Oriental, NC Marinas and Dining (Statute Mile 181)
On 5/9/13, as part of a North Carolina Wish List, we posed the following question:
Statute Mile 181 ‘“ any descriptions of Oriental’s other several marinas and repair facilities would also be helpful to your fellow cruisers.
Responses follow:
I leave my boat at Whittaker Point marina for several weeks which is in the aforementioned creek. Easy in if one stays in the channel. I had a problem with my windlass and the folks at Sailcraft shipyard (right across the creek)sent over a mechanic who removed the broken unit and repaired. Continuing north in a week.
Windward
Sailcraft [Services] on Whitaker Creek is a really great place to have your boat worked on. Fair prices and good workmanship as well as great staff & management. We had our Endeavour there for what we thought was a minor leak. It turned out our rudder stuffing box hadn’t been maintained at all, even before we purchased it. They were able to drop it and repair it for far less than than we were expecting.
When we head back North, we definitely would stop if we needed any work.
Susan & Elden Leaf
s/v Soteria
Oriental is a small town where the people are as wonderful as the sailing. Oriental has a lot to offer from great sailing waters to boat sales and services, to some good eating. My first hand experiences there have been so great that my first mate and I plan to make it our retirement home. Being a relatively new sailor, just about everyone I have met has been very helpful in anything I needed.
Bentley’s (?) seems to be the favorite [dining spot] of a lot of the residents. I have eaten there numerous times. The food is good and the prices reasonable. For Wednesday night meals I highly recommend the “Silos”. They have a killer steak that will satisfy most appetites and numerous other options. On Wednesday nights they have open mike night where anybody can get up and sing or play an instrument. Makes for a fantastic evening.
The “Sheila B”
Having kept a boat in Oriental for 30+ years I can tell you this is really a neat place. Brantly’s, as mentioned above, is a favorite or the locals and serves really good, inexpensive meals. Closer to the harbor (downtown Oriental) is M&M’s which is my favorite. Lots of traditional choices plus various kinds of seafood in season. Also in that area in The Trawl Door and Tucan Grill. You couldn’t go wrong with any of these.
Oriental has become an artist hangout and there are several art galleries in town worth your time exploring. Several gift shops are in town and marine hardware and other boat supplies are available at West Marine, The Inland waterway Treasure Company, and Village Hardware. There is a grocery store which is about three quarters of a mile from the harbor.
For transients, there is room for about 5-6 boats to anchor in the harbor and three marinas in the harbor area and two in Whittaker Creek which puts you about a mile from the downtown area. Also, for major or minor repairs, Deaton Yacht Service is located right next to Sailcraft mentioned above and also provides top quality work.
Sykes DeHart
Click Here To Open A Chart View Window, Zoomed To the Location of Whittaker Pointe Marina
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