Why buy in Oriental?

Sail Magazine lists Oriental North Carolina in their “Top 10 Places to Sail”—right up there with Bristol Rhode Island, Port Townsend Washington, Port Charlotte Florida, San Diego and San Francisco Bay. According to Sail Magazine, Oriental has only 5% fewer sunny days than San Diego and we are second only to San Francisco Bay as far as consistent wind. We have no lunar tides. The Pamlico Sound, and the rivers that feed it, make up an area over half as large as the Chesapeake. And over twice as big as San Francisco Bay. We can be on the Chesapeake in 2.5 days without going outside. If you choose offshore sailing, going out the Beaufort Inlet, Florida is only three days away, Bahamas 5 days, and Bermuda is six days. This is a great jumping-off place to go anywhere in the world.

The prevailing wind lines up with the Neuse River. By the time the wind gets to Oriental, it is like being ten miles off shore. A typical day has 10 –15 by 1:00 p.m. I often reef before the day is over. We don’t experience the extreme heat of Florida, nor the extreme cold of the Chesapeake—you don’t have to haul your boat in the winter—most of us don’t even winterize.

Oriental boasts 853 residents with over 3000 cruising sailboats in the area. If you look through past issues of Cruising World and Sail magazine, Oriental is mentioned in several articles. Some of the most hard-core sailors anywhere reside here. In fact, walking the streets of Oriental, you are likely to meet people you’ve read about in those magazines.

The town is small but it is very self-contained, including some great restaurants, coffee shop, grocery and hardware stores. etc. Commercial air traffic and the hallmark of civilization (a 24-hour Wal-Mart) are only 35 minutes away.

I would love to show you Oriental from a sailor’s perspective. And of course, help you find a home while you are here. You can use the Property Search tab at the top of this page to find real estate in this region, but there is nothing like seeing the homes in person. AND WHAT A TIME TO BUY, email me to be added to a list and receive updates on short-sales, foreclosures, etc. Let me know when you plan to visit.