Wilmington, NC Sailing

[Steve]

My job may force me to move to Wilmington, NC. Opinions of sailing oppertunities and marinas in the area much appreciated (30 foot Hunter.Thanks,Steve

 

[nick maggio]

Great Beaches

I Looked at living in wilmington and changed my mind real fast.Its either in the ocean or the icw.I saw mostly power boats in the marina's with very few sail boats around ,the locals confirmed that wilmington was not great sailing.I did look further north in new bern and that was the place for great sailing. nick

 

[Pat]

Wilmington

Wilmington is a very nice sailing area. Most of the sail boats are kept in Southport a few miles south. Very active sailing club and easy access to the ocean from there. Lots of marinas such as Southport, St James, Bald Head Island and several others. Most have web sites

 

[JackJ]

Wilmington great for Ocean Sailing

I agree with Pat that Wilmington is great if you want to sail in the ocean. A lot of sailors use Masonboro inlet which is sailboat friendly. Slip prices seem high there though( at least by NCstandards) The Southport area is nice. I live near there and have had my boat in the water off and on for the last couple of years. The marinas in Southport run around$250-275 per month for a 25 foot boat. The downside to this area is that the main sailing has to be in the ocean. The Cape Fear river is shallow except for the ship channel. For me with my ODay 25 I don't always feel comfortable trying to fight the tides and currents. I am actually planning to move my boat to the Neuse River. This is a couple of hours north of Wilmington. It is a wide nice river without the tides. There are also many reasonable marinas. I have gotten quotes as low as $120 a month at a small basic marina near Oriental NC.Drop me a line if you need any information. I'llbe happy to help in any way I can.

 

[Brian Matthews]

Wilmington Sailing

The sailing near Wilmington is excellent. Wrightsville Beach is only 5-10 minutes away. There is a very active sailing community at Wrightsville including a racing association. I have a slip at Seapath Marina which is about 50/50 powerboats and sailboats. The sailing is primarily in the Ocean but Masonboro inlet is only about a mile from the marina. Only downside is limited number of slips and high demand. Prices are probably the highest in NC, but this area has a lot to offer. Good Luck with the move.

 

[Mattie]

Wilmington

I have a place in St James Plantation just a few miles south and the wind on the ocean is great. Watch out for Frying Pan Shoals, really nasty. Happy Sailing! The Saint James Marina is private and even so the cost of a slip is between 800-1200 dollars PER FOOT (to buy a slip).