Posted on May 19, 2025
The NC Ferry Division expects the Army Corps of Engineers to arrive on May 21 to further dredge Big Foot Slough, a channel just outside Ocracoke that both Pamlico Ferry route ferries must traverse on their respective routes.
Because of this, the Ferry Division is keeping in place the spring schedule until dredging can be completed and all of the boats on these long routes can safely operate, said Tim Hass, Ferry Division spokesman in an email May 15.
“The width of the channel in the Bigfoot around marker 10 is the issue prohibiting us from using the larger sound class vessels at this time,” he said. “We anticipate the dredging taking around seven days to open it up enough for us to resume service with larger sound class ferries.”
The Corps was supposed to dredge on May 10.
He said they expect to change the Ferry Division website to reflect the continuing the spring schedule.
As for the Hatteras-Ocracoke route, it is running on its full summer schedule, though that is sometimes subject to change due to mechanical issues, weather or Coast Guard inspections.
Continued shoaling of Big Foot Slough has created many travel woes in the last several years.
Hyde County Manager Kris Cahoon Noble and the Ocracoke Waterways Commission, of which Islander Ernie Doshier is the chair, have been asking federal officials to designate the nearby natural channel to the west, called Nine Foot, as the official channel in the Pamlico Sound.
A federal channel, Nine Foot is under the control of the Corps, but it is deeper and less subject to shoaling.
Progress to get the necessary permits to do this, including an act of Congress, has been slow, though it might happen later this year, said officials at a recent Ocracoke Waterways Commission meeting.
The M/V Silver Lake was stuck in this slough for more than 12 hours on March 6, and while the Corps’ dredge Murden was working in that area and was able to widen it a bit the following day it wasn’t widened much. See graphic below.
The next Waterways Commission meeting is at 6:30 p.m. May 21 in the Ocracoke Community Center.
For ferry departure information, click here.
