There is something about an island in winter, when many of the shops are closed and most of the other tourists are not about – and when the calendar says you shouldn’t be here, either.
The last weekend in February can be brutal on the North Carolina coast. But some years, when the sun is out and the breezes are down, it’s not at all a bad time to visit. These past few days on Topsail Island, in fact, were downright pleasant. Highs in the 50s. Sweater weather, rather than parka weather.
We come often to Topsail – I’ve written a book about the island – but our trips are usually during the other three seasons. Winter has an entirely different feel.
There are only a few thousand year-rounders and, because the island is a marathon-length 26 miles long, they’re spread out. Even adding in some weekend tourists, there simply aren’t that many people. (Of course, even summers are not terribly crowded on this somewhat remote island – though old-timers, who remember when there actually was almost no one, equate Topsail with New York City now.)
We drove virtually the length of the island both Saturday and Sunday.
Topsail Beach at the southern end seems almost like a ghost town in February, though some people did gather for a church service Sunday morning. The few shops down at this end are all closed, waiting until March to reopen and, of course, until Memorial Day to flourish. Saturday afternoon, the man behind the counter of the Jolly Roger fishing pier said no one was out on the pier. Now that the breezes were picking up, no one would be. I bought a couple bottles of water, thinking it may have been his only sales of the day.
We drove back up the island and stopped in the IGA grocery store in Surf City for coffee and breakfast items. This is the middle town and here some stores are open, if on limited hours. Only a few people were in the IGA. We went on to dinner at Sears Landing, a small restaurant on the Intercoastal Waterway, and found a few more people, several dozen, in fact. Still it was easy to find parking, rarely the case in summer. And the outside deck, though enclosed and heated for winter dinner-goers, was empty.
When we emerged from dinner, the sun was going down. So was the temperature. The winds were up and now suddenly, the air had a sting to it. In case we had forgotten, this was February at the beach.
We drove the rest of the island in the dark, to North Topsail Beach, for the night. The northernmost of the three towns, unlike the others, North Topsail has no shops and no real center. Homes are newer, bigger and more spread out. But it is just as beautiful as the rest of the island – some say more so – and you’ll find aficionados of each of the different towns.
We drove up the thin island, almost to the end, in ever increasing darkness. Fewer and fewer lights were on. Fewer cars were about. The island seemed dark, chilly, even ominous.
A friend, Karen, had lent us her home. Beautiful home. (You can see it at www.vrbo.com/134966.) Our bedroom and the very large kitchen were on the second floor, three stories off the ground (island homes are built a level up), and what a vantage point. In the morning, here was the Topsail we knew again. The view to the ocean, beyond a community gazebo, was extraordinary, the rising sun shimmering off the water, nary a soul about.
We walked the beach, encountering only a few people: a runner, a family of five and, showing the changing nature of a barrier island, the operator of a Caterpillar machine, who was spreading sand brought in by dredging the nearby inlet.
We left early afternoon yesterday, reluctantly. The afternoon seemed to be shaping up as even warmer than Saturday’s.
I tried to convince myself the weather would soon become miserable.
Ray, rest assured the weather did turn miserable. 41 degrees today, rainy, winds at 20 out of the north and it was indeed miserable. That being said, a property manager stopped by to drop some brochures this afternoon and we agreed, winter's a great time to enjoy the island. One can scoot to the post office and back in five minutes, pick up groceries on the way home in ten, and gaze out at the beach and not see a soul for as far as the eye can see. It's a special time at a special place.
Sparky
|2010-03-01 08:04:10
My family has been visiting Topsail Beach for the past 20 years. The kids are grown and now bring their kids and still love it. Thanks for sharing your trip in the winter!
