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Old 10-09-2012, 15:35   #1
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Beaufort NC - keeping boat there for winter/spring?

I am planning to sail to Beaufort NC (from Connecticut) to be with my son and new grandson for October - May. I will be living in Beaufort or in Gloucester a bit east. I am wondering what my options are for mooring or a slip for these months - my boat is a Bristol 24 (Corsair). If anyone has experience keeping a boat in or near Beaufort I would appreciate any info, advice...

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Stuart
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Old 10-09-2012, 15:49   #2
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Re: Beaufort NC - keeping boat there for winter/spring?

Rates at the town transient marina are pretty steep until December. Then they drop to quite affordable if you stay for the winter. Prior to that you can anchor on Taylor creek. Very easy dingy trip to town. Spent most of last November there. Loved it. Very friendly town with great support for sailors. Be sure to spend some time on your boat out in the Outer Bight.
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Old 10-09-2012, 15:54   #3
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Re: Beaufort NC - keeping boat there for winter/spring?

There are several good marinas there. The Town Creek Marina is the most sheltered. The city marina on Taylor Creek has a lot of current running through it (dock at slack current), and is more exposed, though in the winter it is well sheltered from the north. I don't know of any rental moorings, but a lot of local boaters have their boats hanging on some sort of home made mooring in both Taylor Creek and Town Creek. I personally would not want to leave my boat in either place unattended, due to all the other marginally anchored/moored boats, the strong currents, and the lack of protection. If I was there on the boat either place can be a nice place to anchor in reasonable weather, but when it blows hard Town Creek is a better place to be. Nearby in Morehead City are numerous other marinas. Further north, in Oriental and nearby, are even better dockage options, but that might be too far away for you. There are also some marinas up Adams Creek north of Beaufort that are very sheltered. Lots of options. I would suggest calling around and seeing what they are offering for dockage.
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Old 10-09-2012, 16:09   #4
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Re: Beaufort NC - keeping boat there for winter/spring?

Town Creek Marina used to have reasonable rates. Also, there are docks on the Morehead City side of the bridge, but that's further from Gloucester. I knew Calico Jacks on Harkers Island years ago, but not sure how it is now. activecaptain.com, a free online interactive guidebook can be a big help in finding anchorages, mooring, or marinas.
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Old 11-09-2012, 07:18   #5
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Re: Beaufort NC - keeping boat there for winter/spring?

I just brought my boat from where I purchased it on the Chesapeake to Beaufort and researched this, talked to a lot of people (many who have lived aboard 30+ years) and you have lots of options. Many people from the Triad area leave their boat on a mooring in Taylor's Creek, so much so that the town is thinking about regulating these moorings and charging people for stays over 72 hours (I doubt this will happen.) There is a strong reversing current and you will have to set up your own mooring, the suggested way is to go to Ace Marine in MHC and buy a couple of heavy Chinese steel Danforth type anchors at $1/pound, set them at 180 degrees etc. They will rust but set so deep in the sand you won't be able to pull them out without a come-along a chain link at a time. Numerous people LOVE Russ at Russel's Yachts in MHC and this is where I will put my boat on the hard if a hurricane comes: Russell Yachts Marina in MOREHEAD CITY | North Carolina Marinas Town Creek Marina used to be beautiful with great showers, but has been hit pretty hard by both storms and the economy and is somewhat expensive for the area, I was quoted $450 per month (I'm not sure if they let you liveaboard either, they ran all the sailboaters out about eight years ago for a time.) Discovery Diving across from Town Creek has a nice dock and will be $245/month for smaller boats but they will try to get you to sign a year's lease, you might be able to negotiate since it is off season and they do have a few slips open. It is well protected, extremely safe and the people there are great- free wifi and water, shore power available. Don't try to get to the dock without someone showing you where the channel is or you will go aground. Bock Marine is a good place to put your boat on the hard, it is a few miles up the ICW, but one downside is there is dust that will blow up onto your boat from the large lot and stick to the condensation making for a messy boat. OTOH it is only $180 per month for storage for boats under 30 feet and a great place to do a refit, you can liveaboard on the hard and they have nice showers and even laundry, gameroom with tv. I used to keep a boat at Calico Jacks, it is beautiful out there but fairly unprotected and a long drive from town (25 minutes.) Don't know the present owners, but his son now has a nice club with great parties on the weekends in MHC ("Jack's.)

Feel free to PM me with any other questions, Beaufort is a great place to wake up to!
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Old 12-09-2012, 18:02   #6
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Re: Beaufort NC - keeping boat there for winter/spring?

If it were me, I would bring it up to the Neuse. There are very nice marinas for half the price of the beach marinas. Well protected, liveaboards to watch your stuff for you, and a very tight boating community. New Bern Grand is where we are, but Northwest Creek Marina is another good choice. Oriental is ok too. Check Whittaker Point and River Dunes as the best options.
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Old 12-09-2012, 18:28   #7
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We left the boat at the New Bern Grand the year before last, can recommend it highly. If you stay more than six months you pay a personal property tax, we squeezed under with just days to spare.
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Old 12-09-2012, 18:39   #8
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Re: Beaufort NC - keeping boat there for winter/spring?

Yes, if you don't want to leave it in Beaufort it is cheaper up the river. Sea Gate is still close, and has good prices right now. Also, someone built a bunch of huge docks to sell across from Sea Gate and they are mostly empty, they are also for rent.
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Old 12-09-2012, 19:36   #9
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Re: Beaufort NC - keeping boat there for winter/spring?

Thanks for all the info

New Bern looks good and cheaper than Beaufort but then I am driving an hour each way to go sailing... I am going there to be with my son and grandson in Beaufort...

Northwest Creek appears to be half the price of Beaufort but says minimum length of 30'...

I looked on the charts for Sea Gate and unless I am missing something you would have to motor an hour to go sailing. is this correct?

Thanks - processing all the info...
Stuart
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Old 13-09-2012, 06:21   #10
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Re: Beaufort NC - keeping boat there for winter/spring?

Quote:
Originally Posted by scarduner View Post
I looked on the charts for Sea Gate and unless I am missing something you would have to motor an hour to go sailing. is this correct?

Thanks - processing all the info...
Stuart
Correct about SeaGate...
Its really a question of how much sailing are you going to do and what kind.
Understand that if you are on the neuse you can sail on the river, or the pamlico sound.
Tom
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Old 13-09-2012, 06:24   #11
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Re: Beaufort NC - keeping boat there for winter/spring?

Quote:
Originally Posted by scarduner View Post
Thanks for all the info

New Bern looks good and cheaper than Beaufort but then I am driving an hour each way to go sailing... I am going there to be with my son and grandson in Beaufort...

Northwest Creek appears to be half the price of Beaufort but says minimum length of 30'...

I looked on the charts for Sea Gate and unless I am missing something you would have to motor an hour to go sailing. is this correct?

Thanks - processing all the info...
Stuart
The drive is worth it. Sailing on the Neuse is far superior to anything around Beaufort in a 24'. Sea Gate is kind of a dump these days. We have stopped there a few times for fuel and looked around. I wouldn't keep my boat there full-time. Look up Matthews Point Marina. It might be the best middle-ground for you.
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Old 13-09-2012, 07:32   #12
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Re: Beaufort NC - keeping boat there for winter/spring?

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Originally Posted by GonzoF1 View Post
The drive is worth it. Sailing on the Neuse is far superior to anything around Beaufort in a 24'. Sea Gate is kind of a dump these days. We have stopped there a few times for fuel and looked around. I wouldn't keep my boat there full-time. Look up Matthews Point Marina. It might be the best middle-ground for you.
OP, you need to clarify, are you just storing the boat or planning to use it? The opinion that sailing on the Neuse is superior to anything around Beaufort is one that many people would disagree with. When I was moving my boat down the ICW I passed about twenty sailboats per hour bringing their boats back from Beaufort after spending Labor Day weekend there. On the rest of the trip I passed about 3 per day out using their boats. Oh, there was a little handful of people using their boats in a sheltered cove near Norfolk. Not to mention that Beaufort was named the Number One yachting town in the US by Yachting magazine recently. Personally, I would rather have my boat close to my family ie in Beaufort or MHC, if for nothing else than they could check on it for me from time to time. If you are going to store it you should take it out of the water, it would be much safer. Wait until the hurricane season is over, the rates will be cheaper for long term storage as most places have a priority list for hurricane haul outs.
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Old 13-09-2012, 07:35   #13
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Re: Beaufort NC - keeping boat there for winter/spring?

OK I am intrigued and will open the question - how is the sailing in Beaufort and on the Neuse different? Beaufort you go out into the ocean and the Neuse is a river a few miles wide? Sorry I am moving someplace I have barely seen... When you say the sailing better you mean sailing in Pamlico Sound?
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Old 13-09-2012, 08:00   #14
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Re: Beaufort NC - keeping boat there for winter/spring?

Think bathtub (as Kramer said on a Seinfeld episode when the landlord removed all the showerheads "why soak in a pool of your own secretions??") versus water park with a wave pool.
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Old 13-09-2012, 08:02   #15
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Re: Beaufort NC - keeping boat there for winter/spring?

I am planning to sail as long as I can. I am from the northeast! I am coming to Beaufort to be near my son and grandson but am taking the opportunity to sail when in the northeast i would be on the hard... So I am wanting to be there unless there is a huge savings in keeping it near New Bern...

Regarding anchoring in Taylor Creek or Town Creek - is this something one can do long-term? Or would one need to get a mooring made and drop a mooring? I like the idea of a slip in a marina for living aboard in the winter months but have to see if one can find something affordable.
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