NOVEMBER 16 - 19, 2017
Thursday - Sunday
Get ready to read
. This trip is open to ONSC members first, then other local LC club members, then anyone who'd like to join us upon approval. I'll keep this post updated as we go.
1. The Ferry, Island and Information:
PI is a rugged island. There are only two things available for purchase on the island and both are sold by the park service at the Ranger Station: ice and ~$5/gal gas/diesel. Everything else you need for the long weekend (Thu-Sun) will need to be packed in and packed out. There is cell service on the island. I have Verizon Wireless and had between 1 and 3 bars LTE while out there.
To get to PI from Charlotte it's 345 miles and 178 miles from Raleigh.
The actual meet up point is the Morris Marina in Atlantic, NC. It's there we will make arrangements for the ferry to take us and the trucks over and arrangements for the ride back. To the extent we can coordinate the time we all want to ride over, the ferry service might make a special trip for us. Make your own ferry arrangements ASAP! We will not be the only ones trying to get off the island on Sunday.
Morris Marina Kabin Kamps & Ferry Service, Inc.
1000 Morris Marina Rd.
Atlantic, North Carolina 28511
Phone: (252) 225-4261
Fax: (252) 225-0366
Email: info@portsmouthislandfishing.com
Portsmouth Island Fishing and Ferries, Morris Marina, Long Point Cabin Camp at Cape Lookout National Seashore, Atlantic NC
The Morris Marina has a small diner with breakfast and lunch where you can grab a bite before heading over.
$75 round trip/vehicle including 1 driver
$14 round trip/person (6 yrs old +)
***They DO NOT accept credit cards for the ferry. You will have to have cash or check. Pay on arrival.
If you are trailering a truck you can likely leave your tow vehicle at the Marina. Please inquire directly with Morris Marina before making plans to do so.
The ferry ride from the marina to PI takes 30-45 minutes. Once docked at PI, the trucks drive off the ferry and are free to drive anywhere on the 22 mile long island that is between 1/2 mile and 1 mile wide. The only exceptions are areas closed for birds or turtles and any areas marked with a NO JEEPS sign.
Camping is available anywhere on the beach but has to be 100 yards from the cabins or of course you can sleep in your truck. This means you will not be able to set up a tent or trailer next to the cabins to use them as a wind break or for a shorter walk to the bathhouse. PI can be cold, windy and/or rainy so cabins are probably best.
The cabins are in high demand so earlier this year I reserved three cabins (#15, #17 and #18).
Fires are allowed on the beach. We'll need to bring our own firewood. Please buy it locally, if not bringing clean construction lumber, to prevent the possible spread of non-native insects or disease.
For most people it's a long drive to get to the Outer Banks, so to make the drive and ferry ride worth it, we found that it really makes the most sense to take a morning ferry ride on Thu, tool around the island and be at check-in at 1:00pm so that we have 3 full days (Thu-Sat) to play around. Since it was such a long drive, Sun was really a get-up-and-pack-day only so people could get home at a decent time.
There is plenty of surf fishing to do as November is supposed to have some of the best fishing on the Atlantic coast for Blues, Cobia, and Drum.
Check out these prior trip threads for lots of pics:
Portsmouth Island Trip - November 20-23 2014
Portsmouth Island - Nov 12-15, 2015
Portsmouth Island 2016
2. The Head Count and Cabin Reservation Details:
Cabin and Island info: Facility Details - LONG POINT CABIN CAMP, NC - Recreation.gov
We have secured 3 cabins this year at $369 each. Each cabin is limited to 6 people to make a total of 18 people. To make this fair to all, we’ll split the cost of the cabins by dividing the cabin total cost by the number of attendees. Everybody will be paying for all 3 nights whether you stay all 3 or not. You will be confirmed when you have Paypal’d $61.50 ($1107/18) to @JohnVee. Please PM me for my Paypal account. This reserves your spot and is nonrefundable unless someone steps up to take your place and confirms themselves by sending us $61.50. Your money will then be refunded back to you. For any cost overage (i.e. 15 people instead of 18) beyond $61.50, we will divide the unpaid amount by the total number of attendees and collect via paypal or cash. I can cancel a cabin if we do not have over 12 confirmed attendees, OR we can all pay a little more to have fewer people per cabin OR anybody willing to have a cabin for themselves can pay for the entire thing.
Since Sarah and I are fronting this trip out of our own pocket, this seems like the most fair thing to do, especially since cabin space is limited and people often sign up but then have to bow out at the last moment while people on the wait list might have made other plans by the time that happens.
Cabins have electricity and each has a kitchen sink, stove/oven, cabinets, large folding table w/chairs, large trash can, bathroom w/shower and a propane heater in the wall. There is NO refrigeration. They say the water is potable. There are 6 twin beds, some of which have been bunked in the past, with mattresses. Bring your own sheets, etc. A stick vacuum that can pick up sand would be awesome if anybody has one, but there are brooms and dustpans in each cabin. Cabins 17 and 18 have an interior door between them.
3. Food and Activities:
We typically do breakfast and dinner in the cabins as either an entire group or in per cabin groups. We can discuss this as we get closer to the trip. Lunch is on your own, either while playing outside or back at the cabins. There is nothing to do on the island except fish, explore, sleep and eat. The Village of Portsmouth offers a well preserved look at the history of the island but you'll need to drive almost a mile through axle-deep (or higher) brackish water to get there. Most of us have done that. It's as far from the cabins as you can get. Make sure that you have breathers wherever necessary on your truck.
4. What To Bring:
Anything that you might need to be self sufficient for 4 days on an isolated island made of sand. Towing, recovery, repair, parts, fluids, food, maybe water, cookware, coolers (food and bait!), camp chairs for the beach, radios (FSR, CB and HAM will probably all be represented), air compressor if you have one, BUG SPRAY, BUG SPRAY, sunblock, plenty of clothing, etc. We can obviously share some stuff, but please ask if you have any questions about what to bring. A saltwater fishing license is absolutely required to fish there.
5. What NOT To Bring:
It seems that drones might not be allowed any longer. @concretejungle had an issue there recently with that. No fireworks. No shooting of guns.
6. Confirmed (paid) Attendees (max of 18):
Cabin #15
@AJR6 total
FRI = Adam & kid
SAT + Wife & FIL & 2 kids
Cabin #17
@forrest5000 (1) Eric
@JohnVee (1) John
@FJ Junkie (1) Sarah
@Green Hell Mustang (1) Alex
@77 KROOZER (2) Mike & Marie
CABIN #18
@DeeRex (2) Derek & BIL
@SeanLX (1) Sean
7. Camping Only (no limit):
@custyota (2) Adam & Deb
8. Meal Sign Up:
Thursday PM - John Vee
Thursday PM - Eric
Friday AM - John Vee
Friday AM - Sarah
Friday PM - Alex
Friday PM - Mike & Marie
Saturday AM - Adam
Saturday AM - Mike & Marie
Saturday PM - Sean LX & Alex/John Vee
Saturday PM - Derek
Sunday AM -
Sunday AM -
Thursday - Sunday
Get ready to read
. This trip is open to ONSC members first, then other local LC club members, then anyone who'd like to join us upon approval. I'll keep this post updated as we go.1. The Ferry, Island and Information:
PI is a rugged island. There are only two things available for purchase on the island and both are sold by the park service at the Ranger Station: ice and ~$5/gal gas/diesel. Everything else you need for the long weekend (Thu-Sun) will need to be packed in and packed out. There is cell service on the island. I have Verizon Wireless and had between 1 and 3 bars LTE while out there.
To get to PI from Charlotte it's 345 miles and 178 miles from Raleigh.
The actual meet up point is the Morris Marina in Atlantic, NC. It's there we will make arrangements for the ferry to take us and the trucks over and arrangements for the ride back. To the extent we can coordinate the time we all want to ride over, the ferry service might make a special trip for us. Make your own ferry arrangements ASAP! We will not be the only ones trying to get off the island on Sunday.
Morris Marina Kabin Kamps & Ferry Service, Inc.
1000 Morris Marina Rd.
Atlantic, North Carolina 28511
Phone: (252) 225-4261
Fax: (252) 225-0366
Email: info@portsmouthislandfishing.com
Portsmouth Island Fishing and Ferries, Morris Marina, Long Point Cabin Camp at Cape Lookout National Seashore, Atlantic NC
The Morris Marina has a small diner with breakfast and lunch where you can grab a bite before heading over.
$75 round trip/vehicle including 1 driver
$14 round trip/person (6 yrs old +)
***They DO NOT accept credit cards for the ferry. You will have to have cash or check. Pay on arrival.
If you are trailering a truck you can likely leave your tow vehicle at the Marina. Please inquire directly with Morris Marina before making plans to do so.
The ferry ride from the marina to PI takes 30-45 minutes. Once docked at PI, the trucks drive off the ferry and are free to drive anywhere on the 22 mile long island that is between 1/2 mile and 1 mile wide. The only exceptions are areas closed for birds or turtles and any areas marked with a NO JEEPS sign.
Camping is available anywhere on the beach but has to be 100 yards from the cabins or of course you can sleep in your truck. This means you will not be able to set up a tent or trailer next to the cabins to use them as a wind break or for a shorter walk to the bathhouse. PI can be cold, windy and/or rainy so cabins are probably best.
The cabins are in high demand so earlier this year I reserved three cabins (#15, #17 and #18).
Fires are allowed on the beach. We'll need to bring our own firewood. Please buy it locally, if not bringing clean construction lumber, to prevent the possible spread of non-native insects or disease.
For most people it's a long drive to get to the Outer Banks, so to make the drive and ferry ride worth it, we found that it really makes the most sense to take a morning ferry ride on Thu, tool around the island and be at check-in at 1:00pm so that we have 3 full days (Thu-Sat) to play around. Since it was such a long drive, Sun was really a get-up-and-pack-day only so people could get home at a decent time.
There is plenty of surf fishing to do as November is supposed to have some of the best fishing on the Atlantic coast for Blues, Cobia, and Drum.
Check out these prior trip threads for lots of pics:
Portsmouth Island Trip - November 20-23 2014
Portsmouth Island - Nov 12-15, 2015
Portsmouth Island 2016
2. The Head Count and Cabin Reservation Details:
Cabin and Island info: Facility Details - LONG POINT CABIN CAMP, NC - Recreation.gov
We have secured 3 cabins this year at $369 each. Each cabin is limited to 6 people to make a total of 18 people. To make this fair to all, we’ll split the cost of the cabins by dividing the cabin total cost by the number of attendees. Everybody will be paying for all 3 nights whether you stay all 3 or not. You will be confirmed when you have Paypal’d $61.50 ($1107/18) to @JohnVee. Please PM me for my Paypal account. This reserves your spot and is nonrefundable unless someone steps up to take your place and confirms themselves by sending us $61.50. Your money will then be refunded back to you. For any cost overage (i.e. 15 people instead of 18) beyond $61.50, we will divide the unpaid amount by the total number of attendees and collect via paypal or cash. I can cancel a cabin if we do not have over 12 confirmed attendees, OR we can all pay a little more to have fewer people per cabin OR anybody willing to have a cabin for themselves can pay for the entire thing.
Since Sarah and I are fronting this trip out of our own pocket, this seems like the most fair thing to do, especially since cabin space is limited and people often sign up but then have to bow out at the last moment while people on the wait list might have made other plans by the time that happens.
Cabins have electricity and each has a kitchen sink, stove/oven, cabinets, large folding table w/chairs, large trash can, bathroom w/shower and a propane heater in the wall. There is NO refrigeration. They say the water is potable. There are 6 twin beds, some of which have been bunked in the past, with mattresses. Bring your own sheets, etc. A stick vacuum that can pick up sand would be awesome if anybody has one, but there are brooms and dustpans in each cabin. Cabins 17 and 18 have an interior door between them.
3. Food and Activities:
We typically do breakfast and dinner in the cabins as either an entire group or in per cabin groups. We can discuss this as we get closer to the trip. Lunch is on your own, either while playing outside or back at the cabins. There is nothing to do on the island except fish, explore, sleep and eat. The Village of Portsmouth offers a well preserved look at the history of the island but you'll need to drive almost a mile through axle-deep (or higher) brackish water to get there. Most of us have done that. It's as far from the cabins as you can get. Make sure that you have breathers wherever necessary on your truck.
4. What To Bring:
Anything that you might need to be self sufficient for 4 days on an isolated island made of sand. Towing, recovery, repair, parts, fluids, food, maybe water, cookware, coolers (food and bait!), camp chairs for the beach, radios (FSR, CB and HAM will probably all be represented), air compressor if you have one, BUG SPRAY, BUG SPRAY, sunblock, plenty of clothing, etc. We can obviously share some stuff, but please ask if you have any questions about what to bring. A saltwater fishing license is absolutely required to fish there.
5. What NOT To Bring:
It seems that drones might not be allowed any longer. @concretejungle had an issue there recently with that. No fireworks. No shooting of guns.
6. Confirmed (paid) Attendees (max of 18):
Cabin #15
@AJR6 total
FRI = Adam & kid
SAT + Wife & FIL & 2 kids
Cabin #17
@forrest5000 (1) Eric
@JohnVee (1) John
@FJ Junkie (1) Sarah
@Green Hell Mustang (1) Alex
@77 KROOZER (2) Mike & Marie
CABIN #18
@DeeRex (2) Derek & BIL
@SeanLX (1) Sean
7. Camping Only (no limit):
@custyota (2) Adam & Deb
8. Meal Sign Up:
Thursday PM - John Vee
Thursday PM - Eric
Friday AM - John Vee
Friday AM - Sarah
Friday PM - Alex
Friday PM - Mike & Marie
Saturday AM - Adam
Saturday AM - Mike & Marie
Saturday PM - Sean LX & Alex/John Vee
Saturday PM - Derek
Sunday AM -
Sunday AM -
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