Nags Head

It started as the kind of delivery Pat Schoenberger, an Annapolis sea captain, had made many times: Pick up a client's motor sailboat, ferry it to Florida and return home in a few weeks' time. A brilliant morning sky beckoned as Schoenberger and Jim Southward, his friend and first mate, left Severn, Va., for Pensacola, Fla. Thirty-eight hours later, a Coast Guard helicopter rescued them off Cape Lookout, N.C., amid pounding rain, 55-knot winds, 30-foot waves and the sensation, Southward said, that the ocean was tossing their 15-ton craft, Andante II, "like a cork in a hot tub. " What happened in between was a story of how, even in an era of high-tech sea mapping and navigation, the wisdom of seasoned mariners still can be no match for an angry sea. Schoenberger, 38, and Southward, 40, seemed dazed and relieved in an interview as they sifted the choices they'd made along the way, including the one no sailor wants to make: to declare Mayday, call for rescue and abandon ship.

It started as the kind of delivery Pat Schoenberger, an Annapolis sea captain, had made many times: Pick up a client's motor sailboat, ferry it to Florida and return home in a few weeks' time. A brilliant morning sky beckoned as Schoenberger and Jim Southward, his friend and first mate, left Severn, Va., for Pensacola, Fla. Thirty-eight hours later, a Coast Guard helicopter rescued them off Cape Lookout, N.C., amid pounding rain, 55-knot winds, 30-foot waves and the sensation, Southward said, that the ocean was tossing their 15-ton craft, Andante II, "like a cork in a hot tub. " What happened in between was a story of how, even in an era of high-tech sea mapping and navigation, the wisdom of seasoned mariners still can be no match for an angry sea. Schoenberger, 38, and Southward, 40, seemed dazed and relieved in an interview as they sifted the choices they'd made along the way, including the one no sailor wants to make: to declare Mayday, call for rescue and abandon ship.

THOMAS DORSEY RHODES, JR., of 4635 Blue Marlin Way, Old Nags Head Cove, Nags Head, NC., passed away April 9, 2003, in Tampa General Hospital, Tampa, Florida, from a lengthy and traumatic illness. Born in Baltimore, MD, he lived in Rocky Mount, NC for many years as well as Charlottesville, VA before settling in Nags Head in 1967 and served in Fort Knox, Kentucky in the U.S. Army. He owned and operated the Surfside Supermarket on the beach road in Nags Head before retiring and traveling around the world.

Nags Head, N.C., is on the northern peninsula of the Outer Banks. Its unspoiled beaches are free, with plenty of parking available. The inimitable pink-blue sunsets and charming mom-and-pop establishments help it to sustain an unaffected, wholesome vibe. Getting there Nags Head is about 325 miles from Baltimore. You can fly Southwest Airlines nonstop into Norfolk, then rent a car for the remaining 88 miles. Most folks contend it's easier, and cheaper, to make the trip by car, about a six-hour drive.

On Thursday September 1, 2005, HARRY TIMMONS, 63, of Nags Head, North Carolina, formerly of Pasadena, MD, died in Beaver Falls, PA. Born November 30, 1941 in New Jersey, to Mildred Chant Timmons, Ft. Lauderdale, FL and the late Harry K. Timmons, he was a retired engineer for NSA Department of Defense. He also volunteered for 6 years for Elizabethian Gardens. He is survived by his fiancee, Linda Courson, Nags Head, N. Carolina; three sons and a daughter-in-law, Craig Timmons, Maryland, Christopher and Tracey Timmons, New York, and Jeremy Timmons, Maryland; their mother Audrey Timmons, Maryland; a brother Richard Timmons, Florida; two sisters and brothers-in-law, Sherry and Marc Alumbaugh, N. Carolina and Suszanne and Edward Brown, Florida.

A narrow chain of barrier islands, North Carolina's Outer Banks offers panoramic views of the Atlantic Ocean on one side and serene bays and waterways on the other, as well as wildlife refuges and maritime woodlands. The area also includes Kitty Hawk, the birthplace of flight, and Cape Hatteras National Seashore. The Outer Banks has 15 towns along the length of the islands. Dining, recreation and shopping opportunities are growing, thanks to a recent building boom. Where to stay Most Outer Banks visitors stay in one of the abundant vacation homes, many of which are worth more than $1 million and feature five, six or seven bedrooms, in-ground pools, hot tubs and modern kitchens.

You could say the Outer Banks has been in the tourism business since 1587 -- the year early settlers attempted an unsuccessful colonization on Roanoke Island. Ever since, the mystique of these sandy barrier islands has grown, luring generations of families and friends to its charming waterfront communities. More than 100 miles of soft sand embody the peace and quiet visitors crave and expect in the Outer Banks. A thriving surf community adds thrills as surfers catch gnarly curls at Rodanthe Pier.

Nags Head, N.C., is on the northern peninsula of the Outer Banks. Its unspoiled beaches are free, with plenty of parking available. The inimitable pink-blue sunsets and charming mom-and-pop establishments help it to sustain an unaffected, wholesome vibe. Getting there Nags Head is about 325 miles from Baltimore. You can fly Southwest Airlines nonstop into Norfolk, then rent a car for the remaining 88 miles. Most folks contend it's easier, and cheaper, to make the trip by car, about a six-hour drive.

In the Outer Banks, the beaches are the star attraction. Just off the North Carolina coast, the chain of barrier islands stretches more than 90 miles. And for inhabitants and visitors in the 15 towns along the Outer Banks, the beaches rank among the nation's best. With quiet bays to the west and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, the Outer Banks offers panoramic water views everywhere you look. Rental homes make up the bulk of the accommodations in the Outer Banks - from quaint cottages to multimillion-dollar estates with pools, spas and game rooms.

Is it possible to spend enough time at the beach? I don't think so. More often than not, whether your lounge chair is parked at Ocean City, Cape May, N.J., or the Outer Banks, N.C., you'll find that summer speeds by way too quickly. And even though the destination may be a perennial favorite, visited by generations of one family over many decades, each season dawns fresh with anticipation for both the well-tread path and the newly uncovered hot spot. The Sun's annual Beach Guide looks at what's old, new and improved at shore destinations from New Jersey to South Carolina.

Is it possible to spend enough time at the beach? I don't think so. More often than not, whether your lounge chair is parked at Ocean City, Cape May, N.J., or the Outer Banks, N.C., you'll find that summer speeds by way too quickly. And even though the destination may be a perennial favorite, visited by generations of one family over many decades, each season dawns fresh with anticipation for both the well-tread path and the newly uncovered hot spot. The Sun's annual Beach Guide looks at what's old, new and improved at shore destinations from New Jersey to South Carolina.

You could say the Outer Banks has been in the tourism business since 1587 -- the year early settlers attempted an unsuccessful colonization on Roanoke Island. Ever since, the mystique of these sandy barrier islands has grown, luring generations of families and friends to its charming waterfront communities. More than 100 miles of soft sand embody the peace and quiet visitors crave and expect in the Outer Banks. A thriving surf community adds thrills as surfers catch gnarly curls at Rodanthe Pier.

In the Outer Banks, the beaches are the star attraction. Just off the North Carolina coast, the chain of barrier islands stretches more than 90 miles. And for inhabitants and visitors in the 15 towns along the Outer Banks, the beaches rank among the nation's best. With quiet bays to the west and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, the Outer Banks offers panoramic water views everywhere you look. Rental homes make up the bulk of the accommodations in the Outer Banks - from quaint cottages to multimillion-dollar estates with pools, spas and game rooms.

A narrow chain of barrier islands, North Carolina's Outer Banks offers panoramic views of the Atlantic Ocean on one side and serene bays and waterways on the other, as well as wildlife refuges and maritime woodlands. The area also includes Kitty Hawk, the birthplace of flight, and Cape Hatteras National Seashore. The Outer Banks has 15 towns along the length of the islands. Dining, recreation and shopping opportunities are growing, thanks to a recent building boom. Where to stay Most Outer Banks visitors stay in one of the abundant vacation homes, many of which are worth more than $1 million and feature five, six or seven bedrooms, in-ground pools, hot tubs and modern kitchens.

On Thursday September 1, 2005, HARRY TIMMONS, 63, of Nags Head, North Carolina, formerly of Pasadena, MD, died in Beaver Falls, PA. Born November 30, 1941 in New Jersey, to Mildred Chant Timmons, Ft. Lauderdale, FL and the late Harry K. Timmons, he was a retired engineer for NSA Department of Defense. He also volunteered for 6 years for Elizabethian Gardens. He is survived by his fiancee, Linda Courson, Nags Head, N. Carolina; three sons and a daughter-in-law, Craig Timmons, Maryland, Christopher and Tracey Timmons, New York, and Jeremy Timmons, Maryland; their mother Audrey Timmons, Maryland; a brother Richard Timmons, Florida; two sisters and brothers-in-law, Sherry and Marc Alumbaugh, N. Carolina and Suszanne and Edward Brown, Florida.

NAGS HEAD, N.C. - The Fenz family rode out Hurricane Isabel's fury in the manager's quarters of their 45-room oceanfront motel. Jim and Wanda Fenz figured their 7-month-old daughter would cry when the howling 100 mph winds began, but Tiffany wasn't bothered by the racket at all. Her parents think maybe it's because the baby had something in common with the storm: Tiffany's middle name is Isabella. "It's her first hurricane," Wanda Fenz said. "We've already entered it into her baby book."

LIKE MANY FAMILIES on vacation, mine spent much of our recent two weeks in London debating how we would spend our holiday. My wife, the culture vulture, was fond of touring museums. My younger son, 18, preferred visiting castles and checking out nightspots with his older brother, 22, who has been studying in London this summer. Meanwhile, I kept slipping away to the pubs, learning the beer-drinking habits of Londoners. Of the half-dozen London pubs I visited, my favorite was the Nags Head at 53 Kinnerton St. in the Knightsbridge area just south of Hyde Park.

NAGS HEAD, N.C. - The Fenz family rode out Hurricane Isabel's fury in the manager's quarters of their 45-room oceanfront motel. Jim and Wanda Fenz figured their 7-month-old daughter would cry when the howling 100 mph winds began, but Tiffany wasn't bothered by the racket at all. Her parents think maybe it's because the baby had something in common with the storm: Tiffany's middle name is Isabella. "It's her first hurricane," Wanda Fenz said. "We've already entered it into her baby book."

LIKE MANY FAMILIES on vacation, mine spent much of our recent two weeks in London debating how we would spend our holiday. My wife, the culture vulture, was fond of touring museums. My younger son, 18, preferred visiting castles and checking out nightspots with his older brother, 22, who has been studying in London this summer. Meanwhile, I kept slipping away to the pubs, learning the beer-drinking habits of Londoners. Of the half-dozen London pubs I visited, my favorite was the Nags Head at 53 Kinnerton St. in the Knightsbridge area just south of Hyde Park.

THOMAS DORSEY RHODES, JR., of 4635 Blue Marlin Way, Old Nags Head Cove, Nags Head, NC., passed away April 9, 2003, in Tampa General Hospital, Tampa, Florida, from a lengthy and traumatic illness. Born in Baltimore, MD, he lived in Rocky Mount, NC for many years as well as Charlottesville, VA before settling in Nags Head in 1967 and served in Fort Knox, Kentucky in the U.S. Army. He owned and operated the Surfside Supermarket on the beach road in Nags Head before retiring and traveling around the world.