cygnusx1 Posted June 4, 2007 Share Posted June 4, 2007 So here I am, sitting on the third deck of our rental house gazing West into Pamlico Sound. The low pressure system that just left Florida is pissing on us and the wind is just begging the boldest windsurfers to call in sick. I have been coming down to the Outer Banks for many years on and off. Initially, I came down here with high school buddies to go windsurfing and drink. Now I am down here with my family to relax and left the windsurfers back home. I remember back about 15 years ago when my friend Jerry and I decided that the best of our vehicles to take from New York to the Outer Banks was, my then younger, 280Z. We had my dad machine up a roof rack for the Z out of aluminum tubing with stainless drip rail vertical clamps. It was a peice of art fit for the Henry Ford museum. Jerry and I strapped three windsurfer boards, five sails, three booms and two masts onto the rack. Can you picture it? It looked about as graceful as a pig on iceskates with a monkey on its back. In the hatch, we packed enough camping gear for a week, including tent, stove, propane, clothing, beer, cheese, and crackers. The drive was phenominal. The Z was flawless all the way down the 12 hour trip. I remember Jerry, who was building a Z at the time also, commenting on how my Z ran so well. We got here and picked a water's edge spot to pitch the small tent at Frisco Woods campground. Overnight, a Noreaster surprised us and we woke up before sunrise to a steady, 60 knot cross onsore wind blowing off the Pamlico. We had put the tent up on a small sand pile about three feet above the waterline in between a few small trees. The relentless wind had reshaped the tent overnight from a dome into pretty much a teardrop shape. If we hadn't been in it for ballast, the tent with all or crap in it would have been blown away. Being very creative, we scrounged up three 150lb wooden picnic tables and tied them on edge in between the small trees just upwind of the tent. They worked perfectly as wind shields for the tent and for the propane stove outdoor kitchen. We were all happy to get in some primo sail time in epic conditions for a couple of days. The noreaster never let up for days and we started to notice after the second day that the Pamlico had gotten into the habit of a one way tide. The tide would come in, and the tide would come in. It just kept rising. The third night, the weather got particularly nasty so we decided to scrape loose change out of the Z and go for dinner. We stayed in the restaurant as late as we possibly could for the price of a cheeseburger. It was warm, dry, and had solid walls, food and drink. We were NOT leaving. Eventually it got time to go so we headed out into the dark, driving, gale with the Z. As we turned down the campground road to head down to our sand pile "house" at the beach, we were shocked to find a road that now ran right into the Pamlico waters. We were still about 100 yard in the woods from where our tent was and we were stopped by waves. I managed to back the Z out into a raised area of land and shined the headlights out towards where the tent was before. It was still there, completely surrounded by the Pamlico sound in the dark. Jerry rolled up his pants and trudged through the water ahead to check depth. I followed behind him in the Z. The salt water was about half way up the rockers and the sea spray covered the car, as we made our way as close to the tent as possible. I got out and we yanked the wet, sandy tent with all of our wet bags, and sleeping gear out of the ground and manhandled it ALL into the Z hatch. We then drove it all out to dry land and spent the rest of the week drying it all out. We resorted to parking the Z with its nose up a dune so that we could pitch the seats back enough to lay nearly flat. We lived out of the Z for the next four days and got some more great sail time. Those are the days that seem like you'll never want to repeat, yet somehow, looking back, it all seemed like a good time. And it was. Yes, it's still the same Z I drive today but now I am in a 5 bedroom private home on the water front with ALL the amenities. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparks280zt Posted June 4, 2007 Share Posted June 4, 2007 You on Ocracoke? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cygnusx1 Posted June 4, 2007 Author Share Posted June 4, 2007 I am in Avon, but I'm going to Ocracoke for lunch tomorrow at Howard's Pub. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OlderThanMe Posted June 4, 2007 Share Posted June 4, 2007 I have been wanting to build a roof rack for my Z for those camping trips...Just push the coilovers up to 4X4 level and illuminas to "1" and hit the trails! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavyZ Posted June 4, 2007 Share Posted June 4, 2007 Great story; great local color. I loved it Davy EDIT: you should submit that to Nissan Sport Magazine with a few photos of you & your car. I would think they would publish stories like that... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
v80z Posted June 4, 2007 Share Posted June 4, 2007 What is your route home? Any gas stop in virginia? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jt1 Posted June 4, 2007 Share Posted June 4, 2007 The sound country is very unique, and stunningly beautiful. It's a cool place to visit. The sounds are so wide and shallow that a constant wind will blow the water across, which is probably why you got flooded. We got blocked off one time and had to prolong a trip a couple of days. I didn't mind. John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
naviathan Posted June 4, 2007 Share Posted June 4, 2007 You know it's funny how a place can seem so beautiful and fun when you visit, but for those of us that live here, it's not all that great...BTW, here's my roof rack... It's a universal mount, locking Thule roof rack with a set of RV-Innov locking surfboard racks on top. Works awesome and it's not going anywhere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparky Posted June 4, 2007 Share Posted June 4, 2007 Awesome story, I almost felt like I was there! A long time ago I bought a Yakima rack for my 240Z, one day, one day soon I will be strapping some snowboards to the top of my car and heading north....I've been waiting to do that for years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cruez Posted June 5, 2007 Share Posted June 5, 2007 A good friend of mine goes to the Outer Banks every year... I have not made it yet... We usually go to Oak Island... (at least the dogs can go play on the beach there also ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cygnusx1 Posted June 5, 2007 Author Share Posted June 5, 2007 What is your route home? Any gas stop in virginia? I will be traveling home via the Chesapeake Bridge-Tunnel and Lewes Ferry to Cape May, NJ. We have our little guy, "5-months" with us so we will probably be making only unplanned stops. One of these days I will get down there to VA for a Z event. -Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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