Oriental Harbor Anchorage
Posted by admin | Posted on 03-16-2007
Recent Reviews
Statute Mile: 181
Lat/Lon: near 35 01.393 North/076 41.873 West
Location: just off the slips associated with Oriental Yacht Club which is hard by the northwesterly banks of the primary Oriental town harbor, northeast of flashing daybeacon #8
Minimum Depth: 6-feet
Special Note: Oriental town dinghy dock lies just to the north of this anchorage, and is easily accessible
Swing Room: sufficient room for vessels as large as 34 feet; this anchorage is often crowded
Foul Weather Shelter: Good, except wide open to strong southern and southwestern winds
Rating: 
Click on Chartlet Below to Open a Chart View Window,
Centered on the Location of This Anchorage:
Oriental has a free town dock that holds 2-3 boats. 48 hr limit per month. While visiting this town don’t forget to drop in the marine consignment store within walking distance from all anchorages and marinas here. Purchase just about anything you need for your sailing journey at a huge discount. They stock new and used items! They will also sell your unwanted nautical/marine items. So drop them off here and receive a check by mail or hold it on your account until you return next season. If you are in town and prefer a ride, call 252-249-3222; they will pick you up! Not stopping in town? Call or email them marineconsignment@embarqmail.com to see if they have what you need. This store ships too!
For some reason, none of the cruising guides we have with us mention what’s inferred on the charts: the channel through Oriental\’s harbor is close to the breakwater. While anchoring in Oriental, we tried to leave room between us and the new marina, thinking that was the fairway for the shrimpers. In fact, this is the space for anchoring (well, don’t block the marina fairways, of course), and the area near the breakwater should be left clear.
It’s hard to comment on typical depths in the harbor as right now (19-20 Oct 2009) there\’s minor flooding in the street at the head of the harbor. Several days of north winds have driven water levels about 2′ higher than usual. Nonetheless, it looks as though anchoring towards the Oriental yacht Club is not for the deep of draft (like us!).
Richard B. Emerson