NC8 – Neuse River | Cruisers' Net

The Bear Facts: At South River Anchorage, AICW Statute Mile 178

January 28, 2013 by: Larry Dorminy Leave a Comment

South River - Click for Chartview

South River pierces the southern shores of the Neuse River/AICW, southeast of Oriental, NC. Depending on how it’s measured, the mouth of the South River is almost a mile across.

South River, Statute Mile: 178.5
During our transit south this past October 2012 we pulled into South River around dusk, heading for Lukens anchorage. We noticed something swimming off our bow, a big animal. We got the glasses out and saw it was a bear. We have seen bears swimming across the ICW before-the Alligator-Pungo Canal one spot-but this bear must have swum at least a half mile from the western to eastern shore. We followed its progress to the bank, where he got on land and went his way. We anchored, had dinner, then wondered about the bear’s return-if he might want to rest on our swim platform during his crossing.
Michael J. Horowitz
ALTAIR

WOW! That’s my favorite anchorage. Always see lots of wildlife, but never a bear.
Tony McMahon

Click Here To Open A Chart View Window, Zoomed To the Location of South River
Anchoring Report from Upper Broad Creek, off the AICW on Neuse River, near New Bern, NC

November 19, 2012 by: Larry Dorminy Leave a Comment

Upper Broad Creek - Click for Chartview

Upper Broad Creek Northern Anchorage lies 18.7 nautical miles off the AICW, on Neuse River in the centerline of Upper Broad Creek’s gentle turn to the northeast, north of the charted pilings; Upper Broad Creek indents the northeastern shores of Neuse River, well northeast of Neuse River marker #19.

Anchored near the tip of the 7 foot contour line. Wind and current made anchoring difficult for this beginner salor. Muddy bottom. Anchor held good. Winds are out of the North at 11 kts gusting to 20 kts. The next morning the winds were steady at 15 kts.
Only thing protecting us from the wind was the dodger. Temp was about 55 during the day. 40 or so at night.
Beautiful view of the sunset followed shortly thereafter by a sliver of a moon.
Additional comments. Water depth at the time was 9.2 feet. Winds were NNE.
Will Merriman

Click Here To View the Cruisers’ Net’s North Carolina Anchorage Directory Listing For Upper Broad Creek Northern Anchorage

Click Here To Open A Chart View Window, Zoomed To the Location of Upper Broad Creek Northern Anchorage
Words of Praise for Deaton Yacht Services, Oriental, NC and TowBoat/US

November 5, 2012 by: Larry Dorminy Leave a Comment

Whitaker Creek - Click for Chartview

Deaton Yacht Services, located on Whittaker Creek in Oriental, NC, is a long-time repair firm that has, according to all reports I’ve had, been delivering quality work for many years. Now, they are a TowBoat/US franchise as well. Talk about a good thing getting even better.

We are a 36 Grand Banks Trawler and we hit a sunken log on the Dismal Swamp, damaging one of our newly-repaired props that were chewed up on Erie Canal. That time, we had both repaired on the Hudson River for $690. This time, we got into the Deaton Marine yard and the staff and management were excellent; within minutes, they had the props off so we could borrow their car and drive them to Morehead City for repair. They put our boat back in the water so we could be comfortable and stay warm. When we picked up the props the next day, they asked us to call them on our way back and they had BTS sitting in the slings all ready for the props to mount.We were put back in the water for a comfortable evening and we left the next day. The charges were reasonable and everyone was quicker than we could have ever expected. About the only disappointment was the $590 charge from the Propeller service for a bent blade on one prop; we expected less.

Click Here To Open A Chart View Window, Zoomed To the Location of Whitaker Creek
High Praise for New Bern Grand Marina, Trent River, New Bern, NC

November 3, 2012 by: Larry Dorminy Leave a Comment

The New Bern Grand Marina lies in the heart of downtown New Bern, North Carolina, along Trent River’s northern banks between the low-level Trent River highway and railroad bridges.

This is by far the nicest marina I have ever had the pleasure of staying in. Ducked in because of hurricane Sandy, THEY COULD NOT HAVE BEEN NICER !!! CLEAN CLEAN CLEAN. Starbucks coffee at Hilton, amazing showers, laundry, cable, WiFi, security, great staff, and to top it off, New Bern is a historic beauty. AAA+++
Chris Dates

Click Here To View the Cruisers’ Net’s North Carolina Marina Directory Listing For New Bern Grand Marina

Click Here To Open A Chart View Window, Zoomed To the Location of New Bern Grand Marina
Praise for New Bern Grand Marina, Trent River, New Bern, NC

October 16, 2012 by: Larry Dorminy Leave a Comment

The New Bern Grand Marina lies in the heart of downtown New Bern, North Carolina, along Trent River’s northern banks between the low-level Trent River highway and railroad bridges.

A little update. First of all, Mr. Sligh’s comments posted back in February are in reference to the Galley Store Marina, which is on the Neuse River, and is indeed exposed to that river’s weather. The New Bern Grand Marina, which this thread addresses, is on the TRENT river, and is very well protected from open water. It is also much larger than the Galley Store Marina. It is however, on the back side of the Cunningham draw bridge, which will open on request most of the time, otherwise on the hour. As for the laundry facility, there is only ONE washer and ONE dryer, and they are not free ($1 each at this writing.) Everything else I’ve read here is still accurate. The cruiser’s lounge is very small, and filled with furniture the hotel seems to not want. There is no TV or anything else of much use in it. Rates at the NBGM are still very attractive, but I hear rumor that it is headed for an increase soon.
Clay Watson

Click Here To View the Cruisers’ Net’s North Carolina Marina Directory Listing For New Bern Grand Marina

Click Here To Open A Chart View Window, Zoomed To the Location of New Bern Grand Marina
Upper Broad Creek Explored, off the AICW on Neuse River, near New Bern, NC

October 15, 2012 by: Larry Dorminy Leave a Comment

Upper Broad Creek - Click for Chartview

Upper Broad Creek Northern Anchorage is 18.7 nautical miles off the waterway on Neuse River in the centerline of Upper Broad Creek’s gentle turn to the northeast, north of the charted pilings; Upper Broad Creek indents the northeastern shores of Neuse River, well northeast of Neuse River marker #19.

Cruising News:
We berth our trawler in New Bern and I was curious to see how far one could go up Upper Broad Creek in the Neuse River. If you look at chart 11552, you can see that Upper Broad Creek travels quite a ways north at some reasonable depths, so we decided to gingerly check it out.
I measure on the chart it is about 4.5 Nm from the mouth to Lee’s Landing where there is a boat ramp for small boats and the marked overhead lines. The overhead lines indicated on chart 11552 appear to be no longer there, but there is still the utility pole, on which they used to be. We went as far as the kayak docks for Latham-Whitehurst Nature Park (5.4Nm from the mouth at 35’07.000N, 76’56.515W), until it started to become almost too narrow to turn around. At that point we measured 11 feet of water. The channel is probably about 60-70 feet wide at that part and plenty deep (readings as high as 21 feet) in most places. Most of the creek is around 11 feet deep with occasional 5-foot depths. We have a full keel protecting our prop and draw 3-1/2 feet most days, so it was worth a look. It’s a very remote area, and our trawler drew a few looks from some bass boats in the little creek, but it was a nice test of skill to maneuver slowly up the way. The creek up that far is too narrow to anchor, but fun for a look for a day.
If you go, you will want to have a bit of time to take it slowly, as per the chart and our experience, it was a very narrow tributary. Our trawler is 35 feet and I would not recommend going as far as we did on a larger boat. Turning around as far as we went required a good bit of patience and attention. Still well worth the experience of doing.
Ben Matthews

Click Here To View the Cruisers’ Net’s North Carolina Anchorage Directory Listing For Upper Broad Creek Northern Anchorage

Click Here To Open A Chart View Window, Zoomed To the Location of Upper Broad Creek Northern Anchorage
Praise for Whittaker Pointe Marina, Oriental, NC, AICW Statute Mile 181

September 13, 2012 by: Larry Dorminy Leave a Comment

Whittaker Point Marina lies east of marker #5 on the Whittaker Creek marked entrance channel. I just visited Whittaker Pointe Marina in April of 2012, and found it to be a quiet facility, with superb showers and a welcoming swimming pool. This facility lies at the entrance to Whittaker Creek, a bit downstream of Oriental’s primary harbor.

We kept our boat at Whittaker Point Marina this summer. It is a pretty sparkling facility, meaning new. Nice fixed docks in great condition, beautifully clean and comfortable clubhouse, nice pool. Ashley the dock master really looks out for your boat and he called a time or two when the wind got rough and toyed with our ailing bimini. It is close to Oriental, but remote enough to be super peaceful. The frogs chirping a bit at night is the only sound you’ll hear.
Take heed on the markers though, it goes from 6+ feet to knee deep in a hurry if you drift outside the markers. Saw about a 24 foot shoal keel sailboat get stranded once, and was only 1/2 an oar deep when I was fiddling in the dinghy on the other side of them.
Ben Matthews

Click Here To View the Cruisers’ Net’s North Carolina Marina Directory Listing For Whittaker Pointe Marina

Click Here To Open A Chart View Window, Zoomed To the Location of Whittaker Pointe Marina
Village Food Emporium, (Relatively) New Kid in Oriental, NC – Captain Jane Reports (Statute Mile 181)

August 30, 2012 by: Claiborne Young Leave a Comment

Village Food Emporium Front Door

The Salty Southeast Cruisers’ Net is HAPPY to welcome back our good buddy, Captain Jane Tigar. During years past, we have featured Captain Jane’s articles about cruising south (and north) on the AICW, as far as the Florida Keys. Lately, though, Jane has taken a long absence from cruising.
Happily, Captain Jane has now relocated to the charming river village of Oriental, North Carolina, and has promised regular contributions to the Salty Southeast Cruisers’ Net!
Below, you will find Jane’s first new contribution concerning one of this fellow’s FAVORITE dining spots in Oriental. To be just a little bit succinct, DON’T MISS IT!!!

Captain Jane Reports: Oriental’s Village Food Emporium — a short walk from Town Dock to good food and gourmet provisions.

Did you ever just wish one of these coastal towns along the ICW had a restaurant you could walk to that has good “healthy food” options for breakfast and lunch with a gourmet touch — yet not too “berries, twigs and dirt” as my husband might say?

Around three years ago, some new kids came to town and they opened the Village Food Emporium. Inspired by Chapel Hill’s A Southern Season, owners Bama and John Deal created one of my favorite breakfast and lunch places in Oriental. Their motto is: You didn’t come here to cook.

They describe themselves as “Oriental’s Go-To Kitchen” — and, indeed, they can be when you make your cruise stop here. You couldn’t ask for more pleasant hosts, the food is creative and honest, and you can even stock up on organic coffee beans and tea.

Village Food Emporium has a changing menu of freshly made food with a focus on “whole” ingredients. My co-captain and I can vouch for their terrific organic fresh roasted coffee, the pulled pork sandwich, tarragon chicken salad, the tuna burger, the breakfast egg and cheese sandwich. A new offering is the breakfast sampler of two eggs any style plus 2 buttermilk pancakes, bacon or sausage and two slices whole wheat or marble rye toast with butter and strawberry jam — for $6.

Village Food Emporium Shop

Gourmet provisions and catering.

Boaters — note there are takeout dinners and good loaves of bread available daily (a multi grain batard and Italian bread) and several gourmet staples you may miss while cruising — several varieties of organic-shade grown-fair trade-freshly roasted coffee beans (hyphenated and non-hypenated, I mean, caffeinated and decaffeinated) and a selection of green and black teas and herbal brews from one of my favorite tea purveyors, Rishi Tea. Plus, there are handmade cheeses (the selection varies seasonally), freshly made salads and soups. Check their website (below) for details and sample menus. You can also call in advance and order specialty cakes or picnics to take away with you when you return to the ICW.

The setting is charming — an old Victorian house with lace curtains, and an eclectic vintage flair, small tables inside and out and an atmosphere that encourages striking up a conversation with folks eating at neighboring tables. If you’re taking food out, enjoy knowing the packaging is “responsible” biodegradable and/or recyclable.

Extra bonus: Local crafts

The Village Food Emporium showcases some lovely craft work including John Deal’s wood cutting boards, boxes and turned wood pens and jewelry by local artist Lynda Johnson.

I hope you visit the Village Food Emporium when you’re here. If you do, tell them Captain Jane sent you.

Oriental’s Village Food Emporium is open 6 days a week, 8 AM to 3 PM. 252-249-3663 [NOW CLOSED
702 Broad Street — from Town Dock facing the water, head a few blocks to your right, make a right on Broad and keep on walking for about five minutes. The Food Emporium is at the corner of Church and Broad.
Good Visit to New Bern Grand Marina on the Neuse River, New Bern, NC

August 29, 2012 by: Larry Dorminy Leave a Comment

The New Bern Grand Marina lies in the heart of downtown New Bern, North Carolina, along Trent River’s northern banks between the low-level Trent River highway and railroad bridges.

We stayed at the New Bern Grand Marina for a month. (June – July 2012). Loved it! Clean facilities, staff very gracious and professional, rates reasonable. Great location to restaurants, shops, tourist attractions. Well done waterfront. Plan to return.
David and Mary

Click Here To View the Cruisers’ Net’s North Carolina Marina Directory Listing For New Bern Grand Marina

Click Here To Open A Chart View Window, Zoomed To the Location of New Bern Grand Marina
South River Anchorages (off North Carolina’s Neuse River, near St. M. 178.5) – Captains Mark and Diana Report

August 24, 2012 by: Claiborne Young Leave a Comment

Eastman Creek anchorage. Hang a left at the duck blind!

While successful entry can be just a tiny bit tricky for first timers, South River provides what is, for my money, the best set of anchorages off the Neuse River. We particularly like to drop the hook off the long deserted community of “Lukens,” or, if time is not a concern and/or heavy weather is in the offing, Eastman Creek is almost idyllic!
While Diana and Mark don’t cover all the South River anchorages we list in our Salty Southeast Cruisers’ Net North Carolina Anchorage Directory, they have caught most of the best ones, and they list one on Big Creek that I’ve never tried due to the presence of a commercial fish processing operation!
Of course, all the info below is taken from the Doyle’s just released, two volume paper set of AICW AnchorGuides. Learn more at http://www.OnTheWaterChartGuides.com.

Hi Claiborne,
Admit it, how many times have we all anchored off Oriental’s waterfront or at nearby Cedar Creek along Adams Creek?

Hardy Creek's end-of-the-road dinghy landing and shore access

If you’ve had enough ice cream at The Bean, what about trying something different next time you have a few days in the area?
Off the Neuse River is the lovely South River, at STM 178.1, a worthwhile 6- to 9-mile detour off the ICW’s Magenta Line. Reminiscent of Chesapeake Bay cruising, South River has many anchoring options, varied protection, and scenic wooded shorelines.
Here’s a quick overview of two anchorages “on the way” and then our favorite, Eastman Creek.

Hardy Creek Anchorage
This is the South River anchorage closest to the ICW, so it’s a good place to stop if you don’t have time to continue up South River until the next day. Pet owners will particularly like this stop, with easy shore access at a street-end bulkhead (look for three street signs), good for an evening walk through a quiet rural residential neighborhood.

Big Creek
Moving further upriver to explore South River, Big Creek is much more protected than Hardy Creek. It’s a quiet anchorage in a broad spacious river set in wooded marsh, with an easy entry off South River. But no shore access and, lately, a reputed 11-footer. Alligator that is!

Eastman Creek
If you like quiet, scenic, solitude, then continue up the South River (9 miles off the ICW) to Eastman Creek. It’s worth the detour—presumably the quest for a bucolic anchorage is what motivated you to explore the South River in the first place!

Shrimpers working the South River

Other than a prominent house at the creek entrance, it’s a pristine setting of marsh and woods. There’s no shore access, but you can splash the kayaks, dinghy explore, or toss in some fish lines.
And Diana has an insider naturalist’s tip for you if you visit this anchorage in the early spring: Take your sundowner on deck at dusk and listen for a nasal “peent” call followed by an eery winnowing noise. Those are male American Woodcocks, aka timberdoodles, doing their “sky dance” aerial courtship displays. If you look closely you may actually spot a bird zig-zagging downward. The winnowing noise is created by the rushing air vibrating their tail feathers as the bird plummets from about 300 feet in the air. It’s one of the unique sounds and spectacles of spring—which you can view from the box seats of your cockpit or flybridge.
Best and see you On the Water,
Captains Mark & Diana Doyle
http://www.OnTheWaterChartGuides.com

Click Here To View the North Carolina Cruisers’ Net Anchorage Directory Listing For the South River/Hardy Creek Anchorage

Click Here To View the North Carolina Cruisers’ Net Anchorage Directory Listing For the South River/Lukens Anchorage

Click Here To View the North Carolina Cruisers’ Net Anchorage Directory Listing For the South River – Eastern Shore Anchorage

Click Here To View the North Carolina Cruisers’ Net Anchorage Directory Listing For the South River/Eastman Creek Anchorage

Click Here To Open A Chart View Window, Zoomed To the Location of South River

Well, clearly I’m a little behind the times when it comes to Big Creek (see below). I know what happened. After encountering an unhappy smell here years ago, we have always just anchored elsewhere on South River, and have not stuck our nose in this sidewater for many years. I’ll know better now!

Claiborne,
I live on Big Creek and I can assure you that any commercial fish processing operation is long gone. Nothing here but a few homes and the 11 foot aligator.
Dave Boxmeyer
Oriental Dragon Boat Festival, Come One, Come All, 8/10/12 – 8/11/12 (Statute Mile 181)

August 9, 2012 by: Claiborne Young Leave a Comment

This the first article authored by Captain Jane Tigar that we have had the privilege to publish in quite awhile. WELCOME BACK CAPTAIN JANE!!!!
Jane has recently relocated to the charming river village of Oriental, NC. We can all look forward to a superb series of future articles concerning this “can’t miss” port of call on North Carolina’s Neuse River/AICW!

Oriental Boat Dragon Festival
by
Captain Jane Tigar
This is the first in a series of stories about Oriental, NC, one of those magical “stops” along the ICW that always has something worth doing going on.

It’s here, it is upon us! Paddlers of many ages and walks of life have been getting ready since April so, be there or …
… be very uncool. It’s the Third Annual Oriental Dragon Boat Festival and Race, in Oriental, the North Carolina coastal town where “Dragons” are a normal part of life.

Uh, but, you might be wondering, what’s a Dragon Boat? Dragon Boats are long narrow boats with ten pairs of paddlers, a steersperson at the stern and a drummer on a perch at the bow. It’s an increasingly popular international sport originating in China and if we trust Wikipedia on this one, one of the origins may have been to venerate the dragon deity for good fortune and good crops during the dog days of summer. Oriental’s local teams have been practicing regularly and perhaps we have their diligent paddling to thank for the not so doggy day forecast for Saturday — a comfy mid-80s.

There will be 19 Dragon boats competing in the 2012 race. North Carolina teams are coming in from Charlotte, Raleigh, Cary and New Bern featuring paddlers who compete internationally. Many of the local teams are spiked with muscular U.S. Marines and one team is exclusively Coast Guard and Navy, so there could be some serious speed and competition on the Neuse River on Saturday. And lest the Marine-enhanced local teams get too confident — beware the Miami Dragon Slayers, tough competitors coming all the way up from Florida. Several teams are paddling for causes — the Pirates for PAWS and the Gnarly Dragons teams are paddling for awareness and fund raising for the Pamlico Animal Welfare Society and another team is paddling for Heart Works, a non-profit community agency that serves children and families in Pamlico county.

Officially, the Festival begins Friday, August 10 for the participants who will be practicing on the river and fine-tuning their synchronized paddling, but the main viewing action is Saturday August 11, starting with the Paddlers Parade featuring some decked out teams hoping to win a parade prize which in prior years had categories including “most audacious”.

The parade begins Saturday morning at 8:15 AM. Position yourself in Lou Mac Park in downtown Oriental on the water front for best viewing. Races begin at 9 AM with each of the 19 teams racing three times with their cumulative times determining the winners.

Cheer on the paddlers from a viewing spot along South Avenue between Freemason and Mildred Streets. There will be food and beverage vendors. The Kids Park opens at 10 AM. For more information, here is the festival website: http://www.orientaldragonboat.com/odb/?q=node/196

See you there or, as I said, be uncool — and feel free to root for the marine-enhanced Pirates (of many ages) for PAWS… 😉

Captain Jane
M/V Tara
Oriental, NC
Full Disclosure — Captain Jane is the drummer on the Pirates for PAWS dragon boat. “I make zero money from being part of the team, I just spend money helping support the Pamlico Animal Welfare Society,” she says.

For a lively report on the Dragon Boat Race Results, weather drama and photos, go to http://towndock.net
The Miami Dragon Slayers — wow, broke one minute and came in first place in the open division! Their name is apt; they had serious game-face to go with their muscles and experience. The Raleigh team came in first place in its class (mixed boat, which means minimum 8 women) and fifth overall! And Pirates for PAWS came in second place in the mixed class, fifth place overall — and raised over $1,000 for PAWS.
Captain Jane

Click Here To View the North Carolina Cruisers’ Net Marina Directory Listing For Oriental Marina

Click Here To Open A Chart View Window, Zoomed To the Location of Oriental, NC
Good Words for Whittaker Pointe Marina (Oriental, NC – Statute Mile 181)

May 23, 2012 by: Claiborne Young Leave a Comment

I just visited Whittaker Pointe Marina in April of 2012, and found it to be a quiet facility, with superb showers and a welcoming swimming pool. This facility lies at the entrance to Whittaker Creek, a bit downstream of Oriental’s primary harbor.

Whittker Point in Oriental,clean friendly great Club House and Facilities,.If you want more city Bridgepoint Marina New Bern conveient resonable good Facilities.
Casual

Click Here To View the Cruisers’ Net’s North Carolina Marina Directory Listing For Whittaker Pointe Marina

Click Here To Open A Chart View Window, Zoomed To the Location of Whittaker Pointe Marina
Praise for River Dunes Marina (Statute Mile 173.5)

May 23, 2012 by: Claiborne Young Leave a Comment

River Dunes, A SALTY SOUTHEAST CRUISERS’ NET SPONSOR, found just off the AICW’s run up Neuse River, on Broad Creek, is battling it out with several other marinas for the greatest number of POSITIVE reviews here on the Cruisers’ Net. Below, Captain Cheoah, in a message copied from the Cruisers’ Forum, chimes in below with more words of praise!

River Dunes in Oriental, NC is about as nice as it gets. It is out in the boonies, but they have floating docks, a nice club house, hot tubs, swimming pool, bikes, wifi, exercise room and primo showers with AC. Oriental is a ten minute drive. They have a very nice loaner car, so no beater, and very competitive long term rates. I don’t care for marinas much and stay on a private mooring nearby, but we use River Dunes for all their services before and after cruises and feel at home there.
Cheoah

Click Here To View the Cruisers’ Net’s North Carolina Marina Directory Listing For River Dunes Marina

Click Here To Open A Chart View Window, Zoomed To the Location of River Dunes Marina
Good Words for River Dunes Marina, AICW Statute Mile 173.5

May 21, 2012 by: Larry Dorminy Leave a Comment

River Dunes Marina, A SALTY SOUTHEAST CRUISERS’ NET SPONSOR, is located off the AICW’s run along Neuse River, in Broad Creek between unlighted daybeacons #1 and #2.

We spent the night of Sunday 20th May at River Dunes on our Beneteau 50′. The marina facilities are first rate, the staff are helpful and professional, one of the nicest we have visited. We could not eat at the restaurant as it closes at 3pm on Sunday and doesn’t reopen until later in the week. The one big negative as far as we are concerned was the lack of cell phone reception – if you are with AT&T, basically there is no service, I am told others have spotty reception, to make thing worse the wifi does not really cover the marina docks well.
Andrew

Click Here To View the Cruisers’ Net’s North Carolina Marina Directory Listing For River Dunes Marina

Click Here To Open A Chart View Window, Zoomed To the Location of River Dunes Marina
Good Words for Oriental Marina, Oriental, NC, AICW Statute Mile 181

May 12, 2012 by: Larry Dorminy Leave a Comment

Oriental Marina is located on the eastern banks of inner Oriental Harbor off the Neuse River and is A SALTY SOUTHEAST CRUISERS’ NET SPONSOR!

Cruising News:
The Oriental Marina in NC continues to provide great accommodations and a wonderful stop. We are so glad that some fine things remain consistent.
Here and Now

Click Here To View the Cruisers’ Net’s North Carolina Marina Directory Listing For Oriental Marina

Click Here To Open A Chart View Window, Zoomed To the Location of Oriental Marina
Comfortable Stay in Upper Broad Creek Northern Anchorage, off the AICW on Neuse River, NC

May 2, 2012 by: Larry Dorminy Leave a Comment

Upper Broad Creek Northern Anchorage is 18.7 nautical miles off the waterway on Neuse River in the centerline of Upper Broad Creek’s gentle turn to the northeast, north of the charted pilings; Upper Broad Creek indents the northeastern shores of Neuse River, well northeast of Neuse River marker #19.

We anchored here last night in SW 10-15 and were VERY comfortable. The wind was NE when we entered and the pilings were completely submerged save one lonely post with a cormorant sitting atop. This morning we saw 15-20 pilings where only one was visible the previous afternoon. There is a lot of water in this curve, so stay on the port side going in.
Doug Sligh

Click Here To View the Cruisers’ Net’s North Carolina Anchorage Directory Listing For Upper Broad Creek Northern Anchorage

Click Here To Open A Chart View Window, Zoomed To the Location of Upper Broad Creek Northern Anchorage
Report from New Bern Grand Marina and Galley Stores Marina on the Neuse River, New Bern, NC

May 2, 2012 by: Larry Dorminy Leave a Comment

The New Bern Grand Marina lies along Trent River’s northern banks between the low-level Trent River highway and railroad bridges. Galley Stores Marina – A SALTY SOUTHEAST CRUISERS’ NET SPONSOR! – guards the western banks of the Neuse River, just north of marker #32 and Union Point, hard by downtown New Bern, NC.

We docked at the New Bern Grand Marina today and went for a walk around town. The Galley store has a pretty good selection and their wine prices are very competitive. The staff inside are very friendly.
Doug Sligh

Click Here To View the Cruisers’ Net’s North Carolina Marina Directory Listing For New Bern Grand Marina

Click Here To Open A Chart View Window, Zoomed To the Location of New Bern Grand Marina

Click Here To View the Cruisers’ Net’s North Carolina Marina Directory Listing For Galley Stores Marina

Click Here To Open A Chart View Window, Zoomed To the Location of Galley Stores Marina
Successful Stay in Turnagain Bay, Neuse River, AICW Statute Mile 167

April 29, 2012 by: Larry Dorminy Leave a Comment

Turnagain Bay is a seldom visited sidewater of the Neuse River, almost directly opposite the ICW’s entrance into the Neuse at Maw Point Shoal.

Cruising News:
This is a very flat landscape of marshes and one hammock. It is a nice place to hide when the Pamlico is acting up. Soft mud bottom holds extremely well. Very pleasant when it’s cool. Imagine the mosquitoes will drain you dry on a warm afternoon.
Jim and Talley Powell

You’re right about the mosquitoes, Jim and Talley. I anchored in upper Turnagain Bay near the cut-through to West Bay last October and was eaten alive. I have never seen mosquitoes so dense, and I’m from South Louisiana. The entrance to Turnagain Bay was quite shoal, I dropped sail and motored in real slow, saw some 5 foot water but my CD25 draws less than 3 1/2 so I got through it. I poked my nose into the West Bay canal, but turned back as I realized if it was blocked or shoaled too shallow I’d have to back out – it’s too narrow to turn even a CD25. Other than that, a great trip! Seriously, it’s some of the most remote and beautiful lowland scenery I have seen in North Carolina.
Paul Clayton

Click Here To Open A Chart View Window, Zoomed To the Location of Turnagain Bay
Differing Opinions on New Bern Grand Marina off the Neuse River in New Bern, NC

March 19, 2012 by: Larry Dorminy Leave a Comment

The New Bern Grand Marina lies along Trent River’s northern banks between the low-level Trent River highway and railroad bridges. It seems pretty clear both from our own experience at this facility as well as the wealth of contrary views below, that the predominant opinion is, and should be, that New Bern Grand Marina is a fine facility

The marina and hotel are now two seperate amenities. NO SECURITY at night. The grounds are littered and it looks like a third rate glorified lawn mowing company has tried to landscape..the day I visited they blew their lawn clippings and leaves in the water for your boat pumps to get stopped up. This marina is not what it was when I visited two years ago..we are very disappointed and will not be staying there.
Mike Thompson

These comments are contrary to everything I have experienced at the New Bern Grand Marina. The marina is neat and clean. The staff is great, always going the extra mile to insure those of us who actually have boats there are happy and comfortable.
Jim Powell

The negative comments above are from a man having a bad day for some reason. We keep a boat at New Bern Grand and we couldn’t be more pleased. The staff is helpful and courteous, the docks and grounds in top shape, the atmosphere and neighbors friendly and pleasant. We get a weekly email of news, status, reminders, and are kept informed of all events.
New Bern Grand is in the middle of downtown New Bern and is convenient to everything. The unhappy boater is right in one thing, there are now two separate business entities. It’s been transparent to the slip holders thus far.
One other thing, though New Bern experienced a 9-foot water surge with Hurricane Irene and it’s streets were under 2 feet of water, the marina and residents suffered no real damage.
Ben

We stay at this marina every spring on our way north, usually for a month, and are headed there in two weeks. Called a good friend who is a longtime liveaboard there, and he confirmed that the marina has changed hands, but says he hasn’t noticed much change. We look forward to going back.
Dennis Jay

The negative comments above are from a man having a bad day for some reason. We keep a boat at New Bern Grand and we couldn’t be more pleased. The staff is helpful and courteous, the docks and grounds in top shape, the atmosphere and neighbors friendly and pleasant. We get a weekly email of news, status, reminders, and are kept informed of all events.
New Bern Grand is in the middle of downtown New Bern and is convenient to everything. The unhappy boater is right in one thing, there are now two separate business entities. It’s been transparent to the slip holders thus far.
One other thing, though New Bern experienced a 9-foot water surge with Hurricane Irene and it’s streets were under 2 feet of water, the marina and residents suffered no real damage.
Ben

We stay at this marina every spring on our way north, usually for a month, and are headed there in two weeks. Called a good friend who is a longtime liveaboard there, and he confirmed that the marina has changed hands, but says he hasn’t noticed much change. We look forward to going back.
Dennis Jay

Click Here To View the Cruisers’ Net’s North Carolina Marina Directory Listing For New Bern Grand Marina

Click Here To Open A Chart View Window, Zoomed To the Location of New Bern Grand Marina
Baird Creek Adventure, Upper Neuse River, off the AICW near New Bern, NC

January 9, 2012 by: Larry Dorminy Leave a Comment

Baird Creek, charted as Beard Creek,liess on the north shore of the upper Neuse River north of Wilkinson Point. As Cat. Ben points out, it is marked by a single marker #1. All of us who have done any gunk-holing will enjoy this delightful tale of keel versus bottom, which will also explain why this particular creek is NOT in our North Carolina Anchorage Directory. Thanks for sharing, Capt. Ben.

Cruising News:
The long keel, forever hallowed be its name.
I may not lay claim to being the dumbest boater, but I strive for the top-five.
In North Carolina, we have three types of bottoms, pecan-sandy, chocolate-pudding mud, and occasionally rocky-road-oyster shoal. Hungry yet? We love to gunk hole. It’s almost not an adventure if I cannot jump out of the boat and pull it along with the rope or kedge the anchor. Where’s the fun in being sensible? Markers in our waters are usually inaccurate because last month’s hurricane made a shoal where the channel used to be. Soft groundings come with the territory.
What has saved us in our limitless search for shallow waters and low-cost barnacle scrapings has been our beloved full keel. That and our craft tops out at about eight knots. With a wind. In shallow waters I have the deep sagacity to reduce speed to around 3 knots, so as not to bump anything too hard. One day, I hope to be a smarter captain, but our current mode of gunk-holing has provided hours of adventure, angst, and amusement to my first mate, and I for one refuse to deprive her of the joys of seeing mud churn off our stern. She’s become quite the expert at spotting it.
On our last adventure, we decided to explore the deep reaches of the Northern Neuse River on Baird Creek just after Thanksgiving. It is marked by a single green “1” daymark and a smattering of private PVC pipes with colored tape jammed in the ground. If you were a golfer, you would call this one hazard-filled course. For a boater it generally tracks around 5 feet deep if you are mostly lucky and very careful. Ours is a single-screw trawler with the aforementioned full keel. Believe me, this captain needs it. Drawing a hair over 42 inches of water, I make it a point to scout out sailboat masts in any unfamiliar harbor, because it’s a good bet that that captain will need a full five feet to knock around in there. Seeing a few masts, we gingerly entered Baird Creek in the afternoon, threw out anchor and proceeded to lounge a bit. I had some minor wiring repairs to do with the generator, so went about that a little after some engine cooling.\
Around dusk we fired up the generator, only to realize the repairs made did not fix the root problem, which was the transmission of current from the output leads to the rest of our craft. Including the Two-cycle AC (It’s November and a little chilly. After some mutual frowning and head-scratching, my first mate advises me that with the low temperature forecast, we might do better comfort-wise back at our slip, about 10 miles up the Neuse. So after some long deep breaths, inhale/exhale style – to draw in air for the work ahead of course, I agreed with my mate and decided to get about hoisting the anchor.
Now, this is where the real adventure begins – Anchor, up, no worries. Despite scrubbing and rinsing we still brought a good amount of chocolate pudding aboard as we pulled chain in the dark. In addition, what I failed to notice upon coming into little Baird Creek, was that the wind had shifted to the North, blowing water up the Pamilco Sound and draining the Neuse a bit – lowering the water with one of the Neuse’s famous – or infamous – wind-tides. Our depth finder gets psychotic under 4 feet and we start showing about 700 feet of water whenever this happens – so 700 feet showing usually means we’re near a touch-point, and we were seeing this. We get going about a hundred yards and feel the slow, gentle shudder of bottom. OK- no good. Adrenaline and dismay. We back off a little, free ourselves, and try in a different direction. OK, not so bad, but not for long. We find bottom again. Gentle shudder. Chocolate pudding again. It’s pitch black out except for the small lights of the relatively few homes on Baird Creek. So we back off again and track slowly and surely very close to some of the homes with modest piers. This seems to work. Eventually, gingerly, and nervously we were able to exit Baird Creek with our running gear and some portion of our wits intact. But I can assure the reader any future trip there – in or out – will be in daylight and with a south wind keeping the water high in the Neuse. For Baird Creek – boater beware!
Thanks once again to King Neptune for providence and our long keel for its patience – it’s saved us from ourselves many a time.
Capt. Ben
M/V Sand Castle
Neuse River

Click Here To Open A Chart View Window, Zoomed To the Location of Beard Creek