I am going to take a break from the purely eating portion of this blog to talk about the place that after more than a dozen years of multiple visits, we now call our home away from home, Pirates Cove in Manteo, NC. Over the years we have stayed as far north as Corolla and Duck, along with Kitty Hawk, Nags Head, Kill Devil Hills, Hatteras Island and Ocracoke Island. The common theme for us and especially me is I HAVE to be beachfront. I am an early riser, and historically have a place set up in front of the waves by 8 am daily. Our love of the Outer Banks had us looking for a property that we could call a second home, and potentially HOME in general and it took place over more than two years, but very intensely for a year. After looking at many Beachfront and Oceanside properties, along with many in Pirates Cove, this beachfront dude bought a place that is NOT beachfront! Why?
Well, during some business and personal offshore fishing visits with clients and friends using Oregon Inlet and Pirates Cove both as our starting points, I began to fall in love with so many facets of Pirates Cove. I will list some of the reasons, from my perspective that this is a great place to choose either for renting as a vacation spot or buying as a second home or primary residence. First, I will address the big hurdle for me which was the fact that it is not beachfront. There are several reasons that this "issue" became a non-issue for us. First, we are less than 5 minutes from the public access by Jennette's Pier as one of many places we can use for beach access. So, it is not only close, but this point has the aforementioned Jennette's Pier as an attraction, ample parking, Sam and Omie's or Dune Burger for a lunch or snack as well as 7-11 all within an easy walk. If you want to buy any major grocery items, or fresh foods to take to the beach, Cahoon's market has plenty to offer, including beach chairs, coolers and fishing supplies. We are also about 10 minutes from Coquinas Beach which has great parking, a shower, bathrooms etc., and less than 20 minutes from access to the beaches near Oregon Inlet which allow driving even during the season with a pass. Not as big a problem as I once made it! The second reason is that as much as I love the beach, the actual recreational opportunities the sound provides are even greater. My real love of offshore fishing was the first attraction. What is better than being able to walk to your 5 am meeting with your charter captain v driving 25 minutes of driving at that time of day. Pirates Cove has a great variety of offshore, inshore, and party boat captains you can charter for a day of fishing, and they are all right here! I also chartered a boat in the fall to fish the sound for striped bass and had a great time, and an ample catch. I hope to experience duck hunting on the sound this fall and winter! If you want to wet a line without the expense of a boat, I have caught flounder and puppy drum from the docks in Pirates Cove and around the pilings at the bridge right by the marina side of the property. You like kayaking or jet ski's? There is a public launch across the road for those, or for a pleasure boat you may rent or own, so if you are a land bound water freak, you can bring your boat, kayak, jet ski's and rent a berth for them while on vacation, or launch from the public access across the highway. It gets no more convenient than this. There are also several places within minutes, on the Causeway before the bridge where you can rent boats or jet skis, and Whalebone tackle will provide you with all of the bait or other supplies you may need. In keeping with the use of water theme, you can rent or buy either homes or condominiums with a beautiful view of the Roanoke sound, with sunrise and sunset views that are priceless. If the marina and views of the fishing fleet are what you fancy, there is an abundance of affordable condominiums with two or three bedrooms available to rent or purchase. I personally love the night time view of the marina. If you want to save a few bucks, you can be off the water or even on the canal, and have easy access to all of the above. Finally, why not head down to Mimi's Tiki hut, grab a beer and in mid to late afternoon you can watch the charter boats come in and offload the day's catch. A very relaxing way to spend an hour, or more if you please. On that note, and in keeping with the food based theme of my blog, a restaurant is set to open in here in late November or December called the Blue Water Grille. If you read my Rookie's Guide to the Outer Banks Part One Post, you will see me document my family's love of the Blue Moon Beach Grille. The same owners are opening the Blue Water Grille, making it a can't miss dining experience right here in the facility, that will not only have the unbelievable food that the BMBG to offer, but the exceptional views of the sound and marina mentioned above to boot! I am not sure what else a renter or owner could want from their little piece of paradise at the Carolina shore?
There are however several other items worth mentioning that helped make Pirate's Cove our choice after so much time spent on the Outer Banks.
It is a beautiful well kept community, that includes a pool for the renters, with a game-room and snack bar, as well as a quiet pool for owners only if you own a place, and want a little less hustle and bustle. There is also a gym for your use in either scenario, and though it does not have enough weights to satisfy a heavy lifter, it has plenty of dumbbells and cardio machines, along with a few variables to keep you moving, and if you need to push some plates you are only seven miles from the Outer Banks Sports Club, a great gym if you need to hit the iron or take some workout classes while here. It is a gated community with tennis courts, a volleyball court, and even a place for that spring, fall or winter bonfire if you reserve it. The streets are great for bike riding, and there are plenty of activities if you have younger children including Saturdays during the season, a fishing tournament for the kids.
There is a great pavilion that is the hosting spot for great fishing tournaments like the Pirates Cove Billfish tournament and Alice Kelly Memorial Ladies Tournament that can be used for large events such as weddings, or large business affairs. Local catering is available for those events, and for me there is not a better setting in the world.
If you need BASICS like soda, water, ice or snacks there is a little store on-site that also has some basic fishing equipment and some cool apparel for us Salt-Life junkies.
You are also a couple of minutes from the town of Manteo, and the historic Manteo Waterfront which is a nice little shopping area, with plenty of great restaurants, bars, activities and views. Some other notable stops nearby include Roanoke Island Maritime Museum, Festival Park, The Lost Colony, North Carolina Aquarium, and a nice biking trail that runs along the entire town of Manteo. Finally, you are close to Wanchese, a cool fishing village that will show the real side of the fishing industry in this area, as well as provide your family with another fun outing aboard a working boat with Captain Marc Mitchum, where you can go crabbing and shrimping in the Roanoke Sound. You can book 2 or 4 hour journeys, at various points of the day, including sunset. Your family will interact and actually help catch the crabs and shrimp, then eat what you catch! For the kids, they will feel like a safer warmer member of the Deadliest Catch. Captain Mitchum can be reached at 252-423-0421.
The other common theme for us, has again been the people. Elizabeth Gamiel and Tyler Reber were great during the process of looking at and finally purchasing our place, and they are still always happy to answer any questions we may have, though at this point there is no obligation. Ken Herman, who runs the rental properties, has gone above and beyond any expectations in helping us with any issues we may encounter with anything related to our property, and I cannot state enough how helpful he was during our first hurricane as a property owner. I cannot think of better people to work with during this process and into the future.
Finally, as you may have noted from prior blog content, we love the local bars and restaurants the Outer Banks has to offer, and though you are off the beaten path a bit, which makes life more relaxing, you are minutes away from the actions in Nags Head and Kill Devil Hills. For all of the reasons noted above, we found Pirates Cove the ideal place for us to continue to expand on our love of, and time in the Outer Banks of North Carolina.
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