# North Carolina - best place for sailing???



## Summercamp (Mar 25, 2009)

My wife and I are looking at relocating for a few years to N. Carolina. I am an intermediate skilled sailor and wanting to spend a more time on the water to advance my skills. We also need a small to medium sized town with good schools for our two girls. My wife doesn't want to live too far out of town and in a place where she has to jump in the car to do almost everything. We are looking for biking/walking friendly towns with a nice breeze and on the water. We are looking at Washington, New Bern or the Beaufort/Morehead City area. We are open to other suggestions such as Elizabeth City or Edenton? 

New Bern and Washington look to be fairly far inland but maybe the sailing is great. Does anyone know? I noticed that Oriental, NC is very popular but that is too small for our needs and 45 minutes from New Bern. I want to be able to ride my bike or walk to my boat in under 10 minutes. Washington seems a great size and a cute town. The Beaufort/Morehead City looks nice and being close to the coast for other activities would be great. However I don't hear much about the sailing there. 

We are getting ready to explore these areas. If anyone can shed some light it would be greatly appreciated!

Tom


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## Cruisingdad (Jul 21, 2006)

Does it have to be NC or did you just pick it at random? Have you done a winter there?

- CD


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## 14432 (Oct 24, 2006)

The priority of the desires you mentioned will have an effect on the location. Will you consider only public schools for the girls? What size boat? From where are you relocating? Experience with hurricanes?


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## Summercamp (Mar 25, 2009)

We are trying to stay close to D.C. where I travel for work most weekends during Jan to mid-March. I would like to avoid a location where I would have to fly to DC. Another factor (almost bigger than proximaty to DC) is that my wife avoids hot weather and fears anything much further south. I have convinced her (almost) that NC has four seasons. She is pushing for New England and is trying to convince me to move to Newport, RI. I am afraid the sailing season would be too short since I am limited to the off-summer months. We operate a summer children's camp are in the mtns of WV during the summer. I should add that my wife isn't a fan of the Chesapeake Bay. That said I think if I found a town with a little flair and a yoga group for my wife she would be happy. I guess marriage is full of compromises.

More than you probably wanted to know. Having said all of that....I am open to suggestions.


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## Summercamp (Mar 25, 2009)

I have a PSC 25 and a little Flying Scot. I am wanting to spend more time on the Pacific Seacraft. Public or Charter school would be best on the budget. We will be relocating from WV and will return there every summer. Hurricanes...I would imagine we would go inland if the time came.


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## seafrontiersman (Mar 2, 2009)

The area around Jacksonville, Fl. is pretty good too. I sail out of Green Cove Springs and the St. Johns river is about 3 miles wide there and you do have access to the ocean as well as several lakes, inlets, and bays as well as the ICW. Its also has good schools, is pretty reasonable to live there, and it is not so prone to direct hits from hurricanes as most of Florida is. You should also see the springs just south and west of town...what a sight!

Best of everything!

Michael


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## 14432 (Oct 24, 2006)

Do you have to be on salt water? A 25'er and a Scott would fit nicely on a decent-sized lake and there are some nice ones in GA, SC, NC, TN, KY & VA. NC has Lake Norman but it is pretty much of a mess, being so near Charlotte. There's also better wind elsewhere. Proximity to DC could be an issue.

NC is supposed to have 4 seasons but we really have more like 16 - just when you thinks it's warming up in the late winter it gets cold again and the reverse in the late summer.


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## Cruisingdad (Jul 21, 2006)

First, I will answer your question in my opinion: You will like NC. I think it is a very beautiful area and you will get your 4 seasons at least - although my wife's family says there are two extra seasons: cold and very cold in winter, and hot and very hot in summer!! My wife's family is from Lake Gaston so we are there fairly frequently. 

I would not want to weather a winter there which is a principle reason I do not live there as I can live anywhere and so can wife/kids. That does not mean their winters are horrible, I just don't want it.

That drive to DC might be a bit of a haul every week from Oriental or the other coastal towns. I am always amazed at how busy I95 has become. Of course, Kris and I have been going up there since the late 80's (and she has since the 70's) - but I95 can really get slammed. I would make that drive at least once or twice before narrowing it down. If you are going to hop a plane from RDU, it generally takes us 2-2.5 hours from Littleton to get to the airport RDU. Your drive would be at least double that I would guess.

If you don't care about the drive, then I, like you, might seriously consider the area. Nice people. Laid back atmosphere... almost too much sometimes. But great people!

- CD


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## SecondWindNC (Dec 29, 2008)

I'm partial to Washington, but I may be a little biased.  

It does look inland on the map, but the Pamlico River is wide and offers great sailing as far west as Washington. I think you'd find the area to be a great cruising ground for your 25-footer and a fun place to sail the Scot, as well.

There are lots of secluded creeks and bays that make great overnight anchorages, as well as maritime-oriented places to visit that are all within easy cruising range. A long day's trip will put you in Ocracoke or Beaufort, or you can anchor overnight and break it into two days. From Beaufort, it's easy to get out to Cape Lookout Bight, an incredible spot to visit.

It is pretty hot for a couple months - mid July through August, especially - but we have a nice long sailing season and the winters are pretty mild. We might get one or two very light snowfalls each winter, rarely enough to stick on the ground, and some winters none at all. Most people keep their boats in the slip year-round, as the river doesn't freeze over.

I'm not too familiar with the drive to D.C., and I'm sure it's a pretty good haul, but it would be at least a little shorter from Washington than from New Bern or Beaufort/Morehead. The drive to Raleigh is also considerably quicker than it used to be thanks to bypasses around Greenville and Wilson; we can be in Raleigh in about 2 hours.

Let me know if you have any specific questions or if there's anything I can help you with.


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## Morgan3820 (Dec 21, 2006)

Oriental is the best for sailing but doesn't offer much for young girls. Given everything New Bern is the best allround. Fairfield harbor is a boating community just downsteam from New Bern that has a large sailing community. I have been in the area for 13 yrs and have a young daughter so please PM me if you want more details.


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## mgiguere (May 22, 2004)

I have two suggestions. Lewes, Delaware. It's not on the Chesapeake, but on the Delaware River and Atlantic Ocean. Close proximity to DC and places for you to sail. The other is actually on the Chesapeake (Eastern Shore) but in a cosmopolitan area with shopping (Costco, etc nearby) is Cambridge MD. Also relatively easy commuting distance. 

Anyway, for what it's worth.

Moe


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## labatt (Jul 31, 2006)

Regarding your mention of Beaufort/Morehead City, NC - sailing is wonderful there, as long as the ocean cooperates. You're only 30 minutes from the inlet and then it's wide open sailing once you get out. You are also only a half day (up the ICW) from Oriental where there is some wonderful sailing. It's hard to beat the whole area. It does get cold during the Winter though! We were there last December for 2-3 weeks!


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## allied85259 (Aug 18, 2014)

I am also looking to re-locate to the coast of NC. I never hear anything about the Albemarle Sound. Is that because the water is generally too shallow?


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## PBzeer (Nov 11, 2002)

There really aren''t any towns with easy access to the Albemarle. Along the Outer Banks you have really shallow water, and Manteo on Roanoke Island is a long motor out to open water. You do have some nice options for overnight trips though (Edenton, Elizabeth City, Belhaven, for example), and if you're under 45' mast height, you can go around the west side of the island to the Pamlico.

New Bern remains my choice if you want more than a slip.


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## malyea (Aug 12, 2009)

Summercamp said:


> My wife and I are looking at relocating for a few years to N. Carolina. I am an intermediate skilled sailor and wanting to spend a more time on the water to advance my skills. We also need a small to medium sized town with good schools for our two girls. My wife doesn't want to live too far out of town and in a place where she has to jump in the car to do almost everything. We are looking for biking/walking friendly towns with a nice breeze and on the water. We are looking at Washington, New Bern or the Beaufort/Morehead City area. We are open to other suggestions such as Elizabeth City or Edenton?
> 
> New Bern and Washington look to be fairly far inland but maybe the sailing is great. Does anyone know? I noticed that Oriental, NC is very popular but that is too small for our needs and 45 minutes from New Bern. I want to be able to ride my bike or walk to my boat in under 10 minutes. Washington seems a great size and a cute town. The Beaufort/Morehead City looks nice and being close to the coast for other activities would be great. However I don't hear much about the sailing there.
> 
> ...


I'm a huge fan of North Carolina for sailing - sail the Pamlico, anchor Silver Lake, cruise the ICW, linger on the hook at Lookout Bight, watch ponies in the sand dunes, sail offshore to anywhere in the world - huge diversity of sailing options. Yes, you must embrace 4 seasons but it ranks near the top of my list.

Here's a couple links to read first hand accounts of our NC bareboat charter -

Bareboating NC - pg 58, Feb2013
http://southwindssailing.com/pdfs-issues/southwindsfebruary2013.pdf

NC Mini Cruising Guide - pg 36, Apr 2013
http://southwindssailing.com/pdfs-issues/southwindsapril2013.pdf

PM me and I'll connect you with a long time New Bern resident and sailor.

Happy Sails!


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## tschmidty (Sep 25, 2008)

New Bern or Washington are both great sailing areas and decent sized towns. You're right in that Oriental is too small probably but a great place to sail from. Either of those towns would give you a fairly endless supply of places to cruise to, and beautiful to boot. I'll be going back to Pamlico to sail soon!


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## deltaten (Oct 10, 2012)

tagger for future ref.
looking into locating there at some point. thanks for the suggestions.


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## Coquina (Dec 27, 2012)

A few questions:
Why does your wife not like the Chesapeake? I can't think of very many problems the Chesapeake has that NC does not have. If your wife does not like being hot NC is surely not a place she would enjoy in the summer. 
How many hours are you willing to be in a car? I have made the drive many times and it is not anything I would routinely want to repeat. Every weekend would drive me totally nuts - 1 day driving, 2 days in DC, one day back.
I am trying to be gentle here and not start a political fight, so here goes. A lot of NC is NOT what you would call "dedicated to excellent public education". There really are places closer to DC with many more options for public and private education than coastal NC. The island I live on east of Annapolis has excellent public schools and there are some excellent private schools on the Shore as well. We have thought of that area for retirement, but I won't have a kid in school and I won't be driving to DC 4 times a month


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## FirstCandC (Mar 26, 2013)

allied85259 said:


> I am also looking to re-locate to the coast of NC. I never hear anything about the Albemarle Sound. Is that because the water is generally too shallow?


Edenton is on the western end of the Albemarle, and is really nice. But that is about the only good point of interest on the Albemarle, and it does get rough.


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## HipToBeSquare (Jun 13, 2012)

The area around Wilmington and Southport may be what you are looking for. The school system and community resources might be a better match. Airport and interstate are readily available and 4.5 hours to 3000 ft mountains. How close you are to your boat vs where you live might make a big difference in Nc .


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## lancelot9898 (Dec 30, 2008)

We moved from Annapolis area to the mountains of NC a couple of years ago and at that time we considered moving the boat from the Chesapeake to the sounds of NC. We considered Oriental, New Bern and Washington as places to keep the boat. Even found a excellent marina(River Dunes) near Oriental that offered good protection from canes, but after all is said and done we ended up keeping the boat on the Cheasapeake. I was not happy with the shallow sounds and with a 6 feet draft that would limit exploration. The hurricane possibilites were also greater there vs the Chesapeake. So even though the drive time is about an hour longer, we decided that the bay was a superior location for us.


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## SVAuspicious (Oct 31, 2006)

Summercamp said:


> We are trying to stay close to D.C. where I travel for work most weekends during Jan to mid-March. I would like to avoid a location where I would have to fly to DC. Another factor (almost bigger than proximaty to DC) is that my wife avoids hot weather and fears anything much further south. I have convinced her (almost) that NC has four seasons. She is pushing for New England and is trying to convince me to move to Newport, RI. I am afraid the sailing season would be too short since I am limited to the off-summer months. We operate a summer children's camp are in the mtns of WV during the summer. I should add that my wife isn't a fan of the Chesapeake Bay. That said I think if I found a town with a little flair and a yoga group for my wife she would be happy. I guess marriage is full of compromises.
> 
> More than you probably wanted to know. Having said all of that....I am open to suggestions.


In my opinion the best sailing within reasonable driving distance of DC is on Chesapeake Bay and on Long Island Sound (LIS). Sailing in NC is more restrictive - the places to start from with nice places to go don't have great sailing and the places with great sailing don't have many good places to go.

Your wife's distaste for the Chesapeake limits your options somewhat. Without making her (or you) defensive can you share the reasons for her dislike?

On LIS Newport, Narragansett, Essex, Mystic, Port Jeff, and Glen Cove would all be nice. Most would give you the option of trains to get to DC.

If your wife could stand be on the Chesapeake I think Hampton VA might meet your needs.

Another thought is to move to New Bern or Beaufort NC and keep your Flying Scot there. Keep your PSC somewhere like Deale in MD or Alexandria, Colonial Beach, or Occoquan in VA and use it as your pied a terre for DC weekends. Your wife and kids could join you from time to time and perhaps she (your wife) might find the Chesapeake isn't so bad. *grin*

All up given the desire for flair and yoga and sailing I think your best bets are Hampton VA, Annapolis MD, Cambridge MD, Mystic CT, and Newport RI. I'm sure there are other great places - those are the ones I know.


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## Coquina (Dec 27, 2012)

Driving from NC to DC from January to March = total nightmare when there is snow and ice. 
The heat issue is entirely different deal. Anyplace south of Maine can be roasting hot in the summer. I went to school in Florida and summer weather on the coast was no worse than NC or MD and sometimes better. I did a delivery from FL to MD in August and "wow - this isn't as hot as Florida" is a thought we NEVER had until inside an air conditioned house in Annapolis.
If it wasn't for your aversion to the Chesapeake I would suggest Saint Michaels or Oxford. Plenty of things to walk to and a good private school up in Easton. Over here on Kent Island we have great public schools and Gunston up the river in Centreville, which is also a great little town. Only issue is it is pretty far up the river.
Saint Mike's:


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