NC Anchorages – AICW, Alligator River to Pungo River (Statute Mile 80 to 145)
PLEASE CAREFULLY READ OUR DISCLAIMER!
Please Note That Anchorages Below Are Listed in Rough Geographic Format, Moving North to South
CRUISERS NET
Cruisers Helping Cruisers
Comprehensive cruising resource for the Intracoastal Waterways
from Norfolk to the Northern Gulf and Bahamas.
from Norfolk to the Northern Gulf and Bahamas.
FREE to use due to the generosity of our sponsors - please patronize them
Little Alligator River Anchorage
Little Alligator River Anchorage
Statute Mile: 82
Lat/Lon: near 35 55.826 North/076 01.567 West
Location: off the Alligator River’s western shoreline, west of flashing daybeacon #10
Depth: 6-foot depths, but entrance channel is unmarked and tricky
Special Comment: Use of a GPS chartplotter is recommended to enter this anchorage safely
Navigation Detail: Click Here For Navigational Detail of this Anchorage
Swing Room: sufficient room for vessels as large as 40 feet
Foul Weather Shelter: Very goodRating:
Click on Chartlet Below to Open a Chart View Window,
Centered on the Location of This Anchorage:
Claiborne’s Review: Click Here For Claiborne’s Review of this Anchorage
South Lake – Broad Creek Anchorage
South Lake – Broad Creek Anchorage
Statute Mile: 82
Lat/Lon: 35 55.020 North/075 54.875 West
Location: combined entrance to East Lake and South Lake lies along the Alligator River’s easterly shoreline, east of AICW marker #10; anchorage lies just northeast of Broad Creek’s mouth, found along South Lake’s southwesterly shores
Depth: 5-foot depths, but entrance channel is unmarked
Navigation Detail: Click Here For Navigational Detail of this Anchorage
Special Comment: Use of a GPS chartplotter strongly recommended to safely run entrance channel past Lake Point
Swing Room: sufficient room for vessels as large as 38 feet
Foul Weather Shelter: Very good
Dinghy Dock Access: dinghies can be landed at a little used launching ramp, on the western shores of Broad Creek, in the body of this stream’s sharp turn to the south
Pet Friendly: pets can be walked ashore at the Broad Creek launching ramp (see above)Rating:
Click on Chartlet Below to Open a Chart View Window,
Centered on the Location of This Anchorage:
Claiborne’s Review: Click Here For Claiborne’s Review of this Anchorage
Be the first to comment!
South Lake – Boranges Point Anchorage
East and South Lake Anchorages
Statute Mile: 82
Lat/Lon: 35 54.904 North/075 53.961 West
Location: combined entrance to East Lake and South Lake lies along the Alligator River’s easterly shoreline, east of AICW marker #10; anchorage lies southeast of Boranges Point, off South Lake’s northeasterly shores
Minimum Depth: 5-foot depths, but entrance channel is unmarked
Navigation Detail: Click Here For Navigational Detail of this Anchorage
Special Comment: Use of a GPS chartplotter strongly recommended to safely run entrance channel past Lake Point
Swing Room: sufficient room for vessels as large as 38 feet
Foul Weather Shelter: Very good
Dinghy Dock Access: dinghies can be landed at a little used launching ramp, on the western shores of Broad Creek, in the body of this stream’s sharp turn to the south
Pet Friendly: pets can be walked ashore at the Broad Creek launching ramp (see above)Rating:
Click on Chartlet Below to Open a Chart View Window,
Centered on the Location of This Anchorage:Claiborne’s Review: Click Here For Claiborne’s Review of this Anchorage
Comments from Cruisers (3)
- Reply to Capt
Just noticed the statement for sufficient room for 38 foot vessels, every boat in here tonight is over 40 feet. Can’t believe the room back here. So much room, a beautiful anchorage.
- Reply to Capt
Heading northbound. Winds were howling today, gusts to 30 mph. Hopeful that the bridge would open. Great bridgetender. Went to the anchorage in Little Alligator River…nasty, crossed the river to the East & South Lakes. Followed our GPS to the middle of the South Lake. Five boats anchored here tonight in very calm water despite the 15 MPH winds. Will definitely keep this anchorage in mind the next time we are in the area. Our 5’5″ draft had no problem getting in here! (3/29/12)
Capt RL & Karen
s/v Last Call - Reply to Norman
We anchored between the two 8 foot depths off Boranges Point on July 15, 2009. We had about 7.5 feet of depth. Beautiful, remote anchorage with no cell phone (Verizon) or aircard reception. We cruise with a dog, so a place to get ashore is important. Found one along a grassy shore on Boranges Point, near the 3 foot depth mark. Other areas on shore with cypress trees had knees, making a dinghy landing difficult. We were relatively far from shore, but did not try to get closer. As we moved south into South Lake, water depths seemed to fall off sharply, and we stopped going farther south. Our anchorage was at 35-55.813, 75-54.960. We had good holding.
-
Second Creek Anchorage
Second Creek Anchorage
Statute Mile: 88
Lat/Lon: 35 51.647 North/076 03.481 West
Location: west of ICW/Alligator River’s flashing daybeacon #18
Minimum Depth: 5 feet
Swing Room: sufficient room for vessels as large as 50 feet
Foul Weather Shelter: fair, open to strong southern, eastern and southeastern windsRating:
Click on Chartlet Below to Open a Chart View Window,
Centered on the Location of This Anchorage:
Be the first to comment!
The Straits – Catfish Point Anchorage
The Straits – Catfish Point Anchorage
Statute Mile: 98
Lat/Lon: 35 46.030 North/076 03.430 West
Location: the creek known as `The Straits’ flanks the Alligator River’s western shore, west-northwest of AICW marker #26; anchorage lies west of Catfish Point
Minimum Depth: 5 feet but entrance channel is VERY difficult
Special Comment: GPS chartplotter and cruising guide REQUIRED to make a safe entry into this anchorage
Swing Room: sufficient for vessels as large as 38 feet
Foul Weather Shelter: Good, but open to fresh southern and southeasterly windsRating:
Click on Chartlet Below to Open a Chart View Window,
Centered on the Location of This Anchorage:
Be the first to comment!
The Straits – Lyons Point Anchorage
The Straits Anchorages
Statute Mile: 98
Lat/Lon:35 45.982 North/076 03.817 West
Location: the creek known as `The Straits’ flanks the Alligator River’s western shore, west-northwest of AICW marker #26; anchorage lies east of Lyons Point
Minimum Depth: 5 feet but entrance channel is VERY difficult
Special Comment: GPS chartplotter REQUIRED to make a safe entry into this anchorage
Swing Room: sufficient room for vessels as large as 36 feet
Foul Weather Shelter: Very goodRating:
Click on Chartlet Below to Open a Chart View Window,
Centered on the Location of This Anchorage:Be the first to comment!
The Straits – Babbit Bay Anchorage
The Straits – Babbit Bay Anchorage
Statute Mile: 98
Lat/Lon: 35 45.905 North/076 04.293 West (anchorage west of Lyons Point)
Location: the creek known as `The Straits’ flanks the Alligator River’s western shore, west-northwest of flashing daybeacon #26′ anchorage lies west of Lyons Point, just south of the sharp, unnamed point which forms he northern tier of shallow Babbit Bay’s easterly entrance
Minimum Depth: 5 feet but entrance channel is VERY difficult
Special Comment: GPS chartplotter REQUIRED to make a safe entry into this anchorage
Swing Room: sufficient for vessels as large as 36 feet
Foul Weather Shelter: Very goodRating:
Click on Chartlet Below to Open a Chart View Window,
Centered on the Location of This Anchorage:Be the first to comment!
Alligator River/Deep Point Anchorage
Alligator River/Deep Point Anchorage
Statute Mile: 102
Lat/Lon: 35 40.268 North/076 03.405 West
Location: east of unlighted daybeacon #43, and east of Deep Point
Minimum Depth: 6 feet
Swing Room: sufficient room for vessels as large as 45 feet
Foul Weather Shelter: Fair, open to eastern and southeastern windsRating:
Click on Chartlet Below to Open a Chart View Window,
Centered on the Location of This Anchorage:
Comments from Cruisers (3)
- Reply to Ben
Mayflies – basically mosquitos without bite – dominate this anchorage. If you smack them they leave a "blue goo" behind. This washes off. We looked up these bugs. White light attracts them, but understand that red light should not.
Beautiful natural setting.
-
Alligator River/Bear Point Anchorage
Alligator River/Bear Point Anchorage
Statute Mile: 102.5
Lat/Lon: 35 40.592 North/076 04.383 West
Location: north of flashing daybeacon #45, and south of Bear Point
Minimum Depth: 7 feet
Swing Room: sufficient room for vessels as large as 45 feet
Foul Weather Shelter: Fair, only sheltered to the north, northeast and northwestRating:
Click on Chartlet Below to Open a Chart View Window,
Centered on the Location of This Anchorage:
Comments from Cruisers (1)
- Reply to Danny
We anchored here on 12/30/13. It was our second time anchoring in this spot. I really like this spot for the fact its right off the waterway. Just pull over between red beacon #45 and bear point. It is a muddy bottom and we were in 7 ft. of water. However both times we were there it was calm winds. I wouldn’t anchor here with strong winds from the south,east or west.
-
Tuckahoe Point Anchorage
Tuckahoe Point Anchorage
Statute Mile: 104
Lat/Lon: 35 40.439 North/076 05.798 West
Location: north of unlighted daybeacon #52
Minimum Depth: 7 feet, but stray just a bit too far north, and you are into 3 foot depths
Swing Room: sufficient room for vessels as large as 36 feet
Foul Weather Shelter: Fair to good, a bit open to strong southwestern windsRating:
Click on Chartlet Below to Open a Chart View Window,
Centered on the Location of This Anchorage:
Comments from Cruisers (2)
- Reply to Dick
We anchored here on 11/09/09 while heading south to FL. We were running out of daylight so we stopped off Tuckahoe Point. There was only one boat there when we arrived, but by the time we were anchored and had a glass of wine, there were seven boats anchored for the evening.
We anchored with a danforth type and trip line. Turned out the trip line wasn’t needed. Holding was good. We experienced some bugs at dusk.
-
Upper Pungo Easternmost Anchorage
Upper Pungo Easternmost Anchorage
Statute Mile: 127.5
Lat/Lon: 35 33.558 North/076 27.978 West
Location: found on the uppermost waters of the Pungo River, abandoned by the AICW, north and northwest of marker #23 and a short jog west of the Alligator River’“Pungo River Canal’s shoal-prone southerly entrance; easternmost anchorage lies south of the first major cove indenting the river’s northerly shoreline
Minimum Depth: 6 ½ feet
Swing Room: sufficient room for vessels as large as 50 feet
Foul Weather Shelter: Fair to good, but open to southerly winds
Rating:Click on Chartlet Below to Open a Chart View Window,
Centered on the Location of This Anchorage:
Be the first to comment!
Upper Pungo Middle Anchorage
Upper Pungo Easternmost Anchorage
Statute Mile: 127.5
Lat/Lon: 35 33.718 North/076 28.399 West
Location: found on the uppermost waters of the Pungo River, abandoned by the AICW, north and northwest of marker #23 and a short jog west of the Alligator River’“Pungo River Canal’s shoal-prone southerly entrance; middle anchorage lies immediately south of the sharp point of marsh separating the first and second major coves indenting the river’s northerly shoreline
Minimum Depth: 6 ½ feet
Swing Room: sufficient room for vessels as large as 50 feet
Foul Weather Shelter: Good, but a bit open to strong northeasterly winds
Rating:Click on Chartlet Below to Open a Chart View Window,
Centered on the Location of This Anchorage:Be the first to comment!
Upper Pungo Upstream-most Anchorage
Upper Pungo Upstream-most Anchorage
Statute Mile: 127.5
Lat/Lon: 35 34.015 North/076 28.789 West
Location: on the uppermost waters of the Pungo River, abandoned by the AICW, north and northwest of marker #23 and a short jog west of the Alligator River’“Pungo River Canal’s shoal-prone southerly entrance; upstream-most anchorage lies east, northeast of Styron Creek
Minimum Depth: 6 ½ feet
Swing Room: sufficient room for vessels as large as 38 feet
Foul Weather Shelter: Very GoodRating:
Click on Chartlet Below to Open a Chart View Window,
Centered on the Location of This Anchorage:Comments from Cruisers (6)
- Reply to Dave
We anchor here on a regular basis. It is a great location just prior to a northbound entry to the canal. Leave the ICW at marker 24 and you will see no less than 8 foot to the charted anchorage. Good holding in soft mud. It is exposed to the East – South but if it is really blowing you can find more shelter further up the creek. There is a small beach if you have pets. Verizon service comes and goes.
- Reply to John
One of my favorite AICW anchorages, especially before/after transiting the mind-numbing Alligator-Pungo Canal. Always room for another boat even in Snowbird seasons. Great scenery and good holding ground (although I’ve never anchored here in more than 20 kts). Short trip between here and Belhaven, easy day to Oriental or the AICW anchorage off Adams Creek at Cedar Creek.
John – SV Sarah
- Reply to Dick
We anchored here on 5/11/10. We have anchored here just off the G23 on other occasions. This time we went about a mile up the river to the basin. We experienced good depths all the way to the basin. We found a couple of boats anchored along the way. we saw a few crab pots. Holding appeard to be good although one boat did make a couple of attempts before finding a good spot for their CQR. Nice quiet anchorage. A total of 10 boats in the anchorage between the basin and G23.
- Reply to John
Many great spots to anchor, but if there is any wind coming up the throat (east) then you will be choppy for thie night unless you go way up the cove. Beautiful scenery
-
Scranton Creek Anchorage
Scranton Creek Anchorage
Statute Mile: 130
Lat/Lon: 35 30.548 North/076 28.086 West
Location: off the Pungo River’s southeastern shore, well south-southeast of flashing daybeacon #21
Minimum Depth: 8-foot depths, but numerous unmarked shoals must be bypassed to maintain these depths
Special Comment: GPS chartplotter needed to safely access this anchorage
Swing Room: sufficient room for vessels as large as 34 feet
Foul Weather Shelter: ExcellentRating:
Click on Chartlet Below to Open a Chart View Window,
Centered on the Location of This Anchorage:
Comments from Cruisers (1)
- Reply to Pascal
With 70′ LOA and 6+ draft, i cant’ get in such a creek but I did anchor just outside the creek (between the 11 and 10′ marks on the chart) and found good holding. Good protection from the SE winds that made me leave Bellhaven… Wakes and traffic from the ICW where not an issue (may 09). May want to add that as an alternative to the creek.
-
Upper Dowry Creek Anchorage
Upper Dowry Creek Anchorage
Statute Mile: 131.5
Lat/Lon: 35 32.081 North/076 32.046 West
Location: Dowry Creek makes into the northern banks of Pungo River, north, northwest of unlighted daybeacon #15, anchorage lies north of Dowry Creek Marina
Minimum Depth: 5 feet
Swing Room: sufficient room for vessels as large as 45 feet
Foul Weather Shelter: Very Good
Rating:Click on Chartlet Below to Open a Chart View Window,
Centered on the Location of This Anchorage:
Be the first to comment!
Tooleys Creek Anchorage
Tooleys Creek Anchorage
Statute Mile: 135
Lat/Lon: 35 32.163 North/076 36.454 West
Location: west of flashing daybeacon #1, just north of Belhaven and Pantego Creek
Minimum Depth: 5 1/2-foot minimum depths
Swing Room: sufficient room for vessels as large as 40 feet
Foul Weather Shelter: Good protection, but open to easterly windsRating:
Click on Chartlet Below to Open a Chart View Window,
Centered on the Location of This Anchorage:
Be the first to comment!
Belhaven/Pantego Creek Anchorage
Belhaven/Pantego Creek Anchorage
Statute Mile: 135.5
Lat/Lon: near 35 31.871 North/076 37.252 West
Location: on the waters of Pantego Creek, west-southwest of unlighted daybeacon #8
Minimum Depth: 9-foot depths
Swing Room: sufficient room for vessels as large as 50 feet
Foul Weather Shelter: Poor; this anchorage is subject to serious rock and roll even in moderate windsRating:
Click on Chartlet Below to Open a Chart View Window,
Centered on the Location of This Anchorage:
Comments from Cruisers (5)
- Reply to Kevin
Belhaven Visitor Lounge, located across the street from the floating dinghy dock, and associated with the Chamber of Commerce, is a most wonderful example of gracious hospitality and "welcome"! During open hours, a book exchange, free wifi, restroom, and a lovely setting with plenty of sitting room to relax, are enhanced even further by the overwhelmingly friendly offers to help with what else boaters might need. We have visited several times, and during our most recent visit we needed to have a time-sensitive document printed so we could sign and mail it promptly; Diana could not have been more kind, having posted her phone # on the outside door and quickly came to help us take care of that, even though it was outside of their open hours; she is a gem! SV Grace's crew will look for Diana's beautiful smile each time we are there.
- Reply to Pascal
Plenty of swing room there (not sure where the 50′ recomendation came from). Problem is that the “breakwater” doesn’t really break anything from the SE making it uncomfortable in SE winds. good holding, but on my May 09 trip i quickly raised anchor and move a few miles up the ICW to the mouth of the Scranton Creek
- Reply to George
We prefer to anchor further in, just south of the charted end of the channel short of the bridge (right about the 9 foot sounding). Much better protection, good holding and ample swinging room. The town dinghy dock is also more convenient from this location. You must mind the channel coming in as those shoals are very much there, and of course it is a longer trip out to the ICW.
George and Ann
“Incentive” Hatteras 56MY
-
Pungo Creek Anchorage
Pungo Creek Anchorage
Statute Mile: 136
Lat/Lon: 35 30.392 North/076 39.326 West
Location: on the waters of Pungo Creek, lying west-northwest of the ICW’s flashing daybeacon #8
Minimum Depth: 7-foot depths
Swing Room: sufficient room for vessels as large as 50 feet
Foul Weather Shelter: FairRating:
Click on Chartlet Below to Open a Chart View Window,
Centered on the Location of This Anchorage:
Comments from Cruisers (3)
- Reply to Dave
A bit off the beaten track but a great place. Better shelter from East winds can be found a bit West, closer to the fixed bridge.
-
Slade Creek – Southwesternmost Anchorage
Slade Creek – Southwesternmost Anchorage
Statute Mile: 140
Lat/Lon: 35 27.553 North/076 33.137 West
Location: the entrance to Slade Creek cuts Pungo River’s eastern shoreline, southeast of AICW/Pungo River marker #5; anchorage immediately east of Slade Creek’s mouth
Minimum Depth: 7 feet if and only if you can follow the unmarked entrance channel; a GPS chartplotter is NECESSARY for safe entrance into Slade Creek
Swing Room: sufficient room for vessels as large as 38 feet
Foul Weather Shelter: Fair, open to western, southwestern and northwestern windsRating:
Click on Chartlet Below to Open a Chart View Window,
Centered on the Location of This Anchorage:
Be the first to comment!
Social Media Auto Publish Powered By : XYZScripts.com
Comments from Cruisers (4)
Spent a night here in Oct. 2013. We had a NE wind about 15 knts. so we went all the way in just around Rocky pt. and anchored in 7 ft. of water. Had no problems. Two other boats spent the night with us. Did have lots of crab pots at the mouth. Just follow your chart plotter and the depths will match whats on the chart. At least my did. All in all I would rate this as a good anchorage.
Danny Styons
The Little Alligator River anchorage is an excellent spot to wait out weather for either crossing the Albemarle Sound or heading south on the Alligator River. Either of these can be very unpleasant if the winds are high and from the wrong direction. Turn east into the Little Alligator anywhere between red “10” to green “11” and you will find 10 or more feet of water at the entrance. One other thing that requires caution is the number of floats around the entrance and in the river itself. Although there are quite a few, there is also plenty of space to pass between the floats, but vigilance is required. Once inside the Little Alligator River, the floats disappear. We aren’t sure why this is, but we have seen this in several rivers in North Carolina.
We found the depths in the river to be about two feet deeper than charted. Keep in mind that winds can affect the depths in the Alligator River and all connecting waters. The depths we found may be the norm, but may not be what other boaters find. Using the chartplotter, follow the deeper water behind Sandy Point or the wider and deeper water past Mill Point if winds are out of the east. Wind protection from any direction can be found for boats of almost any draft under seven feet. Pull in towards the shore, based on protection needed and as far in as draft will allow. There are visible stumps in some areas and the remains of an old wreck to the south between the entrance and Mill Point. Continuing in the river past Mill Point is a wide, deeper basin south of Rock Point that gives all around protection.
Because there is the possibility of stumps and snags on the bottom all along the rivers of this area, a trip line on the anchor might be a good idea. This will be helpful to pull the anchor out in reverse if it becomes seriously snagged. Be sure the trip line is strong enough to take the strain of pulling the anchor loose and long enough to get it up on deck and attach it to the windlass or a winch. We found this to be an excellent anchorage and sat out several storms in complete comfort and security.
Chuck Baier and Susan Landry,
Trawler Beach House
I have a Pearson 424 that draws 5′ 8″. I use this spot almost every year with no problems. I do go slow entering but find plenty of space once in.
Bill Bartlett
S/V Memento Mori
Spent the night on the hook in Little Alligator River, behind Sandy Point (St M 81). Anchorage; easy to get in, plenty of water and all to ourselves, but wind switched hard out of NE in early AM and got messy in there. Our fault for not heeding forecasted front.
John Thayer
M/V Anna Suzanne