Best Coastal NC base for cruising?

halyardz · #1 (**permalink**) 10-09-2004

Looking into coastal NC to relocate. Looks like a good strategic location. What''s low down on Wilmington, Morehead City, New Bern?
Thanks. Jim

gstraub · #2 (**permalink**) 10-10-2004

We just came back from a week vacation in Beaufort.....we loved it. Close to Morehead City. We weren''t there by boat, but plan to do it by boat next year!

Gerhard

kokopelli9 · #3 (**permalink**) 10-10-2004

Halyardz,

Part of "best" depends on your needs and wants...I grew up outside of New bern and still frequent all of the places you mention...and they are all great for sailing and each have their own flaws and attributes. What are your priorities in terms of the area that you would be based in? Do you want restaurants, cultural events, people, etc...or are you strictly concerned with the sailing grounds? Let me know and i will try to suggest...

bobbi

s/v Kokopelli

halyardz · #4 (**permalink**) 10-10-2004

Bobbi-sailing #1 with emphasis on day/weekend trips and we usually take one or two long cruises each year. Not really racers. We are currently in a DIY yard and like a laid back atmosphere. Nice mix of people...particularly fond of "characters." Nice ones that is. Culture and fine dining can be an hour or so away. That help? Jim

kokopelli9 · #5 (**permalink**) 10-11-2004

Jim,

Look into Oriental although any of the places you mention would be fine. New Bern stays the same year round unlike Morehead or Beaufort which get a little quieter in the winter after the "beach traffic" leaves. Both of them though are well within an hour''s drive from New Bern. Oriental is about thirty minutes from New Bern. There is wonderful sailing in that area and some great trips such as out to Ocracoke from Oriental. I would have a hard time myself choosing from one of these to be my base, but Oriental might win out more so because of land location relative to water. I hope this helps some...if you have any specific questions just ask and I''ll try to help more.

bobbi

JoseASantin · #6 (**permalink**) 10-12-2004

You had better check into the State taxes if you plan on having a boat, I read in boat US that dome states have a personal property tax, either nort or south carolina had an outrageous tax on boats ( over 10% yearly).

halyardz · #7 (**permalink**) 10-17-2004

Hope somebody can clarify this for me. Such a tax would be of concern in my decision.

wannam · #8 (**permalink**) 10-22-2004

Oriental, NC. Population (humans) 900. Population (sailboats) 2,700.

"A quaint little drinking town with a Sailing problem."

RoadTool · #9 (**permalink**) 12-12-2004

Halyardz , We seem to have a similar goal , I have looked into this some time back and my personal perference at the time was Oriental .

My queston is this for anyone with local info , are there any/many small 1 br apartments for 2 semi retired adults ?

wannam · #10 (**permalink**) 12-15-2004

Oriental, as you can probably guess, has been discovered by a number of individuals from "north of the Mason & Dixon line". Although real estate (both sale and rental) hasn''t yet reached the absurdity of "Long Island prices", many of the locals are surely being priced out of the market.

The village is quite small, but a number of condominiums and homes are being built in and near the village. Obviously, prices and distance from the village itself are in direct relation to each other. The single highway (NC55) to Oriental from New Bern is presently being expanded to four lanes, an event likely to increase the pressure on real estate prices.

You might visit www.towndock.net, the unofficial website for the village.