
                         THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
                 Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SUNDAY, June 12, 1994                    TAG: 9406090189 
SECTION: CAROLINA COAST                     PAGE: 10    EDITION: FINAL  
SOURCE: BY PAUL SOUTH 
DATELINE: 940612                                 LENGTH: MANTEO

HISTORY, NATURE COME ALIVE ON TOUR BOAT\

{LEAD} AGAINST A GUNMETAL gray sky, as small black waves reach up to tip tiny white caps, the Virginia Dare cuts easily through the water. Over the purring of the engine, Capt. Robert Holland tells stories of Blackbeard, explains ballast, and gives a nutshell history of the Outer Banks, all in a scant 90 minutes.

The Virginia Dare, a 50-foot vessel first launched as the Osprey in Cape May, N.J., in 1992, is in its first year of cruises on the Outer Banks. The ship - modeled after the old Trumpy class of yachts - can seat 48 passengers comfortably.

{REST} For Holland, what began as a summer job between classes at East Carolina University has turned into a vocation.

``I guess I've never outgrown this,'' he says. ``I've done narrations for tours like these in Norfolk. When I found out I was coming here, I thought it would be boring. But there's so much history here.''

Holland gives his passengers more than a taste of that history on the cruises that embark rain-or-shine from Pirate's Cove Marina. A cruise on the Dare will educate both children and adults on the magical mysteries of this region.

There is the story of the first English settlers, and of the Lost Colony, one of history's unanswered riddles. The popular myth that Sir Walter Raleigh came to North Carolina is dispelled. Raleigh never came to America. Despite the mystery of those lost colonists, the English persisted.

For Civil War buffs, the Monitor and the Merrimack, ocean warfare's first ironclads, clash again. The two ships battled to a draw at Hampton Roads, Va., in 1862, a skirmish ended by sailors too exhausted and guns too hot to fire another shot. Ironically, the Monitor was not destroyed by man-made weaponry, but instead was sunk in a storm off the Outer Banks.

The Monitor, long under water, was the victim of another quirk of fate. During World War I, the vessel was mistakenly identified as a German submarine, and hit by two American depth charges, further damaging a treasure trove of history.

And at times, during the course of the narration, nature assists imagination. As Holland recounts the story of Blackbeard, the pirate who terrorized the Outer Banks in the early 18th Century, thunder roared like cannon fire, and lightning flashed from the sky, as if to purge the pirate's evil from the Outer Banks.

Fans of science and nature also get a treat or two on the voyage. The story of two bicycle mechanics from Dayton, Ohio, and their dream of flight is retold. The Wright Brothers' seconds of flight changed the scientific world. Passengers can also view Jockey's Ridge, the largest inland sand dune on the East Coast.

Two osprey nests can also be seen from the deck. Osprey were at one time an endangered species. Now, the bird is the Carolina coast's environmental comeback kid.

On most days, evening cruises include a glorious sunset. But even on gray days, the winking light from Bodie Lighthouse, and the dance of lightning above the water make for a great show. A trip on the Virginia Dare provides something for everyone.

``The thing, I think, that separates us from most tours is that we're family-oriented,'' said Holland. ``We try to make everyone feel at home.''

by CNB