Surfers who shop and work at Surf the Earth in Pawleys Island and the Village Surf Shoppe in Garden City said they were heading for the waves early Thursday morning.

Some were going to North Carolina, where the storm was expected to brush by on Friday.

Others stayed more local, surfing near the pier at Pawleys Island or the broken groin off Myrtle Avenue.

“Thursday and Friday will be very good,” said Sarah Windham,  an employee at Surf the Earth in Pawleys Island. “In Pawleys, it’s always at the south end or at the broken groin. That’s a popular spot. You will see a lot of your old timers out there for sure.”

Windham said that business was brisk this week as surfers stocked up on supplies, including board wax and rental boards. Surf the Earth is owned by Scott and Deanna Benston.

“I don’t think it’s going to ruin Labor Day,” Windham said. “I don’t think it’s going to be soured by the storm. I don’t think a lot of people will cancel their plans. We’ve been doing a lot of lessons and rentals, plus renting surfboards, kayaks and paddleboards.”

 On Thursday, beach onlookers on Pawleys Island were waiting to see the effects of Hurricane Earl.

The “stick surfers,’’ those on surfboards, were being hammered by oncoming waves as they paddled out.

Some surfers experienced the “washing machine,’’ or got spun around while paddling out.

Troy Dueger of Litchfield said he was going to Holden Beach, N.C. on Thursday, since the conditions were going to be near perfect for surfing.

By noon, at least six foot “sloppy waves” were being reported in Pawleys Island by the Pawleys Island Police Department.

The news from the National Weather Service said that the increasing swell from Hurricane Earl would create seven to 12 foot surf by Friday morning.

“The large and rough surf will produce a high risk for dangerously strong rip currents across all area beaches. Residual swell Friday into Saturday will likely result in moderately to possibly a high risk for rips. Mariners are urged to remain in port until Hurricane Earl pulls away Friday. Navigating to and from the Atlantic via inlets will become extremely hazardous to all types of marine traffic, with improvements expected on Friday.”

But for surfers like Hannah Grace of Pawleys Island, the conditions were “nar nar,’’ which translates into nearly awesome swells for those taking their boards out to hit the waves.

“Most of the guys who live here are going to travel to North Carolina to catch Hurricane Earl,’’ said Brian Campbell, an employee at the Village Surf Shop. “For beginners it is dangerous, but not if you know what you’re doing.”

By Kelly Marshall Fuller and Lloyd Mackall

Kfuller@gtowntimes.com, Lmackall@sc.rr.com

HURRICANE EARL SWIPES N.C. COAST

By Kelly M. Fuller

Kfuller@gtowntimes.com

Hurricane Earl approached the N.C. coast on Thursday night with winds of about 110 to 115 mph and its exact landfall was uncertain.

Weather forecasters said the large, dangerous storm was headed toward the outer banks of North Carolina.

By nightfall, rainbands and gusty winds were approaching the Outer Banks, according to the National Weather Service.

At 8 p.m., Earl was about 160 miles south southeast of Cape Hatteras, N.C. and about 625 miles south south west of Nantucket, Mass. Maximum sustained winds were 110 mph.

Meanwhile, hurricane warnings remained in place for Bogue Inlet, North Carolina, heading northeastward to the N.C.-Virginia border. This included the Pamlico and Albermarle Sounds, according to the National Weather Service. 

A hurricane watch was in effect for north of the N.C.-Virginia border to Cape Henlopen, Deleware.

Other tropical storm warnings were in effect for:

n Cape Fear to west of Bogue Inlet, N.C.

n North of the North Carolina/Virginia border to Sandy Hook, N.J.

A hurricane warning was also in place for the Port of Massachusetts, from Westport east to Cape Cod.

Tropical storm warnings were issued from New Haven, Conn. to west of Westport, including Block Island.

The center of Earl is expected to pass near the Outer Banks of North Carolina early Friday morning.

It is predicted be near southeastern New England by Friday night.

“Even if the center of Earl remains offshore, hurricane-force winds are expected to occur in the Outer Banks. Tropical storm force winds will likely reach the coast from Virginia northward to New Jersey early Friday,” the Weather Service said.

Rainfall over parts of North Carolina was expected to be at least six inches.

Tourists leaving Outer Banks

Tourists were largely gone from North Carolina's Outer Banks on Thursday, but those residents who stayed behind said they were prepared to face down the powerful hurricane.

“There is still concern that this track, the core of the storm, could shift a little farther to the west and have a very significant impact on the immediate coastline. Our present track keeps it off shore, but you never know,” National Hurricane Center spokesman Dennis Feltgen said.

Gov. Beverly Perdue told reporters Thursday that North Carolina was prepared for Earl. It's now up to coastal citizens to get to a safe place as the storm passes by, she said.

“We're very ready, as ready as anybody can be," Perdue said. “It's a serious storm and we all need to treat it like a serious storm.”

Three counties have issued evacuation orders, but Perdue said emergency officials can't make residents leave their homes. She warned emergency crews often can't immediately reach stranded coastal homeowners after a storm.

Evacuations continued early Thursday on the coast, with residents and visitors told to leave a barrier island in Carteret County and another in Dare County where the Wright Brothers National Memorial marks their first successful airplane flights at Kitty Hawk in 1903.

The Outer Banks had only light winds and high clouds early Thursday as the eye of Earl was hundreds of miles south of Cape Hatteras. Those conditions were expected to deteriorate throughout the day, said National Hurricane Center forecaster Todd Kimberline.

While thousands of tourists heeded calls to evacuate Hatteras Island, locals familiar with hurricanes vowed to ride out Earl, preparing to spend days stranded from the mainland. Dare County officials said the daring should be ready to fend for themselves for up to three days.

Residents like Nancy Scarborough, who manages the Hatteras Cabanas, said Outer Banks residents have a tight-knit community that takes care of its own.

“I worry about not being able to get back here,” she said. "I'd rather be stuck on this side than that side.”

Along with the 30,000 residents and visitors asked to leave Hatteras Island, 5,000 more tourists were ordered to leave Ocracoke Island, which is only accessible by ferry and airplane.

Many people — boaters, beachgoers and residents alike — were adopting a wait-and-see approach, making simple preparations like stocking up on food or attaching hurricane shutters to their houses. But with the likelihood that the storm's ultimate path will become clear on Thursday, officials expect planning to shift into high gear.

“Post-Katrina, people are really sensitive to storm preparedness,” said Atlantic Beach, N.C., Mayor Trace Cooper. “I don't think we're going to see too many people sticking around and saying they're going to have hurricane parties. You see enough pictures of people waiting on their roofs to be rescued and you decide to take precautions.”

The North Carolina National Guard deployed 80 troops to help and President Barack Obama declared an emergency in the state. The declaration authorizes the Department of Homeland Security and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to coordinate all disaster relief efforts.

As Earl spun into a powerful Category 4 storm, the governors of North Carolina, Virginia and Maryland declared states of emergency, the USS Cole hustled to return to its port in Virginia and volunteers carried sea turtle nests to safety. The highest storm category is 5, which means winds of 156 mph and higher.

Amtrak canceled trains to Newport News, near Virginia's coast, from Richmond and Washington until Saturday.

Farther up the East Coast, emergency officials urged people to have disaster plans and supplies ready and weighed whether to order evacuations as they watched the latest maps from the hurricane center — namely, the “cone of uncertainty” showing the broad path the storm could take.

If Earl moves farther east, Friday might just be modestly wet and blustery for millions in the Northeast. If the storm runs along the western edge of the forecast, dangerous storm surge, heavy rain and hurricane-force winds could slam the populous region.

In Virginia, Gov. Bob McDonnell activated the National Guard and sent 200 troops to the Hampton Roads area on Chesapeake Bay. The area was not expected to get the brunt of Earl, but many remember the surprise fury of Isabel, which killed 33 people and caused $1.6 billion in damage in September 2003.

Tugboat captain Randy Francis planned to ride out the storm on his 40-foot trawler named “Invictus” at a marina in Norfolk, Va. He said most people didn't appear to be taking the hurricane seriously.

"I was somewhat frustrated that they were somewhat nonchalant about it here," Francis said. “I'd just rather be safe than sorry."

Red Cross officials in New York prepared to open as many as 50 shelters on Long Island that could house up to 60,000 people in an emergency.

Emergency officials on Cape Cod braced for their first major storm since Hurricane Bob brought winds of up to 100 mph to coastal New England in August 1991.

“We’re also watching two other systems in the tropics. The first one is Tropical Storm Fiona. It is not looking impressive. It will say out to sea and potentially affect Bermuda. Tropical Storm Gaston could become a category 2 storm this weekend. Right now the track keeps this storm further south and moving due west. The Stormtracker weather team will keep a close eye on this one next week,” Milbourne said.

SCNow.com contributed to this report