Classic Motoryacht at Midway Marina

Coinjock

Statute Mile 50 (North Carolina – Virginia Cut)
Click Here To Open A Chart View Window, Zoomed To the Location of Coinjock

Situated directly on the AICW – North Carolina, Virginia Cut Route, almost midway between Great Bridge and Belhaven, the tiny village of Coinjock is an ideal spot to spend an evening of peace and security before continuing your voyage. Coinjock lines both banks of the AICW’s canal-like passage southwest of flashing daybeacon #123. The marinas of the village are popular stopovers for northbound and southbound pleasure craft.

Taxi service to and from the Norfolk, Virginia airports is available in Coinjock. Cruisers can arrange to leave their boats here for a time while flying home to see who’s minding the store.

Both Coinjock marinas offer dockage facing directly onto the AICW north of the fixed bridge. While this stretch of the Waterway is a no-wake zone, it is still a wise practice to set out your largest fenders.

Approaches
Many skippers of larger cruising craft choose to follow the Virginia-North Carolina Cut, officially called the Albemarle and Chesapeake Canal, rather than the Dismal Swamp Canal route, south from Virginia’s waters. This leg of the Waterway is deep, reliable and well-marked. As an additional bonus, it does not include any locks on the North Carolina portion of its passage. There is one lock at Great Bridge, Virginia, but it raises or lowers passing craft only a few inches. This lock generally operates on the hour (6:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. daily, year-round) and is not nearly as restrictive as its counterparts on the Dismal Swamp route.

Mariners following the North Carolina cut south enter Tar Heel waters near the southern mouth of the North Landing River. The channel then follows a dredged cut through the northern headwaters of Currituck Sound until it enters a short canal on the southern shores of Coinjock Bay. The small, marina-rich village of Coinjock sits on the banks of this stream and offers full services for cruising craft.

The Waterway crosses Currituck Sound for only a short distance before it ducks into Coinjock Bay near flashing daybeacon #105. The waters of Currituck Sound outside the friendly confines of the AICW are uniformly shallow. Currituck is the only major North Carolina coastal water that lacks any sort of channel traversing its length. Much of the sound is choked by weeds, and except for the AICW channel, these waters are generally avoided by cruising captains. Even the small skiffs that frequent Currituck Sound for its excellent bass fishing and waterfowl hunting have been known to find the bottom.

South of Coinjock, the AICW soon flows into the northern headwaters of the North River, where a well-marked passage leads south down this substantial stream to Albemarle Sound. This noble river offers several sheltered and isolated anchorages.

Marinas

Coinjock Bridge

Midway Marina and Motel
Statute Mile 50
36 21.078 North/075 56.862 West

Midway Marina and Motel is the newer and northernmost of Coinjock’s facilities. Its impressive collection of docks and piers guard the western banks south-southwest of flashing daybeacon #123. As the owner of Midway Marina once told this writer, “We have to try harder.” Well, they certainly do try hard, and the results are impressive. Midway can accommodate up to forty 30-foot vessels. Nevertheless, it’s a good idea to call ahead for reservations during both the spring and fall transient seasons.

As you may have guessed by now, the hard working Midway Marina management is eager to greet transients of both the sail and power persuasions. Average dockside depths run 7 to 9 feet. Fresh water and twin 30- and 50-amp power connections are readily available, as are dockside cable television hookups. The marina offers six gasoline and eight diesel fuel fill-up lines, as well as waste pump-out service. How’s that for being serious about serving cruisers who are in need of fuel?

There is a sparsely stocked on-site ship’s and variety store, plus a set of fair, air conditioned showers and a laundromat. Free Wi-Fi internet access is also in the offing. Mechanical repairs for both diesel and gasoline engines can be arranged by Midway with independent contractors. For those who want to take a break from the live-aboard routine, Midway Marina maintains four large, well-appointed rooms atop the marina store. These “efficiencies” include a kitchenette as well as a nice view of the Waterway.

Midway also features extensive landscaping and a shoreside swimming pool, plus two hot tubs. The pool and hot tubs are raised atop their own deck and offer a fine view of the Waterway. Can you imagine anything more relaxing at the end of a long day on the water than bubbling in one of the hot tubs while watching the AICW’s procession of boats slip by?

Midway Marina can normally provide courtesy transportation to a nearby hardware store. Ask the dockmaster for help.

If by now you have gained the impression that Midway Marina deserves your most serious consideration, you are on the right track.
Click Here To View the Cruisers’ Net’s North Carolina Marina Directory Listing For Midway Marina and Hotel

Coinjock Marina
Statute Mile 50
36 20.939 North/075 56.915 West)

Coinjock Marina welcomes cruising power captains and sailors to its extensive fixed wooden face dock, which features water and 30- and 50-amp power connections. Minimum dockside soundings are in the 8-foot range. Diesel fuel and gasoline are readily available, as is waste pump-out. Mechanical repairs can be arranged through independent technicians. An absolutely first rate, fully climate controlled shower building adds to this facility’s already impressive offerings. There is also a laundromat located just behind the docks.

Coinjock Marina has one of the nicest and most extensive ship’s and variety stores that we have visited. A large selection of frozen and fresh meats is stocked, including homemade country sausage.

Free Wi-Fi internet connections are now available on all the docks. What a great way to check your e-mail, or even the latest weather radar!
Click Here To View the Cruisers’ Net’s North Carolina Marina Directory Listing For Coinjock Marina

Coinjock Marina

Anchorages

North of Coinjock, anchorages are all but non-existent on the North Carolina portion of the Waterway. However, south of the village, along the AICW’s trek through North River, several overnight havens are available. All of these would require a very lengthy dinghy ride to reach Coinjock, but in the interest of giving SSECN visitors as much info as possible, we present a brief description of the various North River anchorages below.

Upper North River Anchorage
Standard Mile 52.5
36 18.540 North/075 58.856 West

The upper reaches of the North River, abandoned by the Waterway and west of the gap between the AICW’s unlighted daybeacons #129 and #132, are an anchorage consideration ONLY for adventurous captains who are willing to risk finding the bottom, and pilot boats of less than 38 feet that draw no more than 3½feet or preferably less. The entrance channel skirts the western shores south of #132 and then turns into the upper portion of the river, paralleling its southern banks.

Minimum depths run between 5 and 5½ feet if and only if you can keep to the unmarked channel. Typical soundings run 6 to 6½ feet, but it’s certainly possible to stray into considerably less water, even when you are trying to be careful.

After negotiating the difficult entrance, visiting cruisers will find themselves in an attractive, rather broad body of water with fair protection from southerly winds and somewhat less shelter from moderate northerly breezes. Fresh easterly or westerly blows would raise a most uncomfortable chop. Clearly this is fair weather anchorage and NOT the place to ride out really nasty weather.

Consider dropping the hook on the centerline of upper North River just west of charted Green Island Creek’s westerly entrance point. The surrounding shoreline is delightfully undeveloped.
Click Here To View the Cruisers’ Net’s North Carolina Anchorage Directory Listing For Upper North River Anchorage

AICW Anchorages
Statute Mile 54
Various Lat/Lons – see below and follow link

Several other potential anchorages lie along the AICW’s western and southerly flank between unlighted daybeacons #134 and #140. Depths consistently run at least 6 feet or better on all the havens described below. Just be sure to stay well away from the surrounding shoreline. Depths shelve quickly upward as the banks are approached.

Note that all three of these anchorages are wide open to wakes produced by larger power vessels passing on the nearby AICW. We were once rudely awakened here at 4:00 a.m. by a 65-foot Hatteras cruising by at top speed.

With westerly winds in the offing, consider dropping anchor west of unlighted daybeacon #137, near 36 17.404 North/075 58.151 West. These waters sit near the “sy” notation on chart 12206. Don’t even think about getting caught here in a strong blow from the north, or even with fresh easterlies wafting.

The waters west of flashing daybeacon #138, near 36 17.281 North/075 57.991 West, offer a bit more shelter, particularly from southerly winds. This haven is still wide open to the north and east.

Finally, for those piloting boats drawing 4 feet or less, you might also consider the waters southeast of #138, near 36 17.172 North/075 57.818 West. While we sounded nothing less than 6 feet while entering and leaving this haven, the 4-foot sounding noted on chart 12206 just to the east is cause enough for our additional concern. This spot is well sheltered to the southwest, but still offers no shelter to the north and east.
Click Here To View the Cruisers’ Net’s North Carolina Anchorage Directory Listing For The North River Waterway Anchorages

Midway Marina

Buck Island Anchorages
Statute Mile 56
Various Lat/Lons – see below and follow link

The waters lying about the shores of Buck Island southwest of flashing daybeacon #149 offer several good anchorages. Your choice between these three havens will depend on your vessel’s draft and the prevailing wind direction.

DO NOT attempt to enter any of these anchorages after dark or in conditions of poor visibility. These waters often play host to a wide collection of crab pots. You need to be able to spot these pests in order to avoid them. Otherwise, you may spend the next several hours with a diving mask, trying to cut a rat’s nest of line from your props and shafts. That’s not the way I want to spend an evening after a long day on the water!

Moving north to south, first up is the correctly charted band of deep water north of Buck Island between flashing daybeacons #149 and #153. Good depths of 5½ to 8 feet are held quite close to the island’s northern shoreline as far west as flashing daybeacon #153. One good spot to drop the hook along this stretch will pass under your keel near 36 16.015 North/075 57.355 West. The body of all-natural Buck Island shelters the waters from southern and southwestern breezes, but strong northern and northeastern winds can make for a bumpy evening. There should be enough swinging room to amply accommodate a 48-footer.

With northern, northeastern or northwestern winds in the offing, you might also choose to anchor off the southern shores of Buck Island in 5- and 6-foot depths east of flashing daybeacon #155 (near 36 15.389 North/075 57.252 West). There is enough elbow room for even the largest pleasure craft. This spot is decidedly uncomfortable in southern winds of any magnitude.

Finally, for those intrepid souls among us who pilot vessels drawing 4 feet or less (and are less than 40 feet in length), you might consider spending the night on the centerline of the charted approach to shallow Goose Pond, northeast of flashing daybeacon #157. These waters offer anchorage with minimum 5-foot depths if and only if you stop short of the stream’s charted swing to the northeast, leading to Goose Pond. There is good protection from all but southerly winds.

All these anchorages border on shores that are entirely in their natural state. Each haven can provide a safe and peaceful sanctuary for the night, depending on the quarter from which the fickle wind blows.
Click Here To View the Cruisers’ Net’s North Carolina Anchorage Directory Listing For The Buck Island Anchorages

Broad Creek Anchorage
Statute Mile 61
36 12.158 North/075 57.729 West

Broad Creek (one of many bodies of water in North Carolina bearing this moniker) is still the best anchorage on the North River, even though soundings are not quite as deep as they once were, and it’s not exactly easy to find. This stream cuts into the North River’s western shoreline opposite flashing daybeacon #164. Minimum depths of 6 to 8 feet hold into the stream’s interior reaches as it swings to the north, but fall off much sooner than a study of chart 12206 would indicate.

Study the “Broad Creen Extension” on chart 12206 for a moment and notice the sharp point of land which comprises Broad Creek’s northern entrance point. You would never guess it from the chart, but this geographic feature effectively hides the stream to cruisers approaching from the east. You will have to look very carefully to find the mouth, or, better yet, break out the GPS chart plotter, and put it through its paces.

Once the hard to discover entrance is left in your wake, Broad Creek swings sharply to the north and offers superb protection from all airs. The adjoining shore line is heavily wooded and absolutely virgin. The entire stream boasts a tangible air of isolation. The banks beckon to be explored and fished by dinghy.

Consider anchoring shortly after entering the creek’s interior reaches, as the stream swings sharply north. Here, you will find 5½- to 9-foot soundings, good protection from all winds, and the luscious shores described above. Passage farther upstream (to the north) is no longer recommended.
Click Here To View the Cruisers’ Net’s North Carolina Anchorage Directory Listing For The Broad Creek/North River Anchroage

Restaurants

Docks at Conjock Marina

Both Coinjock marinas feature very good restaurants. If I had to pick between the two, a perilous task at best, I might give a small nod to Coinjock Marina, but both these dining attractions are well worth the attention of the cruising community.

Midway Marina features on-site Crabbies Restaurant (252-453-6225). This dining spot is open seven days a week from 11:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.

Coinjock Marina can lay claim to its own first-class restaurant specializing in fresh fried seafood and a 32-ounce prime rib. This dining spot is open for lunch as well as the evening meal. I highly recommend the combination seafood platter. The crab cakes and desserts are also worthy of note.
Provisioning

As stated above, both Coinjock marinas feature their own, on-site, ship’s/variety stores. Of the two, Coinjock Marina’s is by far the better stocked. No other grocery or convenience stores are located within walking distance. Midway Marina can often be relied upon to provide transportation to a local hardware store.