina on Bogue Sound on the Crystal Coast, NC

Loons in the Atlantic Beach, Emerald Isle, Beaufort, NC area

Loon birds are diving birds. They have pointed beaks, webbed feet, and streamlined bodies that help them swim and hunt underwater. Because of this body type, they are not land birds and hence have great difficulties with any movement on land/beach. Please see the photo at the right of a Common Loon in an uncommon location...on the beach. Captain Mark took this rare photo.

They have different plumages depending on the season and the sex, but they usually have black-and-white patterns and red eyes. There are five species of loons, with the common loon being the most widespread and well-known in the Atlantic Beach, Emerald Isle, Beaufort, NC area. Loons have distinctive and haunting calls that can be heard at night, and they have various cultural meanings for some Indigenous peoples.

On almost all H2O Captain Eco-Tour Private Boat Excursions passengers will witness loons diving into the water. A site to behold!  Other adventure travel days tours include great shelling and seeing the wild horses of Shackleford Banks.

Shearwaters

Shearwaters are birds that spend most of their life flying over vast, windy stretches of the ocean. They must have a variety of ways of dealing with the stresses and demands of such an existence, especially when it comes to drinking fresh water. Shearwaters are remarkable in their adaptations. Most species have long narrow wings designed for gliding and soaring. To watch these graceful birds "shearing" the wavetops with their stiff-winged, seemingly effortless flight, is to witness a true natural wonder.

H2O Captain Eco-Tour Private Boat Excursions take out many different types of passengers including, film crews (both national and international), photographers, artists, real estate agents with their clients, as well as ornithologists (wildlife biologists who study birds). Of course, the vast majority are visitors to the area who wish to explore our beautiful waterways, and barrier islands, discover GREAT shelling and look for the famous wild horses.

In preparation for writing this blog, I spoke with an ornithologist asking him to contribute to this article specifically 1 or more of his great catalogs of photos. He said, he would enjoy doing that, but, as they live at sea and do not ever come to land, he had, sadly, no photos.

As it turns out Captain Mark of H2O Captain found a shearwater on land! Sadly, this was because the bird was ill and dying. The Captain took a few photos, seen here, to send to the Cape Lookout National Seashore National Park Service. There was no explanation of why this one or others were dying or already had passed.

These beautiful sea-going birds' characteristic tubular nostrils located on top of the bill serve as a means of expelling saline solution from their large salt glands, located internally near the eye sockets. The salt glands allow these birds to drink seawater without any harmful effects since their kidneys cannot produce concentrated urine. The horny structure of the exterior nostrils protects the internal nasal passageway from the irritating salt spray and serves as an opening to their very efficient olfactory organs. Shearwaters have an excellent sense of smell, which they use to find food, burrows, and other birds of their species.

These seabirds have oily, waterproof feathers and a dense undercoat insulating down. Their webbed feet help them swim and are also used to patter upon the ocean surface in search of floating bits of food.

The strong bill has a food-grabbing hook on the end, and the typical dark or dark-and-light plumage helps them blend into a monochromatic landscape.

The shearwaters have a distinctive musky odor arising from their stomach oils, which are used as food for their young, as a defensive weapon (squirted when needed), and as additional waterproofing for their feathers.

If you are out at sea, look for these beautiful and healthy birds!

Photo Courtesy of H2O Captain Eco-Tour Private Boat Excursions

The Fish House

The Styron Fish House sits along Taylor's Creek in Beaufort, NC.  It was built in the 1940a by Captain Louis Styron.  This small rustic shack served as the family home until after the birth of his daughter Celia Faye Styron.  Not long after her birth, Mrs. Styron insisted the family move across the street to be further from the water for the safety of their child.  Captain Styron built a new home, and their little rustic shack became the workshop for the fisherman.  Today the quaint little cottage is owned and maintained by the daughter.

On almost all H20 Captain Eco-Tour Private Boat Excursions going to Shackleford Banks to see the wild horses and discover great shelling, Sand Dollar Island, as well as going to the Cape Lookout Lighthouse, we will pass this iconic symbol of a reminder of times past, when all was much simpler and when Beaufort by the Sea was a fishing town.  Just ask Captain Mark to point it out to you!

Photo by Captain Mark on an adventure travel trip 08JAN2023

“Jaws” No More!

A big reason most people are afraid of sharks is the movie “Jaws.” Before the movie was released 47 years ago, people who went to the beach to swim didn’t really think about sharks, but this movie changed that thinking and the world, and not in a good way for the ocean, according to Dr. David Shiffman at a seminar delivered at the NC Maritime Museum in Beaufort, NC.

H2O Captain Eco-Tour Private Boat Excursions' Master Captain Mark gives tours of the beautiful waterways around The Crystal Coast / The Southern Outer Banks of North Carolina around Shackleford Banks, home to the wild horses and great shelling, as well as to the Cape Lookout Lighthouse. There were at least 2 occasions this season where Master Captain Mark has been in the water where a shark has passed him.  One, a nurse shark, approximately 18 inches away, and the other, a hammerhead, approximately 6 feet away. “At neither time were any species in any danger,” says Captain Mark. “And why would they? Both species are fed very well, and neither species is food for the other,” continues Captain Mark.

“On the majority of our excursions, we see the Atlantic Bottlenose Dolphins. They are much easier to spot as they need to come up for air every few minutes. I am quite positive that there are always sharks around, but we generally do not see them as they are not required to come up to the surface to breathe,” declares the Captain.

That said, we can all learn so much more about sharks, and all marine animals, which is why H2O Captain is a Donor to Bonehenge Whale Center, and, a member of the Friends of the North Carolina Maritime Museum in Beaufort, NC.

In this seminar at the Museum, Captain Mark heard Dr. David Shiffman and was able to speak one on one with him, regarding sharks. Dr. Shiffman recently wrote yet another book on this fascinating marine animal, entitled, Why Sharks Matter.

This book is different from other books on this subject as his book features detailed descriptions of dozens of different conservation policies and management regulations that can be used to help protect sharks, including a description of what policies work in what situations and how people can help.

There are 536 known species of shark. And, according to Shiffman, “there’s a new species discovered somewhere in the world every two weeks and that’s been true for the last 12 years!”

On a related subject matter, Pepin-Neff released a new study in the journal Biology on how The New York Times is changing its coverage of shark encounters. Data shows that between 32–38% of reported shark “attacks” have no injury at all.

Photos:  Top, Dr. David Shiffman (c) flanked by Dr. Keith Rittmaster (l) Executive Director Bonehenge Whale Center, and Captain Mark (r)
Bottom, Dr. David Shiffman’s inscription to Captain Mark

Collect Wampum

At H2O Captain Eco-Tour Private Boat Excursions they already offer a trip entitled, “Money on the Horses.” This voyage takes passengers to Sand Dollar Island to collect…sand dollars, then brings them to Shackleford Island to see the wild horses. A magnificent trip!

However, did you know that in their most popular excursion, called, “BWB Repeat - Boat, Walk, Beach...Repeat OR Wild Horses & Shelling,” you can collect “money” there as well?

The money I speak of was the 1st legal currency in Massachusetts. In this area of coastal North Carolina at the Southern Outer Banks at The Crystal Coast around Beaufort, and Atlantic Beach, located on Shackleford Banks, the Native American Indians from the Iroquois, Sioux, Algonquin, and Pamlico Indians called it wampum and it is still available today!

Captain Mark will personally walk with you on the beach and identify this gem, made by the ocean from the quahog clam, for you to take home in the official shell bag that he gives to you!

What is wampum?
Most simply, wampum are beads made from various white and purple mollusk shells which were and are still used by various Native nations throughout eastern North America for ornamental or ceremonial use.

What did Native Indians use wampum for?
Before contact with white settlers, the Indians used wampum primarily for ceremonial purposes, as a record of an important agreement or treaty, as an object of tribute given by subject tribes, or for gift exchange (q.v.). Its value is derived from its ceremonial importance and the skill involved in making it.

Is wampum money?
Seashell-derived wampum was Massachusetts' first legal currency and continued to be used and respected as currency throughout the northeastern and southeastern United States, even into the nineteenth century.

What is wampum worth?
Today, wampum is once more considered to have a high value but only as an artifact to the right buyer. Though many times the artifacts are given back to the tribe or donated to museums, there are some dealers who have been known to sell a band of 10 or more linked strings for up to $2,200.

Why is wampum so important?
It still symbolizes an agreement of mutual respect and peace between the Native American Indians and European newcomers to North America. The principles were embodied in the belt by virtue of its design: two rows of purple wampum beads on a background of white beads represent a canoe and a European ship.

Where can you find wampum today?
The channeled whelk and the hard clam, also known as the quahog, are rightfully adored by beachcombers for their beautiful white and purple shells, respectively. Found only on the east coast of North America, and more specifically for H2O Captain, we collect them on Shackleford Banks in the Southern Outer Banks of North Carolina, which is a part of the Cape Lookout National Seashore. Their relative rarity also makes them an attractive find.

Is wampum still used today?
To this day wampum is still used in the ceremony of raising up a new chief and in the Haudenosaunee Thanksgiving ceremonies. Many belts are in museums to this day.

The Pamlico and Algonquian Indians who lived along the Pamlico River in what is now Beaufort county, N.C., U.S., when first encountered by Europeans. These sedentary agriculturists were almost destroyed by smallpox in 1696, and in 1710 the 75 survivors lived in a single village.

During the period of first white contact, the Indian tribes inhabiting the area of the present state of North Carolina were of three linguistic stocks — the Iroquoian, Siouan, and Algonkian.

Resources:
Wampum and the Origins of American Money https://a.co/d/a6Uk75n
H2O Captain Eco-Tour Private Boat Excursions

Photo:  a collection of Wampum found within 15 minutes on Shackleford Banks, NC on an H2O Captain excursion

Boating Attractions at The Crystal Coast Southern Outer Banks of NC including Emerald Isle, Atlantic Beach, and Beaufort

The Crystal Coast and specifically Carteret County are literally surrounded by water. From the island hosting the Cape Lookout Lighthouse to Shackleford Banks where 127 wild horses call home as well as millions of beautiful seashells on almost a deserted part of the beach on this island. Not to mention having play time in Bogue Sound.

There are many boating opportunities here. In Salter Path, ½ way between the town of Emerald Isle and Atlantic Beach is Island Water Sports where you can rent kayaks, and jet skis, or be taken around on their Banana Boat and have fun on the waters of Bogue Sound.

Moving over to Atlantic Beach is H2O Captain Eco-Tour Private Boat Excursions. This company with its USCG licensed Master Captain and their National Park Service Permit takes passengers to see the wild horses and discover great shelling on Shackleford Banks, Sand Dollar Island (at low tide only), as well as visiting the Cape Lookout Lighthouse. However, if you can skipper your own boat, have local knowledge of our waters, and can work with our wind, tides, currents, and waves then Beachside Boat, Bike & Scooter Rentals is for you! Rent your own boat!!

Should you decide to venture off the island of Emerald Isle and drive to Beaufort, make sure you stop at Morehead City’s Impressions Art Gallery & Studio, where you will see fine art of the area’s wild horses and water or Momentum Yoga & Wellness center for some chillin’ moves.

In Beaufort, you will find Captain Ron’s Island Tours. This company leaves the driving up to the Captain and his 1st Mate is free to find the wildlife including the horses on the Rachel Carson Preserve, dolphins, various birds, etc. Should you choose to bring your own libations, there is Cruisin’ Tikis. They provide the ice cubes and cups…you BYOB. Bring your tunes as well to Bluetooth over to their sound system.

Furthermore, to know about the history of boating as well as the seas' largest inhabitants, the NC Maritime Museum and Bonehenge Whale Center are the places to go to on land in Beaufort. The NC Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores back on Emerald Isle offers a stream to the ocean vantage point of North Carolina’s waterways and has the fish, large and small, to prove it!

Lastly, no matter which excursion(s) you choose you will be enjoying this beautiful area on the water, on land, and its special National Park, The Cape Lookout National Seashore.

Photo Top:  Moma and foal (baby horse), Courtesy of H2O Captain Eco-Tour Private Boat Excursions
Photo Bottom:  Inside the Bonehenge Whale Center