New Bern to Morehead City Anchorages?

[William Longyard]

I plan on sailing down the Neuse River towards Ocracoke and then down to Morehead City. What are the anchoring possibilities along the way? Can I moor wherever I can drop the hook, or do I need to moor in designated areas? What is the tidal range along this stretch? I'm prepping for a springtime cruise.

[Captain Bill]

I'm not sure I understand your intended route. One normally goes from New Bern to either Ocracoke or to Morehead city as one has to go past Adams creek, which is the way to Morehead city, to go to Ocrakoke. There are plenty of places to anchor but just dropping it anywhere along the route can lead to trouble. There's lots of open water in that area and it can get very rough. Because of the water depth the waves tend to be short and steep when the wind kicks up just a bit and there is plenty of fetch to allow them to build. You will want to anchor in one of the side creeks if you want to get a good nights sleep. You don't say what kind of boat you have, your draft or air draft. If you have a short mast just under the bridge at Oriental is nice and there may even be room at one of the city docks. I would also recommend South River or Broad Creek. Between Broad Creek and Ocrakoke it is basically open water. If you go down Adams creek to Morehead city the only practical anchorages are near the north end, by Cedar creek unless you have an extremely shallow draft. There you just pull well clear of the ICW channel and drop the hook, preferably on the east side. Tugs and barges have to make a sharp turn in that area and you want to give them plenty of room. The lunar tides are virtually non-existent in the Neuse and Pamlico sound, but wind driven tides can be several feet, especially in the southeast corner of the Neuse. You will get a couple of feet of tide near Ocrackoke and Morehead city.



I've done a couple of small circumnavigations of the lower outer banks for fun. I went from New Bern to Ocrakoke with a stop at South River on the inside, out Ocrakoke Inlet, south through Cape Lookout shoals to The Cape Lookout Bight, then north through Adams Creek and back to New Bern with a stop at Beaufort and Oriental. I don't know your experience level but junior cruiser doesn't sound like a lot and the weather needs to be nearly perfect for doing the outside leg if you're a relative newbee.

[William Longyard]

Thanks Capt. Bill. That was exactly the information I needed to begin my planning.