Schedule changes take effect Tuesday.
The North Carolina Ferry System plans on Tuesday to update the schedule for its Cedar Island-Ocracoke and Swan Quarter-Ocracoke routes while the island continues to recover from Hurricane Dorian.
At this time, Ocracoke remains open only to residents, non-resident property owners, and personnel approved by Hyde County for re-entry.
The ferry schedule as of Tuesday will be as follows:
- Swan Quarter-Ocracoke: 10 a.m., 12 p.m. and 4 p.m.
- Ocracoke-Swan Quarter: 9 a.m., 1 p.m. and 7 p.m.
- Cedar Island-Ocracoke: 6:30 a.m., 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.
- Ocracoke-Cedar Island: 7 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m.
In addition, there will be an additional run for fuel and vendor deliveries on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays departing Swan Quarter for Ocracoke at 7:30 a.m. and departing from Ocracoke to Swan Quarter at 2 p.m.
Reservations on these routes are highly recommended, and can be obtained by calling 1-800-BY-FERRY. All reservation holders must arrive at the terminal one hour before departure time. In addition, same-day reservations for ferries departing Ocracoke are not available, and next-day reservations must be made before 4 p.m. Passengers without reservations will be placed in a standby line and be allowed on ferries if space is available.
Volunteer groups approved to access Ocracoke are encouraged to board the ferries without vehicles to leave as much deck space as possible for vehicles necessary for hurricane recovery services.
Hatteras-Ocracoke South Dock
This access will be limited to ONLY four-wheel drive vehicles that are rated at ¾ ton capacity or smaller (such as Ford F250, GM K2500, Ram 2500, etc.). Please note that trailers will not be allowed at this time. Therefore, the Ferry System will be running ferries between Hatteras and Ocracoke-South Dock on the following schedule beginning Thursday:
- Hatteras to Ocracoke-South Dock: 6:15, 7, and 9 a.m., 4:45, 6, and 7:30 p.m.
- Ocracoke-South Dock to Hatteras: 7:30, 8:30 and 10:15 a.m., 6:30, 7:30, and 9 p.m.
Hatteras–Ocracoke Silver Lake
- Hatteras to Ocracoke-Silver Lake: 6 and 11:15 a.m., 4:30 and 10 p.m.
- Ocracoke-Silver Lake to Hatteras: 8:45 a.m., 2:30 and 7:15 p.m., 12:30 a.m.
The Hatteras-Ocracoke Silver Lake route is open only to high ground-clearance vehicles. Also, motorists are advised that this route will be highly susceptible to suspension during adverse weather conditions. Due to potential ramp damage at Silver Lake, ALL heavy loads must access Ocracoke via Swan Quarter or Cedar Island.
Reservations are not available on the Hatteras-Ocracoke Silver Lake route. Vehicles will be loaded by the re-entry priority procedures established by Hyde County. Motorists should arrive 30 minutes before departure time.