Our day of cruising happened to be on the same timeline and track as another nice older trawler. We had chatted with them on the radio a little bit through the day and they said they were pulling in at Surf City, NC. They said they had been through here before and there used to be a small marina. Limited marina and anchorage options in the area meant it was this or we keep cruising for quite a ways. Hoping the marina was still here we both turned off the ICW and cruised about a mile east.
We tried to get the marina on the phone at a couple different numbers we’d found and on the radio. No answer. Total radio silence. The other folks we were cruising with had been in here before, so we followed, and pulled up to a fuel dock with no staff in sight. Just as I was ready to lasso a cleat from on board, a gentleman who looked and acted like marina staff(and turned out to the tourist boat captain), ran up and offered to catch my line. After we tied up we got the whole lowdown.
The facilities have been through some management issues and changed hands, but since it’s one of the few options in the area, they’ve been able to keep it up and running. They run small evening tourist cruises out of here, there seems to be no office on site, and the bathroom and shower are in the back of a restaurant/ice cream shop, but because of the less than ideal conditions we got a good deal on the per foot rate.With no office on site and James being the tourist boat captain, I get the impression there is not regular monitoring of the marina. Since we pulled in late and on a holiday weekend I expect whatever office facilities they have were closed up for the weekend.
What made this stop really work out well was the town. After we were tied up, the ocean was calling to us and we walked the less than a mile to the beach. Clean white warm sand greeted us and watching the families finishing up their beach days reminded both of us of times when we had done that with our own young ones. The beach was crowded and a couple ocean front restaurants and a long fishing pier make the scene complete. There are just a few of the typical beach snack shops around; candy, ice cream, and doughnuts. After watching americana unfold for a while, the craft beer and pizza place we’d seen on our walk to the beach seemed a great next stop. It was in a strip of shops on the only traffic light corner in the area. Next door is an IGA grocer with the character of a small town market. The whole place has the feel of a pleasant, relaxed old beach town.
James, the gentleman who looked and acted like marina staff and caught our lines, told us about how the guy who ran the fuel dock left last year, so there may or may not be fuel in the tank, but they can’t pump it. It was Friday before a holiday weekend so there was lots of demand for fuel, and because we happen to be pulled in here, we spent all morning telling the small boats pulling up there was no fuel on this fuel dock.
Next morning the ocean breeze called us to come back to the beach so after a lovely bike ride and some toes in the sand, we had to say goodbye to this quaint beach community, the both of us said we’d look forward to coming back.
All in all, I give this marina a thumbs up. Unless you’re looking for a resort area, this has all you need.
Their phone number at the time of this writing, May2018, is 910 650 3223.