East Coast of NC

[Ryan0akes]

I'm planning to move our 36 ft Catalina to the Coast from a lake and trying to decide on where to slip. I believe I've narrowed it down to, Morehead City, Beaufort and Oriental.

Suggestions?

Thanks!

[ohdrinkboy]

my $.02. Oriental is a great little town, but the sailing is better in Morehead/Beaufort.

[hpeer]

How do you intend to use the boat?
What landside amenities do you need?

The landscape/waterscape is quite different.

[tkeithlu]

Do you want easy access to the south are do you plan to sail mostly in the sound?

[Captain Bill]

I kept my boat in Broad Creek near Oriental for 6 years before moving to full time cruising. Morehead city is primarily a power boating area. Beaufort a little less so, but your only real sailing option there is the ocean and going to Cape lookout bight. Everywhere else the water is too shallow. Getting in and out of the inlet is an exercise in dealing with wakes from large sports fishermen who for some reason think that throwing a five foot wake 20 feet off your beam is better sport than fishing. All this while half the time fighting the tidal current which is cutting your speed down to a couple of knots. That said going to Cape Lookout Bight is really nice if the weather cooperates. Oriental on the other hand has a lot of deep water for day sailing in the Neuse river in fairly protected conditions so one isn't so much at the mercy of the weather. Conditions that make the Beaufort inlet difficult (strong southerly winds) are a good day in the Neuse. If the weather is good one can always go down Core Creek to Cape Lookout. In the meantime in the Neuse/sound one can have may destinations. If you like towns you can go up to New Bern, Washington, Ocrakoke, Belhaven, Manteo, Swan Quarter, and Hatteras. If you like to get out in the boondocks, there's South River, the Bay River, Pungo River, West Bay, Turnagain bay and quite frankly too many little side creeks and anchorages to list. There's a reason that Oriental is called the sailing capital of NC. You will also find that the Marinas are much more reasonably priced and you have a wide range of price/amenities available in the area.

[davil]

Originally Posted by Captain Bill

I kept my boat in Broad Creek near Oriental for 6 years before moving to full time cruising. Morehead city is primarily a power boating area. Beaufort a little less so, but your only real sailing option there is the ocean and going to Cape lookout bight. Everywhere else the water is too shallow. Getting in and out of the inlet is an exercise in dealing with wakes from large sports fishermen who for some reason think that throwing a five foot wake 20 feet off your beam is better sport than fishing. All this while half the time fighting the tidal current which is cutting your speed down to a couple of knots. That said going to Cape Lookout Bight is really nice if the weather cooperates. Oriental on the other hand has a lot of deep water for day sailing in the Neuse river in fairly protected conditions so one isn't so much at the mercy of the weather. Conditions that make the Beaufort inlet difficult (strong southerly winds) are a good day in the Neuse. If the weather is good one can always go down Core Creek to Cape Lookout. In the meantime in the Neuse/sound one can have may destinations. If you like towns you can go up to New Bern, Washington, Ocrakoke, Belhaven, Manteo, Swan Quarter, and Hatteras. If you like to get out in the boondocks, there's South River, the Bay River, Pungo River, West Bay, Turnagain bay and quite frankly too many little side creeks and anchorages to list. There's a reason that Oriental is called the sailing capital of NC. You will also find that the Marinas are much more reasonably priced and you have a wide range of price/amenities available in the area.

====================================

best summary you will ever obtain.
I live in Pine Knoll Shores, and I am quite knowledgeable of this area.
Good luck on your decision

[Mo Surprises]

Slips are less expensive and more readily available in Oriental. Sailing is on brown water but no tides or currents. There is some racing going on and cruising groups. Ocracoke and Beaufort are less than a days sail away.

Morehead/Beaufort is more expensive and you have to endure the inlet to sail in the ocean and there really aren’t many other places to sail unless you enjoy dodging shoals. Tides and currents can effect your plans. But the ocean also offers clear water, fishing and the two great anchorages of Cape Lookout and behind Shackleford Island.

Oriental is the sailing capital of NC and if you’re a lake sailor I think it will be preferable to you. Quaint little town too!

[Paul L]

Originally Posted by Captain Bill

I kept my boat in Broad Creek near Oriental for 6 years before moving to full time cruising. Morehead city is primarily a power boating area. Beaufort a little less so, but your only real sailing option there is the ocean and going to Cape lookout bight. Everywhere else the water is too shallow. Getting in and out of the inlet is an exercise in dealing with wakes from large sports fishermen who for some reason think that throwing a five foot wake 20 feet off your beam is better sport than fishing. All this while half the time fighting the tidal current which is cutting your speed down to a couple of knots. That said going to Cape Lookout Bight is really nice if the weather cooperates. Oriental on the other hand has a lot of deep water for day sailing in the Neuse river in fairly protected conditions so one isn't so much at the mercy of the weather. Conditions that make the Beaufort inlet difficult (strong southerly winds) are a good day in the Neuse. If the weather is good one can always go down Core Creek to Cape Lookout. In the meantime in the Neuse/sound one can have may destinations. If you like towns you can go up to New Bern, Washington, Ocrakoke, Belhaven, Manteo, Swan Quarter, and Hatteras. If you like to get out in the boondocks, there's South River, the Bay River, Pungo River, West Bay, Turnagain bay and quite frankly too many little side creeks and anchorages to list. There's a reason that Oriental is called the sailing capital of NC. You will also find that the Marinas are much more reasonably priced and you have a wide range of price/amenities available in the area.

Bill,
Sounds like you know the area. I'm looking for a transient berth for say 6 months next year. I'd like a place that had a decent town near by, walking distance would be night. Need to stay aboard most of the time and will do some minor boat projects while there. Will have a car. 6.5ft draft mono. Any thoughts on a good location? New Bern?

[radsailor]

River Dunes Marina. Not walking distance to town, but fantastic facility.
With your draft you might want to avoid Whittaker Creek as the channel is pretty sneaky.

[guyrj33]

Is the water safe for swimming in Oriential?

[Captain Bill]

Originally Posted by radsailor

River Dunes Marina. Not walking distance to town, but fantastic facility.
With your draft you might want to avoid Whittaker Creek as the channel is pretty sneaky.

A friend who still lives there told me they dredged the Whittaker Creek channel last year. Is your information current?

[ThereAndBack]

Originally Posted by Paul L

Bill,
Sounds like you know the area. I'm looking for a transient berth for say 6 months next year. I'd like a place that had a decent town near by, walking distance would be night. Need to stay aboard most of the time and will do some minor boat projects while there. Will have a car. 6.5ft draft mono. Any thoughts on a good location? New Bern?

I'm in New Bern. It is a small but nice town. You can try Bridgeton but you cannot walk to New Bern from there, however, if you have a car it is a 5 min drive.

[Captain Bill]

Originally Posted by guyrj33

Is the water safe for swimming in Oriential?

In general I would say yes, assuming you mean in the Neuse river and not one of the developed side creeks with a lot of septic tanks. There aren't really any "beaches" in the immediate area. There are times after a heavy rain event such as after a tropical storm that upstream flooding results in overflow of farm animal waste lagoons and closes the area for a couple of weeks until things clear up. There are also times when toxic dinoflagellates bloom as a result of runoff and swimming when that is going on is not recommended. The toxin given off by the dinoflagellates can cause severe and long lasting neurological problems. My wife used to work at NC state and the lab down the hall was culturing these things for study and they found a grad student, who had been working in the room for several hours, unconscious. That person had significant memory loss and other neurological for more than a year. While this is usually more of a problem in the upper Neuse near New Bern it does occasionally affect the Oriental area.

[davil]

Since you plan to do some work, you may like to compare each location with what resources are available, like stores, suppliers, marine services etc.

[Captain Bill]

Originally Posted by Paul L

Bill,
Sounds like you know the area. I'm looking for a transient berth for say 6 months next year. I'd like a place that had a decent town near by, walking distance would be night. Need to stay aboard most of the time and will do some minor boat projects while there. Will have a car. 6.5ft draft mono. Any thoughts on a good location? New Bern?

It depends on your air draft as well, though I'm somewhat assuming you are ICW friendly or you wouldn't be looking in that area. The Grand Marina and Bridge Point Marina in New Bern used to allow live aboards and the water in the Trent is is really deep there so your 6.5 feet is not a problem. With the Grand you are right in down town New Bern and there's some really good restaurants there. The BridgePoint marina is on the other side of the Trent but you have to walk across the bridge to get to down town. Sometimes a strong SW wind blowing for several days will really lower the water level which is not a problem in the marinas, but might make the water a bit skinny for you in the channel between New Bern and Cherry Point. There's a couple of spots where the normal depth is about 8 feet and a drop of a couple of feet could be problematic with your draft. The entrance to River Dunes is about 8 feet and is near the mouth of the Neuse so the wind tides are not as severe are as further up the Neuse. River Dunes is really nice, but is a good 5 miles from Oriental. Oriental is a really nice friendly little town but is a bit limited. Their annual festivals are usually pretty nice. The Front Porch Music festival was last weekend and before Covid was really nice as was the Croaker festival which is the first weekend in July as I recall. Depending on how big your projects are Northwest Creek and Bridgeton marina might be options but no walking to town. Wayfarers Cove marina might be an option but the entrance is pretty narrow and shallow. You would have to go in there on a strong NE wind that had been piling up water for a couple of days. Wayfarers is a boatyard as well as a Marina so they can haul you out if needed. It's been about 5 years since I've been in there so they may have dredged the channel. The owner's name is Tom so you would have to check with him. He has a couple of services that work out of the boat yard, including mechanics, fiberglass specialist, and a canvas shop as well as normal boat yard stuff like bottom painting. You have other options as well on Core Creek between the Neuse and Beaufort/Morehead City. I have used Bock Marine several times. They have a pretty good marine store on site and are not too far from Jarret Bay which has a more extensive selection. Kenny Bock owns that and has no problem letting you do your own work. He has a travel lift and a crane so can pull your mast if needed or work on top of the mast. He only has a limited number of slips but has a lot of ground for hauled out boats. You might want to give him a call and see if he can accommodate you. These boatyard are a pretty serious hike from civilization so there's no walking to town. I hope this information is useful.