We arrived Oriental, NC and had a gift from a wonderful Island Packet friend…his slip was empty and we could stay a few days! So we pulled into Whittaker Creek Yacht Harbor and used this time for some major Island Spirit services and cleaning. Jobs accomplished were…
- Wash the entire hull with soap and water from the dinghy.
- Scrub and wash the entire deck and canvas.
- Used Woody Wax to seal and wax the diamond decks, fantastic product!
- Compounded and waxed the cabin tops.
- Changed engine oil and filter after 120 hours from Vero Beach, FL
- Changed the fuel filters, red, 30 micron primary and Yanmar secondary.
The boat looks great, like usual and we are happy with the work accomplished.
We also had a call from some local IP friends Tom & Linda of IP40 SURPRISE, who stopped down for a visit and we had dinner aboard Island Spirit. The next day Tom & Linda drove us back to Swansboro, NC where we picked up our car and moved it back up to Oriental, NC. We used the car to tour the area, see some developments, and get a general feel for the area. The Oriental Area has 800 residents and 3,000 boats! It is a boater’s paridise with the creeks and the sailing out on Pamlico Sound and the Nuese River. New Bern, NC is up the road about 30 miles and half way there is Fairfield harbor another boating community with new homes and lots for sale.
Everything in this area is for sale. Real estate seems much cheaper than other areas, and waterfront lots sell for 200K to 400K. Docks sell for 50K to 130K in the Oriental area! This place is difficult to figure out with only a short visit. Radeen and I have been touring this area since 1996 looking at property to buy, not we which we would have. Back then we could have bought waterfront for about 30K-50K, not this place has been discovered and prices reflect that discovery.
We left the Oriental area after 3 days, and we need to return here and explore the New Bern to Oriental area in more depth. I will say, the hot spot seems to be WHITTAKER CREEK!
NEED A SLIP TO RENT, see this on on WHITTAKER CREEK? (see this)