Story of the Ocean Pursuit by Debra Keirce

On September 7, 1846, a hurricane opened the Oregon and Hatteras Inlets in the Outer Banks of North Carolina. 6 inlets have opened and closed nearby since. In the last 150 years, the inlet has migrated 3 miles south. Shifting sands make this part of the coastline treacherous for shipping vessels. The unstable sands even threaten the bridge to Pea Island.

Still, the Oregon Inlet is the primary passage for OBX commercial and recreational fishing boats. It's regularly dredged, but sometimes it becomes impassable by deep draft vessels. It is the only outlet to the sea in the 140 mile stretch from Virginia Beach to the Hatteras Inlet, just south of Hatteras Island.

So it was that in early 2020, the crew of the Ocean Pursuit Scallop boat wrecked. The crew was rescued by the coast guard, but the boat is slowly being reclaimed by Mother Earth. Plans to remove the vessel from what is called the Graveyard of the Atlantic have failed so far. I am mesmerized by how the waves and sand are slowly reclaiming all of the minerals and resources that were taken to build this vessel. This is the first shiprweck I've ever seen the beach consume. 

Framed to 8" x 5.5" x 1"