[CarolinaSailor]

Hi,

I am fairly new to sailing, having done my ASA 101 class last March, and bought my Precision 18 last June. Have sailed it in Oriental. NC, Lake Murray, SC and Lake Norman, NC. I originally thought I would trailer-sail it, but a combination of the HOA forbidding it being visible in my driveway and the hassle of rigging and launching it every time I wanted to sail made me decide to bite the bullet and dock it on Lake Norman. When there is wind, and not much motorboat traffic, I enjoy sailing up there. It is 45 minutes from our house and we are in a calm marina. However, it is a challenge, especially during the summer, finding a day when we can actually sail. There is hardly ever enough wind and the weekends are too busy even if there were. I have started thinking that I would like to keep a boat down on the coast. My wife and I could drive down there for the weekend, sail, and stay on the boat (if we get a bigger boat, like a Cat 30, the P18 won't cut it for a weekend). The closest places to us is Charleston - a 3 hour drive. I love Charleston but I would think it is expensive to dock a boat down there and I have heard the currents can make docking really tough. Southport is 10 minutes further, but I not sure how the sailing is. Washington is 4:15 away, New Bern 4:30, and Oriental 5:30. Seems like there is a place or two on the Chesapeake that I might be able to get in 5:30-6:00. I think all but Charleston and Southport are further away than my wife would want to drive for a weekend, so I am not sure how often we would make that trip until I retire.

Any thoughts on sailing in Charleston or Southport for a relative beginner? Are there any other places in a 3 hour radius from Charlotte that I might want to consider that I did not mention?

Ultimately I think I would like to be down in Oriental, but I cannot see being able to make that trip often. I have even thought about relocation to the Raleigh are to make that trip shorter, but not sure that is something I can pull off in the near future.

Advice?

Thanks,

--Wayne

 

[RegisteredUser]

You can put around on Wylie but norman is the only large lake near you
Given a couple of hrs driving time, sc has some decent bodies

 

[chef2sail]

From Charlotte

it’s 284 miles (4.5 hrs) to New Bern area.
it is 204 miles (3.2 hrs) to Charleston
It’s 338 miles ( 5.5 hrs) to Hampton Va

I’m thinking the New Bern, Oriental area is a better possibility. There’s plenty of sailing there for a 30 ft boat. We are considering doing this , living inland an hour away , and keeping the boat on the Neuse, or Sound areas. Visiting the areaSat, Sun, and Min.

 

[sesmith]

Lake Marion, Lake Moultrie??

 

[CarolinaSailor]

Lake Marion, Lake Moultrie??

I see they are pretty large bodies of water, just not sure they are not subject to the same unreliable wind.

 

[wsmurdoch]

A friend of mine kept his Victoria 18 rigged and ready to go on a trailer in the parking lot at Whitaker Creek in Oriental years ago. It was much cheaper than dockage, dry sailed the bottom was always clean, and he could launch it on their ramp with his truck as soon as he arrived. While I would no longer recommend that marina, you may find a similar situation in Charleston.

You might also look at Watauga Lake, Lakeshore Marina in particular. There is an active sail club, the Watauga Lake Sail Club, and out on the lake there is usually wind early mornings and late afternoons due to the differences in temperatures between the surrounding mountains and the valley.
Lakeshore Resort | Watauga Lake TN

Watauga Lake Sailing Club

A sailing club in Upper East Tennessee

wlscjibsheet.wordpress.com

Bill

 

[SaludaLabs]

Hoping to get the ASA 101 class in the upstate of SC. It is hard finding a class with the Virus being around.
How do you like your Precision 18 as loading and unloading from a trailer?
Have you tried Lake Hartwell?

 

[CarolinaSailor]

Hoping to get the ASA 101 class in the upstate of SC. It is hard finding a class with the Virus being around.
How do you like your Precision 18 as loading and unloading from a trailer?
Have you tried Lake Hartwell?

I am still learning towing, rigging and launching. It took enough time and enough stress that I ended up getting a slip on Lake Norman.

We have been to Lake Hartwell, without the boat. However, there is a Hartwell sticker on the trailer, so I think it lived part of its life on the lake.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[CarolinaSailor]

From Charlotte

it’s 284 miles (4.5 hrs) to New Bern area.
it is 204 miles (3.2 hrs) to Charleston
It’s 338 miles ( 5.5 hrs) to Hampton Va

I’m thinking the New Bern, Oriental area is a better possibility. There’s plenty of sailing there for a 30 ft boat. We are considering doing this , living inland an hour away , and keeping the boat on the Neuse, or Sound areas. Visiting the area Sat, Sun, and Min.

We actually decided to start out in the Washington, NC area. Going there again this weekend and we may be purchasing a Westsail 32. Liked a marina just south of New Bern as well, although that is about 20 minutes further away.

 

[emcentar]

I swear to god I don't sell these for a living, given how often I'm praising them on this site, but I have a Minicat 420 and I'm surprised these aren't more popular here. Instead of having to store a boat in your yard and keep a trailer, it fits under a bed, and can be carted around in a large hatchback or small wagon. Really increases your sailing range. I don't much care for Chesapeake sailing in July/Aug, so I use mine to head up to lakes in the north for a sailing vacation there.