# Sailing Conditions and Culture in The Neuse River



## midwesterner (Dec 14, 2015)

I'm considering keeping a boat somewhere around the Neuse River in North Carolina and I am wondering what the sailing is like there. What kind of wind, currents and tides can I expect in areas from New Bern to Cherry Point, to Minnesott Beach, to Oriental and out to Pamlico Sound? 

What are the average winds like for day sailing in the spring and summer sailing season? 

I would also like to know about the sailing culture in the area like clubs, marinas, and live aboard communities. I realize that I may have to carry my birth certificate with me everywhere to be able to use a public restroom, but I hope not to be based there for more than a couple of years.


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## jwing (Jun 20, 2013)

midwesterner said:


> I realize that I may have to carry my birth certificate with me everywhere to be able to use a public restroom...


You might be surprised to discover how pervasively this attitude and similar opinions are embraced throughout the southeast USA. It will come up, in one form or another, fairly early in many encounters; it is a way to size you up, whether you are one of us or one of them. Conformance to a strict set of values is an important aspect of southern culture.


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## midwesterner (Dec 14, 2015)

Most of my family hails from Montgomery Alabama and Henderson Kentucky and I agree with you about a conformance to a strict set of values. I was raised to extend good old southern hospitality, kindness and a loving heart to all.

Now, what are the sailing conditions like in the Neuse River?


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## krisscross (Feb 22, 2013)

Sailing is awesome on the Neuse. Very little or nothing in terms of tides or currents. Good winds most of the time. Lots of good (deep water) anchorages, cheap marinas (under $300 month for liveaboards) but also tricky navigation as there is LOTS of very shallow water. As to the culture: you will be surprised how nice and helpful people are here. Oriental has great charm and so does New Bern.


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## midwesterner (Dec 14, 2015)

krisscross said:


> Sailing is awesome on the Neuse. Very little or nothing in terms of tides or currents. Good winds most of the time. Lots of good (deep water) anchorages, cheap marinas (under $300 month for liveaboards) but also tricky navigation as there is LOTS of very shallow water. As to the culture: you will be surprised how nice and helpful people are here. Oriental has great charm and so does New Bern.


Thanks so much. This all sounds good. It looks like an area that offers some good bay sailing as well as good access to the open Atlantic.


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## krisscross (Feb 22, 2013)

People sailing on Pamlico sound mostly use Ocracoke Inlet to exit into open Atlantic. It can be tricky as shoals shift a lot. And it gets tricky past that point as well (entering Graveyard of the Atlantic)


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## midwesterner (Dec 14, 2015)

krisscross said:


> People sailing on Pamlico sound mostly use Ocracoke Inlet to exit into open Atlantic. It can be tricky as shoals shift a lot. And it gets tricky past that point as well (entering Graveyard of the Atlantic)


That makes sense. It looks like the most direct route and the largest inlet. I noticed on Active Captain the info says that the channel and the buoys are moved often.


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## krisscross (Feb 22, 2013)

Yes, markers are moved as the channel changes, but it is a very busy route with lots of sports fishing boats going in and out so it is kept up nicely. And Ocracoke is a fun place to visit, with great beaches, good restaurants and even better bars.


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## capta (Jun 27, 2011)

I absolutely hated New Boring NC! However, I was a liveaboard captain sheltering there for hurricane season on the owner's orders. The water is always brown and a lot of trash comes down the river when it rains upstream. It might be an OK place to keep a boat for vacation sailing if you enjoy brown shallow water. I think you would need transportation there if you were flying in, as stores and the like are not centrally located.
I would recommend Beaufort, NC instead, as you have access to the Pamlico Sound and the ocean. The ocean entrance is easily sailed in almost any conditions. You also have a few little islands inside the barrier island for picnics and beach bathing. Beaufort was much like a New England fishing village, just with better weather, when I used to visit. The big plus is that you have Morehead City just across the river which is a pretty industrial town, so almost anything you might need can be purchased or fabricated there. It was also a fishing port, so seafood was plentiful and cheap.


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## krisscross (Feb 22, 2013)

capta said:


> I absolutely hated New Boring NC! However, I was a liveaboard captain sheltering there for hurricane season on the owner's orders. The water is always brown and a lot of trash comes down the river when it rains upstream.


When were you there? I always thought New Bern was pretty clean. Yes, it gets a bit muddy after the rains and the water always has a tint to it from vegetation on coastal plains, but that is how water looks in most places on Pamlico sound.


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## capta (Jun 27, 2011)

krisscross said:


> When were you there? I always thought New Bern was pretty clean. Yes, it gets a bit muddy after the rains and the water always has a tint to it from vegetation on coastal plains, but that is how water looks in most places on Pamlico sound.


"When were you there?" ; hurricane season=rainy season!
"tint to it from vegetation on coastal plains, but that is how water looks in most places on Pamlico " exactly!
Who'd want their boating in that, when there's nice clean blue water just a few miles south?


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## travlin-easy (Dec 24, 2010)

That tint has absolutely nothing to do with coastal plain vegetation - that brown color is pig poo, and that is well documented in a documentary and books. Not too many years ago, there was an outbreak of pfiesteria, an insidious dinoflagellate algae that is highly toxic, not only to fish, but humans as well. The worst outbreak took place in the late 1980s and early 1990s, when several manure lagoon dams broke and totally destroyed all life forms in the entire river. The river has never fully recovered and probably never will as long as those massive, industrial hog farms continue to prevail in the river's middle and upper reaches. Kriss, you may want to read https://www.amazon.com/Waters-Turned-Blood-Rodney-Barker/dp/0684838451, a book I have read shortly after interviewing Dr. Jo Ann Burkholder for a major magazine article I wrote during the 1990s. You will be amazed.

The same problem came to fruition in the lower reaches of Chesapeake Bay in the lower and middle reaches of the Pocomoke River in the mid 1990s and early 2000s. Instead of industrial hog farms, in this instance, it was the product of industrial chicken farms, which the Delmarva Peninsula is so famous for. The volume of chicken manure that is spread upon the corn and soy bean fields annually is beyond anyone's wildest imagination. The federal government stepped in, eventually, and provided farmers with grants to construct manure barns in an effort to prevent the manure from washing from the mountains created on farms, to nearby tributaries of Chesapeake Bay. This helped to some degree, but the problem still exists. Fortunately, there have been no recent outbreaks in the Chesapeake's tributaries, but it would not take much more of a nutrient load to produce another disaster.

The other dinoflagellate in both the Neuse and Chesapeake Bay is blue/green algae, which is also highly toxic and can cause some serious skin diseases, and kills dogs and cats that drink the water. At one time there was a health warning on blue/green algae in the Sassafras River's upper and middle reaches, warning people not to have recreational contact with the water, eat the fish and allow their pets near the water. Gives you that warm, fuzzy feeling, doesn't it.

The offshore waters offer some outstanding sailing and as stated above the best inlet is Beaufort Inlet, which is a piece of cake during all weather conditions. There is a great anchorage in the cove just behind The Point (Shackleford Point) where you will find great holding and incredible fishing, along with clean water. I would not, however, recommend swimming there because of the number of big, bull sharks that I have seen while fishing inside the hook behind The Point. Great beach area on the ocean side of The Point, where surf fishermen tend to congregate year round to fish for big bluefish and weakfish.

There are some nice marinas in Beaufort with deep water and good protection from storms. Great area for sailing and fishing alike.

Good Luck,

Gary


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## midwesterner (Dec 14, 2015)

travlin-easy said:


> ........N.ot too many years ago, there was an outbreak of pfiesteria, an insidious dinoflagellate algae that is highly toxic, not only to fish, but humans as well. The worst outbreak took place in the late 1980s and early 1990s, when several manure lagoon dams broke and totally destroyed all life forms in the entire river. The river has never fully recovered and probably never will as long as those massive, industrial hog farms continue to prevail in the river's middle and upper reaches..........
> 
> Good Luck,
> 
> Gary


Well we will likely get to see a lot more of it as they continue to dismantle our EPA.


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## krisscross (Feb 22, 2013)

travlin-easy said:


> Kriss, you may want to read https://www.amazon.com/Waters-Turned-Blood-Rodney-Barker/dp/0684838451, a book I have read shortly after interviewing Dr. Jo Ann Burkholder for a major magazine article I wrote during the 1990s. You will be amazed.


Yes, I know this book and situation very well. But a lot has changed since these days. I have been coming to Pamlico sound for 20 years. And no, the tint in water is from tannin and related plant material, not pigs. I test water for a living.


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## krisscross (Feb 22, 2013)

capta said:


> Who'd want their boating in that, when there's nice clean blue water just a few miles south?


For me, Pamlico sound is magic. I can anchor in dozens of beautiful places all over the coastline and not see another boat for couple of days. The water color does not bother me. I swim in it all the time. Many other places south are crowded and noisy.


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## twoshoes (Aug 19, 2010)

capta said:


> I absolutely hated New Boring NC! However, I was a liveaboard captain sheltering there for hurricane season on the owner's orders. The water is always brown and a lot of trash comes down the river when it rains upstream. It might be an OK place to keep a boat for vacation sailing if you enjoy brown shallow water. I think you would need transportation there if you were flying in, as stores and the like are not centrally located.
> I would recommend Beaufort, NC instead, as you have access to the Pamlico Sound and the ocean. The ocean entrance is easily sailed in almost any conditions. You also have a few little islands inside the barrier island for picnics and beach bathing. Beaufort was much like a New England fishing village, just with better weather, when I used to visit. The big plus is that you have Morehead City just across the river which is a pretty industrial town, so almost anything you might need can be purchased or fabricated there. It was also a fishing port, so seafood was plentiful and cheap.


How DARE you sir?!

Seriously though Midwesterner, I don't know where you'll live whilst keeping your boat, and indeed if you will be flying in, there are a multitude of places in NC worth looking at.

However, as someone who works and lives in Raleigh, New Bern is a uneventful 1:45 drive away and is a pretty nice town to visit, provided you're not hiding from a hurricane there. The sailing there varies from awesome to sucky as it does just about anywhere, but the people and culture are awesome full time.

My wife and I love it there, and have long term plans of possibly retiring there one day. The Doubletree at my marina has arms open wide for anyone who needs to take a piss.

My second hometown.

Where I keep my second home.

P.S.-If you end up there, be sure to have breakfast at Baker's Kitchen and don't skip the Dutch Potatoes.


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## twoshoes (Aug 19, 2010)

krisscross said:


> Yes, I know this book and situation very well. But a lot has changed since these days. I have been coming to Pamlico sound for 20 years. And no, the tint in water is from tannin and related plant material, not pigs. I test water for a living.


I too am in the water/water purification business, and have the understanding that the brown water is from tannins from all of our damn conifers in this state. Pine trees are a blight upon this great state and are reason enough alone to stay away from it.


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## PBzeer (Nov 11, 2002)

If your main interest is day sailing, then Oriental, to me, is the prime spot, unless you want open water, then Beaufort/Morehead City would be the spot. New Bern, again to me, is the best liveaboard town.


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## travlin-easy (Dec 24, 2010)

Kriss, I have been to locations throughout the world where the waters are tannin stained and in most of those locations, the underwater visibility was still fairly good with distances up to 10 or 12 feet not uncommon, which was the case in many areas of the lower Pocomoke River during he 1950s, long before chicken farming took off on the Delmarva Peninsula. Now the underwater visibility on the same river is zero. When you spin down the water with a centrifuge, the amount of suspended solids in the test tube is often nearly 20 percent of the volume. That's definitely something other than tannin, which shows little or nothing when spun down.

During the past 50 years I have fished the waters of the outer banks and the adjacent sounds several times a year. I have personally witnessed the demise of the water quality both inshore and along the beaches. Believe me, the difference has been dramatic, and the increase in industrial pig farming coincides with the decline of water quality. Granted, you may go swimming in the sound, and so far, suffered no consequences, and I hope you never do. Unfortunately, there are a large number of individuals that have suffered severe problems from waterborne diseases contracted in both Chesapeake Bay and Pamlico Sound, and this is well documented as well. The very last thing you will every want to endure in your life is a mycobacterium infection. I have only seen a few when I worked in medicine, and they are really nasty and difficult to successfully treat. In some instances, amputation of hands and fingers have resulted from Mycobacterium marinum.

As to the EPA, keep in mind they arrived on the scene about 1970, but at the time, they really didn't have much involvement with water quality, mainly concentrating on air pollution problems with the Nixon administration. Water quality problems were mainly left up to the states to resolve, something they tended to turn their back on for political reasons. Consequently, out waterways suffered severely and water pollution ran rampant. Beaches were closed, shellfish and finfish were highly contaminated, and the best the states could come up with was don't go swimming and limit your seafood consumption. And, this is still the case. Currently, there are warnings against swimming in Chesapeake Bay after a rainfall of 2 inches or greater. 

Good luck,

Gary


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## SecondWindNC (Dec 29, 2008)

Wow, there's quite a lot going on in this thread. I just have to address a couple of points.

First, the water is brownish due to coastal ecology ie. tannic acid from flowing through watersheds dominated by conifers. I'm certainly not going to argue that upstream runoff, farming and agriculture have not affected the water quality over the years, but they're not the reason for the color/lack of visibility. In my purely observational opinion, eastern NC's rivers are much healthier now than they were 2-3 decades ago when I was growing up, based on the recovery of water grasses, fish, crabs, and ospreys. Personally I credit the gradual improvement of environmental controls upstream and support continued efforts in that direction. For what it's worth, I've been swimming in eastern NC rivers and sounds my whole life and I turned out ok, at least according to my mama.

Second, Ocracoke itself is an amazing and unique place to visit, but Ocracoke Inlet is a fair weather inlet at best, especially for the draft of a sailboat. It can be used but it's shifty and shallow, and can be rough; up-to-date local knowledge is advised. Beaufort Inlet is the ticket if ocean access is what you're looking for. But one of the great things about eastern NC is how much sailing you can do and how many places you can visit without going offshore.

People are generally friendly and welcoming, and there are marina facilities ranging from very nice to, let's say, rustic. The sailing season is long (all year if you don't mind bundling up, but easily 8-9 months for less hardy sailors) and there are tons of secluded creeks to anchor in for protection or just a quiet night on the hook. Currents and tides are negligible save for wind-driven tides. There is generally good wind for sailing, though it can get still and steamy in July/August. As the saying goes, if you don't like the weather, just wait a minute. (For example, within the last week we've had both gorgeous days with temps in the upper 70s, and now highs of 40 and nights in the mid-20s.)

While it sounds like you're not excited about the prospect of being based in NC, I hope you'll find it to be enjoyable while you're here, as have so many who have come from elsewhere and stayed. I'll leave the restroom mess alone except to say I couldn't care less which bathroom you want to use.


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## midwesterner (Dec 14, 2015)

SecondWindNC, you have sold me on the area. I have vacation a number of times in various areas of the Outer Banks and have loved every place I've been. I have done quite a bit of research of where I might like to keep a boat and this area keeps coming up high on my list for weather and environment.

I am old enough to have seen the benefits of the before and after of our Environmental Protection laws and the Clean Water Act of 1972. I remember the massive fish kills on the Great Lakes and the time when the Cuyahoga River caught fire. 

I grew up near the banks of the Mississippi River and remember, in my youth, when you frequently saw dead fish and petrochemical slicks on the water in St Louis. There is a world of difference today. 

I regularly go swimming in the waters of the Missouri River, also known as The Big Muddy. It is noticeably cleaner than it was 40 years ago but still has very low visibility due to the rich river silt that flows down from the plains of Nebraska and Kansas.

I will probably end up having a boat in the area for a while, although I may have trouble convincing my gay friends and relatives to come visit me on my boat. 

I would have some difficulty thinking about settling in a state that has a sufficient number of hateful legislators, to pass a law that is clearly intended to level such hatred on transgender people. 

But here in Missouri, except for St Louis and Kansas City, we also have some legislators who occasionally get their name in the paper for things that make us look like we are nothing more than a bunch of rubes and bumpkins.

We had a lawmaker here, who was up for election, who tied up our legislature with several weeks of debate trying to propose a law banning billboards from having the words "Adult Toy Store" on them.


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## Mike_NC (Jan 22, 2016)

Midwesterner, you would be a fool to relocate to NC. The people of this state are in-bred backwoods rubes totally incapable of managing their environment and affairs. Unfortunately, we have a dearth of enlightened individuals such as yourself to help us manage.


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## mthoma21 (Mar 2, 2017)

All in all, everyone has some good points and not all are wrong about the water quality. My girlfriend is a nurse at the hospital in New Bern and can relate horror stories about infections not treated correctly from swimming in waters after pollution spreading floods. Basically, don't swim with open cuts after alot of rain and your fine from what the local docs report.haha. I swim in it and am fine, I just don't go too long before a shower. The Grand Marina at the DoubleTree is great, affordable, has floating docks and nice facilities. New Bern people are nice and the downtown area has good restaruants and a few bars. Enough transplanted people from other places to make it seem not too backwards but keep the southern charm. Large grocery / walmart / lowes requires a car but are there. If you travel by car, its the closest deep water to all points west and that makes it nice. Sailing is good usually. Even though it is a wide one, river sailing is definitely constrained by wind direction on any given day. 

Heading east to havelock / cherry point........... to each his own, but I can't wait until they build a bypass around it, so I can get from New Bern to Beaufort by car without ever having to see that town. 

Minnesott Beach is smaller, not as well protected, and not much in the way of marinas. biggest thing there is the ferry dock.

Oriental.... ahh, Mayberry on the Neuse. More sailboats than people, lots of cruisers, lots of transplanted people from all walks of life, and all the groceries you want as long as its from the Piggly Wiggly. Very boat centered town with a few good restaruants and a small west marine and waterside supply store. Several marinas with decent facilities. The river is much wider here and provides easier daysailing for sure. Easy 1 way day trip to Beaufort / Morehead City / Cape Lookout down the ICW. Also much closer to get to Ocracoke and all its beauty. Inlet between Ocracoke and Hatteras Island has been drastically changed in the past few years and has not been properly dredged recently. Beaufort is defiantly the place to hit open ocean if thats what your after.

Beaufort is great if you dont mind the extra 45 min/ hr down the river by car from New Bern, only place your gonna find the water clear up enough for me to call it clear. They're expanding a few marinas now after changing the bridge layout too. 

Depends on how you plan on getting to the boat (fly or car) and if you want airport and some amenities on the river (New Bern), small town charm with a little more drive and less amenities (oriental), or open water sailing and driving through beach traffic in Morehead City to get to (Beaufort). All in all, I'm a transplant and am always surprised by the variety of people I meet in each town. Everyone is always nice, as the boating community usually is, and each place has its favorable attributes. I keep my boat in New Bern and sail it to Oriental and Beaufort and think its great. Docking in Oriental is an attractive option for me, but I like to be able to drive a shorter distance.


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## Mike_NC (Jan 22, 2016)

mthoma21 said:


> Enough transplanted people from other places to make it seem not too backwards but keep the southern charm.


I understand your sentiments perfectly. From my perspective, the optimal percentage of newcomer to native is 100% to 0% since one backward hick is the "fly in the ointment". Some would consider the horde of transplants relocating to NC to be a locust plague, devouring the flora and culture. A more apt comparison would be benevolent Christian missionaries attempting to recreate the promised land from which they came by converting the wicked and backward local populace.


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## Jammer Six (Apr 2, 2015)

I wouldn't go somewhere that I'd feel I needed my birth certificate. I understand the feeling completely, but if I really felt that way about a place, I'd be a lot more likely to stay home and organize a riot.


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## jshudson1 (Mar 16, 2017)

midwesterner said:


> I'm considering keeping a boat somewhere around the Neuse River in North Carolina and I am wondering what the sailing is like there. What kind of wind, currents and tides can I expect in areas from New Bern to Cherry Point, to Minnesott Beach, to Oriental and out to Pamlico Sound?
> 
> What are the average winds like for day sailing in the spring and summer sailing season?
> 
> I would also like to know about the sailing culture in the area like clubs, marinas, and live aboard communities. I realize that I may have to carry my birth certificate with me everywhere to be able to use a public restroom, but I hope not to be based there for more than a couple of years.


It is like the Chesapeake Bay but much better. Great winds, better gunkholes, affordable marinas, Ocracoke if you like food and bars, Lookout Bight if you like the ocean, South River is my favorite place to anchor out. I keep my 37' sailboat in Oriental and it is the best place i have been. Pay no attention to the idiots who complain about restrooms; the problem is all politics and has no real effect on what happens. The town of Oriental is "the sailing capital of NC" and embraces sailors and liveaboards. Check out WCYOA.org for a good place to rent. 
John


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## travlin-easy (Dec 24, 2010)

Whitaker Creek Marina is awesome, I stopped there on my trip up the ICW when I was northbound. Beautiful place.

Good luck,

Gary


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## 5253reynolds (Feb 5, 2017)

Terrible place don't even think of going there. It's amazing the area has survived all these years without folks from Seattle and Missouri showing it the light. By all means avoid at all cost. The river is dirty the people are backwards. I repeat don't ever go there.


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## travlin-easy (Dec 24, 2010)

A little over a month from now, I will be in the Neuse River and while I'm there I hope to collect some water samples and have them analyzed. I will be more than happy to provide the results when they become available.

All the best,

Gary


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## twoshoes (Aug 19, 2010)

travlin-easy said:


> A little over a month from now, I will be in the Neuse River and while I'm there I hope to collect some water samples and have them analyzed. I will be more than happy to provide the results when they become available.
> 
> All the best,
> 
> Gary


How far up the Neuse you coming? I wouldn't mind having one of those famous Margaritas.


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## blowinstink (Sep 3, 2007)

An outsider's view on NC and the Neuse:

I have been there for longer than I planned or hoped. Currently I am at a marina outside of New Bern. The sailing on the Neuse is okay -- better in the fall than the summer. It is wide and easily navigable and there is a fair amount of sail traffic out there if you like that. 

As for towns / destinations: New Bern is nothing to write home about (it is underpopulated, older and nothing happens there) but it does have a couple of decent restaurants some cool architecture and prices are great if you come from metropolis. Oriental has never impressed me although I know many who love it. Ocracoke and Beaufort really shine, IMO. Ocracoke is one of my favorite places . . . I won't tell you just go spend a week and see for yourself. Take or rent a bike and get out on the national park and through the village. The inlet is apparently passable, but I have not been willing to run it with 5' draft without a fishing boat leading me through. I would rather do it outbound than inbound. Beaufort is a great little town -- but it is a little town . . . for better and worse if you know what I mean. Check out the maritime museum, some of the more remote parts of Taylor Creek . . . Cape Lookout is a whole 'nother destination.

From New Bern, Beaufort is a day of motoring and sailing. Ocracoke is a very long day and more realistically two days. Along the way there are some great anchorages -- places you can disappear for a couple days or a couple of weeks if you choose. 

As for the culture, Eastern NC has lots and lots of transplants and also lots of locals with generations of history there. I find that there are amazing people and complete jackasses among both groups -- as always, leaving your preconceptions home is the best policy.

Finally, you can find an eastern NC sailors group on FB (and I am sure lots of folks here too).

Luck,
Matt


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## travlin-easy (Dec 24, 2010)

twoshoes said:


> How far up the Neuse you coming? I wouldn't mind having one of those famous Margaritas.


Up to New Bern. Caravanning with a friend who is moving his boat to a marina right next to the bridge.

Gary :ship-captain:


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## Rocky Mountain Breeze (Mar 30, 2015)

You NC guys who would like to keep the mid-westerner's out should be thankful that you are not being flooded with retired Californicator public employees like Colorado is. It is not a pleasant experience.......


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## jwing (Jun 20, 2013)

Rocky Mountain Breeze said:


> You NC guys who would like to keep the mid-westerner's out should be thankful that you are not being flooded with retired Californicator public employees like Colorado is. It is not a pleasant experience.......


Move to Kansas. Problem solved. And you'll be in ******* paradise.


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## JConk007 (Jun 4, 2017)

Reviving this Thread. 
I am considering New Bern for Boat Slip Purchase. Have done minimal offshore sailing and looking for family friendly location to share my passion of weekend sailing. (for now) Any thoughts on Northwest Creek Marina or should I really consider the extra drive the extra to Beaufort area 
PS I live in Raleigh /Durham area  
Thanks all !

John


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## FreeAgent (Apr 19, 2017)

Only been to that area by boat on deliveries up & down ICW, but also several times by car on way north via Cedar Island, Ocracoke & Outer Banks. Beaufort is one of our favorite places to visit. It has that New England, Maritime feel. But don't see it as a suitable place to day sail and I imagine it can get pretty busy there in summer.

Two of the windiest days I recall on deliveries, were in the Neuse River. Once when leaving the cut en-route to Oriental, we couldn't make 2 knots (40footer, 40HP). The other time was heading South, up Neuse River. Probably just our bad luck! There is reasonably deep water in river between Oriental & Pamlico Sound so good for day sailing. Sound itself seems ok, but kind of shallow near land! I looked at a C&C37 once in Oriental. I think it had a centreboard. Makes sense for that area?

Haven't spent much time in New Bern. Did check out the upscale marina at what looked like a hotel/conference centre? Never been to Northwest Creek Marina, but it seems to be in a good location. Remember eating at place called Crabby Jacks just off 70 on way into New Bern. Good seafood!


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## JConk007 (Jun 4, 2017)

Thanks yeah that upscae place is the New Bern Grand Marina right in town I am looking little further south at Northwest Creek not really even sure how far a sail it is to Oriental yet but hear that and Beaufort are really nice would like to be able to swim if possible. 
John


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## FreeAgent (Apr 19, 2017)

JConk007 said:


> Thanks yeah that upscae place is the New Bern Grand Marina right in town I am looking little further south at Northwest Creek not really even sure how far a sail it is to Oriental yet but hear that and Beaufort are really nice would like to be able to swim if possible.
> John


Hopefully the locals can fill you in on swimming in the Neuse. This link might help? There is always the marina pool  Locals can hopefully also advise if day sailing out of Beaufort or Morehead City makes sense. Didn't seem like it to me, unless you want to sail in ocean. I am sure that swimming in the Atlantic off Bogue Banks (The barrier island off of Beaufort/Moorehead) would be fine. Nice beaches from what I recall. We stayed in a hotel over there several times, but that was in winter!


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## mthoma21 (Mar 2, 2017)

It depends on what you are looking for in a marina. The road out to Northwest creek is fine, but it is out there on its own in a large housing development. I am in the Grand Marina in downtown New Bern, because I can walk to food/beer and it is well protected with floating docks and a nice area 10 minutes from walmart/lowes/etc. At Northwest Creek, I was 20-30 minutes one way to get something to work on the boat. That being said, the Neuse River between New Bern and Broad Creek, that Northwest Creek Marina is off of, can be a bit gusty depending on wind direction. Once your past Broad Creek heading east, it gets wider and a bit better. I can usually make it to Oriental in 1/2 day or so, and Beaufort isn't out of the question in a day, but its more dependent on wind. For me it was between Oriental and Downtown New Bern. New Bern won out so I didnt have to drive as far from house to boat. The closer it is, the more time I spend on it!

As for swimming, people go for a dip around New Bern, and I am not hesitant to get in the water to clean the crap off the hull for a minute or wade in with the dog on her poop expeditions. But I wouldn't be in there if I had an open cut or wound. That kind of swimming is reserved for Beaufort and Cape Lookout where the pig farm runoff has had enough time to filter out.


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## twoshoes (Aug 19, 2010)

JConk007 said:


> Reviving this Thread.
> I am considering New Bern for Boat Slip Purchase. Have done minimal offshore sailing and looking for family friendly location to share my passion of weekend sailing. (for now) Any thoughts on Northwest Creek Marina or should I really consider the extra drive the extra to Beaufort area
> PS I live in Raleigh /Durham area
> Thanks all !
> ...


I also currently live/work in Raleigh and rent a slip at the New Bern Grand. Don't know too much about Northwest Creek other than they have fixed docks and those short, skinny finger piers I'm not a fan of. We chose New Bern due to proximity (less than 2 hour drive from Raleigh) and because it's the nicest marina and town in the area in my opinion. Not sure about ownership, but for renting the prices were comparable to the others in the region.

As far as swimming goes there's Green Springs Water Park nearby, it's privately owned and admission is free. We've never been there but sail by it all the time. It doesn't look like anything to write home about, but there's always a bunch of kids out there seemingly having a good time.

I'd be happy to answer any other questions you may have.


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## midwesterner (Dec 14, 2015)

Thanks, there is a lot of good information that people have posted here. I have to make a trip to the area sometime. I have camped in the Hilton Head area and liked it.


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## rpludwig (Mar 13, 2017)

Moved to New Bern after years in upstate NY followed by 15 in Raleigh. Great folks, superb marina facilities, great sailing club, everything we would want is 15 min away, docs, hospital, shopping, small mall, quaint small downtown, neat historic architecture, good restaurants, very affordable area/housing, low taxes and NO traffic...not one regret and all upside IMO. Plenty of transplants here and nothing at all wrong with the locals, couldn't be more friendly/helpful.

The bonus is all that's been said about Beaufort, Oriental, Ocracoke, Pamlico Sound, etc., nearby.

Look into it!


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## PBzeer (Nov 11, 2002)

Not sure why anyone would want to purchase a slip, when there's no shortage of them.

New Bern to Oriental approximately 5 hrs at 5 knots. Oriental to Ocean about the same. Oriental is a better day sailing location, but New Bern is a better liveaboard one.

I picked New Bern Grand over the other area marinas because it's on the "right side" of the river. Easy walk to downtown and it's shops, weekly Farmer's Market, library and attractions.


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