Hobie sailing in Raleigh, NC

I currently sail my Hobie 16 in Kaneohe Bay on Oahu. I couldn't ask for much better. However, I am considering moving my young family to Raleigh, NC where it is less expensive to live. What kind of opportunities are there to sail in Raleigh?

thanks

I don't live in the area so I can't comment as to the best places to live. But as far as sailing there is Jordan Lake. It would be the closest lake. Someone from Raleigh would have to comment on how far the drive time would be. (I live just east of Fayetteville) It is a good sized lake that is rather long. I sail my boat there from time to time. I believe there is also an active isotope fleet. It usually gets some pretty decent wind. Also, the coast is a short drive away. My guess is about two hours from the closest beach in the majority of areas in the eastern part of the city.

I can't imagine what it's like to live where you do. I assume it's pretty nice. But, having lived in NC all my life, I have to say that it is a nice place to live as well. NC has a lot to offer, and living in Raleigh would put you kind of in the middle of it all.

Though out of curiosity I have to ask, why did you select Raleigh?

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James
86' Redline Hobie 16
Sail # 76909

As I said, my wife and I are considering relocating to the mainland mainly because we want a place that is affordable and with good schools, but that would also allow us to do the type of outdoor activities we enjoy. North Carolina seems to fit the bill. Also, I am a physical scientist (I've done defense and medical work) and there is a lot of that kind of work in the research triangle area. Raleigh is because there is a solid company of that type who wants to fly me out for an interview.

I also emailed a poster Trey "NCSU" and he said there is a lot of different lakes to sail in the area. Plus I could drive a couple of hours to the beach. I don't want to give up surfing either.

I'm not expecting it to be as good as Hawaii. Not many places are. But I want to know I can still go sailing fairly easily. We're torn because my wife has a good job as a marine biologist with the fed gov that would be hard to give up. But stay here, and we rent for the rest of our lives. (But surf and sail just about every day!).

Thanks for the input.

There are several lakes to sail on in the Raleigh area or you can drive to the beach. Jordan lake (14,000 acres) is the closest and very popular for Hobies. Kerr Lake, also known as Buggs Island is the largest lake (50,000 acres) in Virginia and 1 1/2 times the size of the largest lake in NC. It extends into NC a few miles and is about 1 1/2 hour drive north of Raleigh. There are quite a few campgrounds there as well. It is controlled by the Corps of Engrs. so there aren't many houses around it and it is not crowded. Lake Norman, the largest NC lake is at least 2 1/2 drive from Raleigh and is so crowded, it is too dangerous. I keep a catboat (monohull) on High Rock Lake, the 2nd largest lake in NC (but only 15,000 acres) but it is not an ideal sailing lake. It is the closest to me in Winston Salem. The closest ocean sailing is at Wilmington, 2 hour drive from Raleigh. There are other good areas along the coast including North Myrtle Beach, etc. Emerald Isle, NC, where the beach faces south, is great but difficult to find a place to launch.

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Howard

Oahu,

It's tourney time here. Duke, Carolina, and NC State are all within 15 miles of each other. So, it's nuts. But the academic levels are high. The RTP has a lot of high tech business and there are a lot of bedroom communities.

While all that sounds happy, this area is a bit busy.

Surfing is lower middle in interest. There are lots of mono hulls sailing. Lake sailing is windless in the summers, IMO. (You have to really love sailing to sit in a Flying Scott in one of the regattas here. Not me.) You would really have to get used to weekend trips and their expense instead of day trips, too, I would think.

I understand the cost of living question, but the quality of recreational life may be a farther stretch than it would appear. But it's possible. If you fly up here, have someone drive you to downtown Raleigh from Durham or Chapel Hill on I40 around 5 p.m. The geniuses that work at RTP are wild animals in BMWs and big SUVs. Check out http://www.emsa-sailing.org/

JJ is right about the wind dying in the summer, that is July and August. It gets very hot then as well but there are occasional days in that period with great winds. The best sailing is in spring and fall.

Traffic in RTP area is terrible but no worse than most large cities. I have driven in Houston, Dallas, L.A. Denver, Atlanta, NY, NJ, and more. None are good. I worked in RTP for a few years and arranged my time to miss a lot of the traffic.

I have been sailing my H-16 in NC for 24 years and sailed a catboat (monohull) in NJ before that. I don't race but if you do, there are clubs here that hold regattas. It isn't Hawaii but it is better than a lot of places. I couldn't rent a Hobie in Maui because they were afraid tourists would get into the trade wind and get blown out to sea.

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Howard

Lake Norman is a great place to sail and to keep a boat. Check my post on Lake Norman Sail Club in Denver NC. There are some boats on the lake on Sat and Sun but if you keep on the big water there is no problems really lots of room. Oak Island NC near Wilmington is a great Hobie place very family friendly and one of the best ocean rig and launch areas I have ever used Also check my post on this. Welcome to North Carolina.
Gary

Gary,

You and I have discussed Lake Norman here before. I believe you are right that it is good during the week and since I am retired, that is viable. Weekends on the lake are very busy and to me, dangerous. I have yet to get down to Lake Norman Sail Club but still plan to do it.

This fellow is looking for sailing in the Raleigh area and Lake Norman is too far from Raleigh for that. He also is apparently not retired and would have to sail on weekends. Oak Island sounds interesting and I would like to know more about launch areas there. I sailed for a week off Emerald Isle and one of the best weeks of sailing I ever had. Launching there, however is restricted and the local authorities seem to discourage day visitors with boats. My daughter and family had rented a place there for the week so we had an advantage.

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Howard

hey everyone,
Just wanted to say thanks for input. We've decided to stay in Hawaii for at least another year or two. My wife's fed job would be difficult to replace and it's not like I'm out of work. The Raleigh company told me to call them in a year or two if I'm ready to move so that's good. And good to know there are sailing options in NC if/when we decide to make a move.
mahalo!