Although seldom mentioned, Southport, NC does have a free (48 hours) city dock as described below. Southport is also home to SALTY SOUTHEAST CRUISERS’ NET SPONSOR, Southport Marina, located just west of the Cape Fear River along the northern banks of the Waterway hard by flashing daybeacon #2A. This reminder comes to us from Hank Pomeranz of Carolina Yacht Care.

`The City of Southport, NC, always a transient friendly destination, now allows transient boaters to use the free city dock for 48 hours instead of 24 hours. Since most transients arrive late in the day and generally leave in the morning hours, the old 24 hour policy did not allow time for provisioning or visiting the city. Visitors should check in with the police station when they arrive. The phone number is: 910-457-7913.
As you enter the Yacht Basin, the City Dock will be to port (opposite the restaurants). It is the T-Head on the outermost (closest to the ICW) dock.’
Thanks
Hank Pomeranz

And we have this description of the free dock from our good friends, Chuck Baier and Susan Landry in a 2013 review of Southport:

At the end of a long dock at the west end of the basin is the town dock where you can tie up for free for 48 hours. There is water on the dock and a 20-amp power outlet if you can make it work for the boat. Depths at the town dock can be 4 feet at low tide and with the tidal range, climbing onto the dock at low tide can be a challenge. Boaters do offer to allow others to raft up at the dock and it is much deeper even just a boat width off.

For the full review, see /?p=128381

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

Click Here To Open A Chart View Window, Zoomed To the Location of Southport Marina