Ocracoke/Silver Lake Harbor Anchorage (off the AICW, on Pamlico Sound)
Ocracoke/Silver Lake Harbor Anchorage
Lat/Lon: 35 06.774 North/075 59.056 West
Location: in the heart of Ocracoke Island’s Silver Lake Harbor, east of markers #7 and #8
Depth: 8 feet
Navigation Detail: Click Here For Navigational Detail of this Anchorage
Swing Room: sufficient room for vessels as large as 55 feet
Foul Weather Shelter: Excellent, good harbor for any weather short of a hurricane
Dinghy Dock Access: the long popular dinghy dock at the National Park Service docks was destroyed by a hurricane and has not been replaced. Agile crews can climb up from their dinghy via an “emergency ladder.” It’s better to tray and find a spot to temporarily tie up your dink at the nearby (now closed) Community Store, or one of the lightly used inn docks
Nearby Provisioning: sadly, nearby historic Ocracoke “Community Store” is now closed, fresh seafood can be purchased within walking distance at the Ocracoke Seafood co-op store located on the harbor’s stores
Pet Friendly: the only way to gets pets ashore now is being lucky enough to find a spot to tie up your dinghy at the old Community Store or one of the inn docks. Once ashore, there are plenty of places to walk your pooch or “meow.”
Rating: 
Claiborne’s Review: Click Here For Claiborne’s Review of this Anchorage
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Comments from Cruisers (4)
Just thought I’d update this. The park service has a very nice floating dock right by the ferry terminal, but if you stay more than three hours you have to pay. They call it their small boat dock rather than a dinghy dock.
There is a labeled dinghy dock in front of the grocery store in the square, but there is only one small cleat on it and it is used to secure the bow line of a powerboat in the slip next door. In front of the visitors’ room in the Square, however, there is a very narrow, small dock wedged in next to the fishermen’s exhibit that is in very shallow water. Two kayaks are on a stand in front of it. I’ve asked around and no one knows who it belongs to; and I have parked my dinghy there for two days in the shallow part with a note displayed asking anyone concerned to call me if I am required to move. No calls yet so I think this is probably a pretty good place to park a dink.
Have been advised that the dinghy dock is back in operation at the Park Service docks, between those docks and the ferries in its old location. Great news!
We made our annual trip to Ocracoke this past weekend and anchored in Silver Lake. Silver Lake has great holding, 10-foot depths and can hold a good 20 boats. The water is a good clarity enough so I could clean the hull and running gear, but still gets some sediment from the ferry traffic.
Last year, you could get free wifi in Silver Lake, but this year no longer. There is a “Silver Lake Harbor” site broadcasting, but it is password-protected, with no opportunity to access – free, paid, or otherwise. This was disappointing, but that’s life. 3G still works. Someone is missing the boat (pun intended) by not having a free log-on through an ad-sponsored portal.
Ben Matthews
Have been here several times. Most recently the Saturday after Hurricane Earl. Silver Lake is very nice and relaxing. Nice to just bring the boat in and tinker. Cannot beat the view. Ocracoke is in a whole other pace and time zone. Very slow and nice. It’s especially nice after high season is done.