I could not agree with Captains David and Dixie more! Some of the very best nights we have ever spent on the water have been enjoyed while swinging on the hook in Cape Lookout Bight!
While it is possible to find your way to this anchorage from Harkers Island and Back Sound, by way of Barden Inlet, this route has some real shoaling problems, and the aids to navigation are scattered and hard to identify on some parts of this passage. Most cruisers will want to cruise to the Bight from Beaufort Inlet.

We live in NC and love the Beaufort/ Morehead area. If you decide to stay there be sure to spend some nights out at Cape Lookout. There are no marinas, restaurants, traffic, …. just a lot of quiet and beautiful beaches. You should be able to watch the weather and have several 60 degree days. Perfect for walking the beaches.
You will be far enough away from light pollution to see the milky way at night.
Be sure to take a spud launcher to launch apple halves to the wild horses. Launch a couple and the horses will appear shortly. Fun to watch the horses chase the apples.
Watch the tide in this area. It can have a 6 foot swing and turns in a hurry. I’ve grounded there once and have seen locals from Harkers Island get grounded there also (course they would rather say they got liquored up and fell asleep than admit to making a nautical mistake).
David and Dixie

This writer has the distinct advantage of having spent a good part of his boyhood in Morehead City and Beaufort. Thus, there I times I think I could almost navigate these waters blindfolded.
However, for those without such long standing local knowledge, I heartily endorse Captain advice below. There are LOT of channels in this region, and first timers could be hard put to follow the correct track on the chart, without some advance study.

Cruising News: The southbound ICW channels approaching and through Morehead City NC is a difficult area if one isn’t familiar with them. We recommend that anyone transiting this area for the first time make sure they familiarize themselves with the twists and turns the southbound ICW channel takes as the charts are so congested, that they are hard to follow.
Bob and Teddie Viola
on “Lady T”

The installation of private moorings on Taylor Creek has been going on for some years now. The town has chosen not to regulate this practive, at least not yet. I’m very sorry to hear the reduced swing room is one of the results of this activity. So many of us in the cruising community like to anchor on Taylor Creek and experience the delights of the Beaufort Historical District. Of course, you can always pick up a slip at the Beaufort Town Docks. Everything except a supermarket is within easy walking distance.
If you do anchor on Taylor Creek, there are free dinghy docks at both the eastern and western ends of the pricipal waterfront. The westerly pier is particuarly convenient to the downtown shopping district.

This anchorage is filling with moorings which, as far as I can tell, are not legal but remain nonetheless. While there is good depth in the part of the cut east of G’7’³, the narrower channel causes the current to run much faster than to the west of G’7’³. It’s easy to find enough water for boats drawing 7-8′.
At the moment, there are two boats riding to Bahamian moorings, many boats riding on moorings, and the rest riding on one hook (our boat included), some with excessive amounts of scope out. The different swing circles makes finding suitable swing room a challenge (we saw one boat spend over an hour to find a usable spot and it took us three passes to get the hook set in the right place). A quick check shows very few boats are showing anchor lights or even a cockpit light as a low-level anchor light – not good news for an after sunset dinghy ride.
There is some fetch from the west and somewhat less from the east, and virtually nothing to the north or south. But there’s very little wind shelter from any direction save to the north, and that from the buildings and trees on shore. While Beaufort has much to commend it, Taylor Creek is probably best rated as `advanced skills or better needed’.
Rick Emerson

Click Here For The Cruisers’ Net’s North Carolina Anchorage Directory Listing For he Taylor Creek/Beaufort AnchorageClick Here For The Cruisers’ Net’s North Carolina Marina Directory Listing For the Beaufort Town Docks

The Jarrett Bay Marine Marine Industrial Park is located directly on the Core Creek portion of the AICW, north of Beaufort, NC. There are many other superb marine repair firms located in this park, including our good friends at Core Creek Marine. The Jarrett Bay Company itself, as described below, offers not only superb repairs, but fuel and some overnight dockage.

If you are anything like us you are always on the look-out for reputable marine repair services that stand behind their work. If you find yourself in
need of repairs while on the ICW in North Carolina we can heartily recommend Jarrett Bay Boat Works.
We stopped at Jarrett Bay to have a leaking through hull for one of the main engine raw water intakes repaired. Upon inspection it was determined that both of these intakes had been repaired sometime ago in a less than satisfactoryt manner. We opted to have both of them done correctly, since we had 5,000 miles of the loop ahead of us. Everything appeared to be fine until the port engine through hull developed a small leak while we were in Canada. I called Roger Wetherington at Jarrett Bay, not sure what to expect, since I’ve had other repairs made where the mechanic didn’t want to talk to me when I was 200 miles down the river. I’m happy to report that after explaining the problem and agreeing that the leak was not serious, Roger agreed to make contact with a marina on the Tennessee River where we could have the repair made at his expense. To make a long story short we are headed to Aqua Yacht tomorrow where they will fix the problem and Roger at Jarrett Bay will pay the bill.
In this case we got what we paid for. We would recommend Jarrett Bay to anyone needing repairs. They definitely stand behind their work.
Bill & Kathleen

I echo your attaboy for Jarret Bay. We were in Canada and had an electronic problem with our high-tech shifter and I had remembered others bragging on them, so I called them instead of the manufacturer and they went out of their way to ship us the parts we needed and then
talked us thru how to re-wire everything over the phone spending hours with us.
Just Relax

Click Here For The Cruisers’ Net’s North Carolina Marina Directory Listing For Jarrett Bay Marine

Well, while I have eaten at Sanitary Fish Market from time to time, as far back as when I was 8 years of age, I must confess to never having docked here. And, wtih the new Morehead City Docks very close by, most cruisers would probably be better served by these city owned and operated facilities. However, as Captain Arnold relates below, it’s hard to argue with the price.

Mile 205 – Morehead City. I docked in Morehead City at the Sanitary Restaurant just past the City Terminal behind Sugar Loaf Island ($10 for 24 hours). Excellent sea food at the restaurant – and there is a convenience store within walking distance. No power or water however.
Arnold

Click Here To View the North Carolina Cruisers’ Net Marina Directory Listing For The Morehead City Docks