The Margaret, in her 107th year of life, was a victim of the wrath of Hurricane Irene. On August 27th, 2011, Irene broke the anchor chain of the Margaret, causing her to be driven aground during the record height of the storm surge. As the storm surge receded, Margaret was left stranded about fifty feet from the shoreline at the mouth of Bath Creek in North Carolina. She cannot be reached by land because she is surrounded by marsh, and the normal water level is too shallow for a crane. To slide the Margaret back into water is an intricate and expensive job. The current estimate is $25,000 to save her for future generations to enjoy.
The Margaret is one of the last large sailing ships of the Edwardian Era. Her design is a forerunner of the Universal Rule, which produced some of the most graceful sailing ships ever built. During WWII, the Margaret (then called Zaida) was drafted as a submarine spotter for the United States Navy. In 1942, while stationed off the Nantucket Lightship listening for submarines charging their batteries at night, she was struck by a powerful storm. Blown off station and presumed lost, the Margaret was later sighted by a Navy blimp limping into Ocracoke Inlet with her crew of nine still aboard. She had logged in over 3100 miles in her two week ordeal.
Margaret is one of the few ships of her age still capable of long ocean passages. Restored in the 1990’s by Capt. Edwards and family, the Margaret’s cutter-rig carries 2000 square feet of sail with a main mast of solid heart fir. She has her original hull of double-planked yellow pine heartwood over cypress. Her new ribs are fastened with silicone bronze and her interior features mahogany, cherry, and white ash woods.
