Moving to NC?

dlandersson · Dec 19, 2014

I envy you.

Saxacussionist said:
Hello! We are thinking of moving to the Eastern North Carolina area. Looking for the best area for both sailing and things to do. Anybody living there care to make any suggestions?

I recently did a whirlwind tour of New Bern, Oriental, Beaufort, Jacksonville, Wilmington, Southport, and Oak Island area. Wilmington has a lot to do but I have been told it is not necessarily the best area for sailing. It's either ocean or nothing? I really didn't have enough time to talk to many people while I was there....

Thanks!

jibes138 · Dec 19, 2014

If you are looking at somewhat sheltered sailing then Oriental or New Bern is the place to be. Beaufort is like Wilmington, ocean only, you can sail a little around the inlet and the port of Morehead City inshore. Send me a PM if you want to discuss further. Little Washington or Belhaven are other options.

gettinthere · Dec 19, 2014

Oriental bills itself as the sailing capitol of NC. Good access to the Neuse river and Pamlico Sound.
It is a very small town with not much going on but good yards and good people. 6 hour run down to the ocean at Beaufort.

captron · Dec 19, 2014

Sailing in NC

Saxacussionist said:
Hello! We are thinking of moving to the Eastern North Carolina area. Looking for the best area for both sailing and things to do. Anybody living there care to make any suggestions?

I recently did a whirlwind tour of New Bern, Oriental, Beaufort, Jacksonville, Wilmington, Southport, and Oak Island area. Wilmington has a lot to do but I have been told it is not necessarily the best area for sailing. It's either ocean or nothing? I really didn't have enough time to talk to many people while I was there....

Thanks!

I would encourage you to take the time to look at New Bern, my wife and I have sailed coastal NC for the past 30+ years, first 10 out of Oriental the past 20 out of New Bern (boat is at North West Creek Marina, in Fairfield Harbor) which is located about 5 miles out the river from downtown New Bern, all the time we have sailed here we lived in Raleigh (2hr drive to NB, ) until this past April when we moved here, after my retirement, and we absolutely love it, the people are very friendly and from all over the country and it is fast becoming a very popular retirement area, there is a lot to do and I think it offers some or the best sailing on the east coast, and just about year round,
I would challenge anyone to find a more charming town than NB, it is beautiful and the downtown is vibrant and thriving with 3 marinas within walking distance, in fact it reminds me of a "little Annapolis" with it's history and historic district, (first colonial capital of NC ) you can sail at high noon on the 4th of July, and you will be amazed at how little boat traffic there is, The Neuse River just past Oriental (approx. 20 miles from NB) is almost 5 miles wide, if there is any negative most of your sailing TRIPS will be in one direction, because if you are in New Bern all you destinations will be east, south or north. East to Oriental, River Dunes, and Ocracoke, then south to Beaufort, Morehead City, Charleston and the Islands, or north to Little Washington, Belhaven, Manteo, the Chesapeake and beyond.
You are correct in stating that The Wilmington area is not the best for sailing as you are pretty much limited to the ocean or very limited areas of the ICW, same is true for Beaufort.
Easy weekend (2 or 3 day) sailing trips from New Bern are Oriental, River Dunes, Ocracoke, Morehead City, Cape Lookout, Beaufort, Washington, Belhaven to name a few, not to mention the many creeks and coves that are great anchorages.

Hope this helps, if you come for a visit you will want to stay for a lifetime, we did.

Capt. Ron

Charlie Jones s/v Tehani · Dec 19, 2014

Having cruised that area 4 or five times in the past,, I'd vote New Bern or Oriental.

Here's a link to a camera showing the town dock in Oriental, right across the street from "the Bean" Those who have been there will understand

http://www.towndock.net/harborcam/

KD3PC · Dec 20, 2014

pick a couple of areas (new bern and oriental, would be good starts) and plan to spend a few days in each.

Washington is a really nice place, a bit more up river but great place to live.

Been to both and we prefer oriental, but it could be a little "country" for some who expect more amenities.

Anywhere on coastal carolina would be awesome to retire to, it boils down to what you want to do, and your budget.

gettinthere · Dec 20, 2014

And consider hurricanes. Some marinas in Oriental took a hard hit and others did not, same in New Bern.
If you choose an exposed marina have a place to move the boat when it comes. The more exposed marinas get a little bit of sea breeze in the very hot summer.

If you want sometbing more cosmopolitan, consider Charleston. The well protected harbor is decent size for sailing and the ocean is very close by. You can easily hop outside to several very good inlets for day sailing and fall back on the icw if it gets snotty outside.
Charleston is a beautiful city.

luken7 · Dec 20, 2014

We keep our boat in Oriental, NC. I'm biased but it's the best location in NC. Here's why. It's at the mouth of the Neuse river, so for sailing no need to motor a long distance before sailing. Also, because you're at the bottom of the river, it's wide, so you can go on any point of sail for a while. Attached are two photos of Pecan Grove marina where we keep Hemispheres.

JoeK · Dec 22, 2014

I have also been considering retiring to coastal NC from NJ. I visited New Bern and Oriental last year and agree with the comments previously posted. Perhaps a good combination might be living in New Bern and keeping the boat in Oriental. A twenty minute drive is better than an hour motor. My biggest concern however was that several people told me "no one sails in July or August because it is just too hot". Any of you locals care to comment on the weather?

Scott T-Bird · Dec 22, 2014

Sue and I visited Oriental with the intention of looking for a vacation home. She also much preferred New Bern, as Oriental is far too sleepy for her. I'll have to admit, that I found both locations very quiet, too. We were there in the middle of July, so the heat was oppressive, accentuating the sleepy atmosphere. There were not a lot of people moving around.

I would like to see if that changes in the spring and fall. It's not hard to see how ideal the location is for sailing. I would locate there in a heartbeat, despite the sleepy atmosphere. There were a very large number of affordably priced homes throughout the entire area in a good variety of price ranges, from small and quaint, to large and very nice. I particularly liked Minnesott Beach, where we looked at a nice home backing up to a golf course - very affordable and a very pretty location on a quite street with nice homes. Advantages included high ground with really nice forested areas; right next to the ferry for convenient access to Beaufort & ocean beaches; halfway between New Bern & Oriental ... great for Sue's preference to be near a larger town, and my preference for the boat to be slipped in Oriental. Pecan Grove marina would be an excellent choice.

We're driving thru there again near the end of February, so I want to take another look.

I added photos of Sue and I in Oriental, and the house we looked at in Minnesott Beach, which I thought was very nice and very affordable (low 200's at the time, I think). I think prices are probably on the rise.

seadaddler · Dec 22, 2014

Florida

Back in 2001 or 2004 we did the New bern and NC area and even Lake Norman
area thinking of retiring and after a few weeks just did not do it for us and maybe it was a NY thing but just did not jump up and down and sailing was going to be very important to us but the water in the river and motoring so much and just felt like we were out of place and like I said maybe just us NYer's.
So in 2004 we went to the west coast of Florida and we are still jumping up and down and just love it and I will let you in on a secret but don't tell too many people because sailboaters are coming more and more every year to visit and than staying but guess what our little Harbor never too crowded,Punta Gorda.
Nick

charliegrau · Dec 22, 2014

You muight want to look at Tidewater, Va or the Eastern Shore. Ready access to the Chesapeake Bay makes for great sailing and lots of destinations.

gettinthere · Dec 22, 2014

I concur with daddler, if I was to pick a permanent spot it would likely be SW Fla. NC will be just about as hot in summer and much colder in winter.

Mike16458 · Dec 22, 2014

NC Sailling

FL Gulf Coast (Indian Rocks Beach) was the best sailing we ever did, but family and work called us back to NC. We live in Raleigh and keep our boat in New Bern. We sail in New Bern and south to Oriental, ICW, etc. and absolutely love it. We sail almost year round, with some motoring required, but we don't mind. My parents live in New Bern, so we have spent a lot of time in that lovely town and if we ever have the opportunity to leave Raleigh, NB would be a most tempting place to plant new roots. We like Oriental, especially for the sailing atmosphere, but enjoy more the shopping and dining options in New Bern.

Spend some time wherever you think is your next home - nothing else will convince you that it's the right place.

Good luck!

Gunni · Dec 22, 2014

Peoria? Have you ever weathered a hurricane? That entire area is very low-lying and prone to surges and flooding. See H. Fran. The City of Wilmington was settled because it has some high ground.

gettinthere · Dec 22, 2014

SW Fl will be 3 seasons but the Panhandle dips below freezing once in a while. Panama City is east enough into the corner to avoid hurricanes, they go north into Pensacola or east into St Petes.

shemandr · Dec 22, 2014

We did the Lake Norman thing last weekend. It's true that's it's nearly impossible to read an area in a few day or even months. We're still digesting what we saw, and found some lovely homes at reasonable prices (It's not a high bar coming from NY). There were good and bad points. But what I think will kill our plans there is the sailing. It appears to me that it's too hot to sail in the summer with the light winds and power boat slop. I was told there wasn't really any such thing as going somewhere to anchor and hang out on the hook. The racing is limited. So I was left wondering what folks do with their boats. If it's daysailing, and you don't go in the summer & winter, I don't see it as being worth the expense.
I also was disappointed in the lack of public access to the lake. It seemed like you need a boat just to be able to access the shore. I know there are some Lake Norman sailors of this forum, and don't wish to offend them but these are the questions that went home with. Please straighten me out if I am wrong.

Spindrift NH · Dec 22, 2014

My wife are currently on a tour of south and north carolina coasts looking for a place to live aboard. We're currently in Beaufort, SC and like the town. Found a marina called Lady's Island Marina. Looks like a great place, close to shopping and downtown, they have a building with a workshop for boaters to use. It's a few miles from the ocean and not much sailing activity(racing ect)which is the only drawback.
We're headed up the coast to Charleston tomorrow then Wilmington, Beaufort NC, Oriental, and New Bern. Hope we find what we're looking for!

Moving to NC?

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