Topsail Island, NC

I have many memories of Topsail Island starting from the time I was a small child living in Sneads Ferry to an adult living away and coming down for vacation.

One of my fondest memories is of riding to the beach with my Grandpa and my Uncle Carroll in Grandpa’s skiff.  We left early afternoon from my Uncle Paul’s fish house in Sneads Ferry.  It was one of those beautiful sunny days in the early summer and in the distance you could see puffy white clouds dancing in from the ocean.  We were going to check on Grandpa’s oyster garden that was located on the sound side of North Topsail, very close to where the St. Regis is now located.  Along the way, I found an oyster attached to a very unusual looking rock.  I very proudly told Grandpa that I wanted to “plant” it in his oyster garden.

After we checked on the garden, Grandpa took us to shore and we walked over to the beach.  I did a little shell hunting and Grandpa found a stingray that had washed up on the ocean sand.  I remember that he picked it up by putting his fingers into the holes on the back of the stingray’s head and playfully threw it at Uncle Carroll causing him to do a little dance.

We soon left because Grandpa noticed that the puffy white clouds were beginning to turn dark and stormy.  We had a ways to go to get back to my Uncle Paul’s fish house.  Soon the sky filled with lightning as the storm drew nearer.  I remember that Grandpa wrapped his outer shirt around me and put me under the bough of his boat.  He told me I would be safe there.  At that time, my Grandpa was my favorite person in the whole world and even though I was terrified of storms, I believed him.  Lightning was cracking all around us and thunder rumbled as the rain caught up to us.  I watched Grandpa’s face for any sign of concern as he revved up the outboard motor to full throttle.  He was very calm as he intently looked for the markers that would guide us back in.  I remember being relieved as we started going past other fish houses that I knew were close to my Uncle’s place.  We soon docked.  My uncle jumped out and secured the boat as Grandpa picked me up and ran into the fish house.

I still wonder who harvested my oyster from Grandpa’s garden.

About the author: Helen Ramsey is a vacation rental specialist with Bryson & Associates on Topsail Island, NC and has been a lifetime resident of eastern North Carolina.