Oh yeah it's different than the lake! What's great about the NC OBX is yes, the Coasties are great, but typically, the sailors and even power-boaters/fishermen are nice and knowledgable too. You have to be for boating out there. It's too easy to run out of water real fast and run aground. currents and tides are tricky. Channels and navigation is tricky. Weather is ALWAYS a factor! You have to know what you're doing. You don't run into too many fresh retirees who sign the check, take the keys and have no frackin' idea what they're doing!

If I could, I would hang out some more around Duck. Next to Rick's place down in the Keys, that area's a treasure-trove for finding a mentor and learning how to get better on cats/sailboards/kiteboards.