Swansboro (Statute Mile 229)
On 7/23/09, as part of a “North Carolina Wish List,” I posed the following question:
45. The delightful village of Swansboro will be spotted northwest of marker 46. There are two transient friendly marinas to choose from, or you could brave the swift currents and anchor on the westerly reaches of White Oak River, and dinghy ashore to the small town pier. Who has visited Swansboro? Where did you dock, or did you anchor? Please give us some shoreside dining and docking recommendations.
Responses follow:
We anchored just downstream of the bridge in July 2008. Good holding. A fair weather anchorage with currents no more or less strong than those all along the coast from Beaufort, NC to Fernandina Bch, FL
Rick
We docked a Casper’s Marina overnight, the staff is very friendly and accommodating, although the one unisex non-climate controlled shower and restrooms are just adequate. The face dock can be very rough from wakes on the White River and Intracoastal and is wide open from the southwest, but with good fenders it is okay. The water normally quiets down in the evening, but the band plays on until late from a shrimper’s bar near the southeast side of the bridge. The music was good, though
Chuck Tontsch
We anchored out in Swansboro near the bridge. We got there fairly late and had to jostle for a while to get right. Actually we moved 4 times before we felt right. We did not get to go ashore but it looked cute and we will try to do so on our way south and look forward to reading about it more. Our recomendations would be to get there early for a good spot. It gets a bit close there with the bridge, docks and big fishing vessels forming a three sided anchorage. A bit daunting in windy conditions if its crowded, which it was.
We stayed at Caspers Marina there in June 2008. Good experience. We ate dinner at Icehouse Restaurant and were very pleased with the food and service. Nice waterfront location. For breakfast I highly recommend Yana’s. Wonderful food and friendly service. Swansboro is a fun place to visit and has some interesting shops.
Pat Cummins, s/v Kentris
I think Swansboro is one of the most overlooked little towns along the ICW. They have a number of small and simple restaurants with great food, some cute little shops and very friendly people. If you stay at Casper’s Marina, it is an easy walk into town. Speaking of Casper’s, this marina is exposed to the ICW right at the place where the channel speed drops from 25 to No Wake. Needless to say, there are plenty of recreational day boaters who don’t respect that go zooming by (or very close) to the marina. If you stay there, insist that you stay on the inside of the fuel dock which acts as a breakwater. I spent a very uncomfortable night on the outside and was `banged’ pretty good. In all fairness, I stayed there on a Saturday so the number of fast boats and jet skis was disproportional. They do have fuel, nice shower and heads and a small but ample provision store all on site.
Peter
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