wardyecu

In the early stages of planning a trip from Little Washington to Wilmington by boat. Staying inshore. I'm sure many of you have made similar trips and I'm just looking for some feedback. I have zero experience north of Wilmington on the waterway. Whats the best route? How long should it take? etc. Any input is appreciated.

Lorne Greene

Super easy run. There is plenty of fuel on the way and good protection. It’s going to vibe a long day if you do it in one shot. What type of boat are you using?

bills106

That will be a decent shakedown if it's the boat in your sig you're going to do the run on.

The route will be easy, right turn once you're out of the Pamlico river and head towards the Adams Creek entrance of the ditch. It's a little "shoaly" along the sides of the sound but you don't have to worry on that boat. Once in the ditch it's follow the bouy's (red right heading south and watch for the Intracoastal reflective tape, where channels converge it can get confusing. If it's not blowing, you can save some time ducking out Beaufort Inlet and aiming for Masonboro but you won't have bridges to worry about so inside won't be too bad either. Figure on 6-8 hours but you can also make some senic stops, Beaufort, Morehead and Swansboro waterfronts have good eats and easy dockage.

wardyecu

24ft hybrid bay boat. 100 gal fuel capacity. Is it best to swing around and use Adams creek or can you go down around cedar island? Thanks or the input

Lorne Greene

Go through adams.

wardyecu

Gotcha, yeah the plan is to bring the Pair down. This is the info I was looking for. Might try to spend the night in Morehead. Like I said super early in the planning stages. Thanks for the reply.

Lorne Greene

The town docks are nice in morehead and there is The Bask hotel right there if you wanted to sleep in a real bed for the night. It’s a pretty decent hotel. Morehead also had a huge west marine you can Uber to.

Also download the Dockwa app as most places to grab a dock on that route use the app.

wardyecu

Thanks for all the info guys. We will be making a stop in Scotts Hill just south of Hampstead to drop off some of our party and then its on to Holden Beach where she will make her home. If I can get to Scotts Hill in 5 or 6 hrs I Wont need to stay in Morehead. And if we do stay, real beds would be a must as half our party is of the fairer sex. I know the Suzuki break in recommendations don't allow much speed for the first couple of hours so that will add some time to the trip.

bills106

With a brand new boat I would NOT try and schedule a trip like that as her maiden voyage, especially with spouses! I would set aside at least a first day to run her through her paces out of Little Washington. Hit the sound, do the break-in, pound her a little to see what needs fixing before the run south. I'ts a new boat and almost guaranteed there will be a few things that need "tweaking", it happens! When I finished a new boat I always tried to set aside time to take her out and, frankly, beat the crap out of it to see what needed extra attention. It's a whole lot easier to fix it at the shop it was built at then have to travel long distances and not have the support you have at home.

Go up the weekend before, with only "salty" minimal crew, pound her hard and bring it back to the shop and give them a week to make adjustments. Then, when they say she's ready, bring the girls for a nice, easy, drama free cruise home.

Lorne Greene

Make sure you have seatow or boatus towing insurance.

wardyecu

Both great ideas and noted. Ill talk to Brian about my idea and see if he can accommodate. Hes been great to work with.

Logan311

With a brand new boat I would break her in first - you never know what can happen on the water - I can get to Morehead City in 2.5 hours from the Sloop Point boat ramp if that helps

wardyecu

Still got lots of time to iron it out. Boat wont be ready until late April or May.

JoCo34

I’m 25-30 minutes north of Scott’s Hill, right at New River inlet. PM me for info if you want. I’ll be happy to help if you need anything along the way.

Tarbaby

I’ve done that exact trip and a little further in a 15 Whaler when I was young and dumb. Go out the Pamlico and around Indian island. Down the ditch and enjoy the view. Easy peasy except for coming out of Hobucken in to the Neuse. It can be shitty. Once you get to Adam’s Creek it is pretty protected the rest of the trip. Have fun.

caltexflanc

Morehead town docks and the Bask are a great idea; you can get a water view room that looks right down at the docks. A great marine store, ACE is walking distance as are many great eateries. An alternative is Portside Marina itself (they manage the town dock IIRC) very friendly people and can likely give you a lift to hotel, or use the upscale Morehead City Yacht basin across the street. Why not make it fun trip for everyone? What's the hurry? If the winds are snotty, you may be better served taking the ditch on through Hobucken as the sound can get damn nasty.

wardyecu

Thanks for all the input guys. We are all very excited. Definitely would like to spend a night in Morehead. Just a matter of working out logistics at this point. How busy is the waterfront typically late April early May? Can you reserve docks ahead of time? Is that needed? Bask hotel typically have plenty of room availability? Thanks.

autobaun70

Are you going to Downtown wilmington via Snows?

If so, there are docks right in front of the Best Western Coastline that belong to the town and are cheap...like $20/night, if you can find someone to pay. Hilton is a short walk from there. Coastline is basic, but clean/quite. From there to the core of downtown to the docks there is a 5 min boat ride at idle.

Lorne Greene

To reserve a dock, download the Dockwa app as most marinas and town docks are using the app, As for the bask, you may want to make reservations ahead of time. If its a non event weekend then you should be good.

rdnkvet

Get the C-Map app. We used it in reverse of your trip to run the pamlico from New River to Pirates Cove last spring. Worked great, especially around Adam’s creek/Morehead where it gets tricky with converging waterways.