Salvo Cape Hatteras

[drysuit2]

I'll be staying in Salvo on Dory road this spring. I understand it can be very shallow there. Will I be able to sail from my back yard? or will I be sacrificing fins to the Pamlico sound gods?

In prior years, I've stayed in Avon or Frisco. This is my first time up in Salvo.

Any advice will be helpful.

Thanks,

Frank
http://drysuit2.blogspot.com/

[human_catapult]

I don't know anything specifically about Dory Road, but I've sailed quite a bit in Waves at the Hatteras Island Sail Shop. The water is indeed shallow for the first 30-50 yards at that particular spot and if you're not careful, it's easy to ground out.

If you're gonna spend a few hours out there, might not be a bad idea to make a makeshift anchor and milk jug so you can remember where it starts to get shallow, because for me it's pretty hard to tell the difference between 20 yards and 50 yards when I'm out on the water.

If I remember correctly, it does get overhead deep within a couple hundred yards there.

Hope that helps!

[PeconicPuffin]

Hi Frank,

Steve and I have done the "rent a random house and discover its windsurfing waters" adventure in OBX, but down in Buxton. We had to sail carefully for the first thirty minutes or so as we found the few spots where we'd hit, but once identified all was well.

Closer to your future spot in Waves (and the launch at Barton's) it largely depends on the fins you are running and the tides you are sailing. Certainly in most spots you need to walk out a little bit to get to thigh-deep water. If you're sailing 14" blade fins you may want to walk out further to launch.

When are you going?

[MikeLaRonde]

I've stayed at that exact spot several times. Wind direction means everything. SW wind is best for every reason, warmer wind and deeper water

best case is sunny and SW every day, it just keeps getting warmer and deeper, by the 3rd day you'll be planing right up to the backyard wearing swim trunks.

worst case is NE wind for a few days in a row, you'll be walking out 100+ yards wearing your 4/3 steamer.

which week are you going? We might be neighbors.

Mike

[Stix]

I've been staying in Avon for several years, but always make the trip up to Barton's or the Day Use Area for the change in scenery and the chance to see old and make new acquaintances. I've not been disappointed for the effort yet. Here's my recent experience for what it's worth.
Last spring I sailed an 14" weed fin at the Day Use Area in the good SW that mlaronde praised. I never grounded out. In the fall, I sailed a 17.5" weed fin in a W wind at the same launch at the tail end of hurricane what's her name that came through on a Friday at the end of October. I didn't ground out then either. But I did ground out the day before in Avon with a 26cm fin, when the storm was just arriving and it was NNE and all of the water had apparently gone down to South Carolina. So my own experience doesn't bear out that there's a huge difference in the conditions on the water between Avon and the northern areas.
But I have found some other differences between the two areas that I personally enjoy, like being able to rig on the grass and walk the gear across the sand and out into the water, instead of down a flight of steps or over a bulkhead. That action represents a tiny fraction of the time spent on the total sailing experience, but it's the interface between land and sea in a spiritual sense, and grass and sand are more spiritual to me than pressure treated lumber. I've got to stop typing before I start crying.
Best wishes for a great time in the new digs.