River Dunes

SecondWindNC · #1 (**permalink**) 09-13-2010

My wife and I took some friends to River Dunes this weekend, and it was my first time there. I had heard it was nice and we all came away impressed. For those unfamiliar, this is a relatively new (third summer) marina facility in Broad Creek, north of Oriental, NC.

We sailed down from Carolina Wind on Friday and couldn't have had a better day of sailing. Sunny but not too hot, with 12-15 knots NNE and gusts to 20. We booked it down the Pamlico at 7-8 knots; past Blounts Bay we reefed to keep things manageable and were still hitting those speeds. Then we ducked down the ditch and were able to sail some more coming out of the Bay River. As we got to the mouth of the Bay River, the wind slacked off and we coasted along at 2 knots or so for a while, since we were far enough ahead of schedule that we didn't have to rush.

We got in to River Dunes about 5 p.m., and it is a pretty place. Nice docks, helpful staff, and great amenities. We hung out at the pool, had dinner upstairs (note: the restaurant is only open on the weekends), and even enjoyed the jacuzzi for a bit before calling it a night.

It's pretty out of the way by land (15 minutes or so by car from Oriental) but it's very convenient to the ICW if you're passing by boat, and reasonable at $1.25/ft for transient vessels. We just spent the one night, but it would be a great place to relax for a weekend.

andrewalexander · #2 (**permalink**) 09-13-2010

Thanks for the heads up...looks like a promising visit....a

CapnRon47 · #3 (**permalink**) 09-13-2010

I will second that nomination, we live not too far from River Dunes and have used their facilities on the weekends as part of the local sailing clubs in Oriental.

The entrance to the Marina is a canal, but plenty deep.

The restaurant is reasonably priced (for an upscale place) and the food and service has been very good.

We have enjoyed our visits there.

SecondWindNC · #4 (**permalink**) 09-17-2010

Here are a couple pics from our visit: