Reviews: North River - Buck Island (South)

Review for North River - Buck Island (South)

Reviewed by: Capt. Mac Rubel on Oct 28, 2024
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 48'
Draft: 5.0'

With winds forecasted to be 20 knots from the northeast overnight we opted to anchor on the south side of Buck Island for a bit of protection from the chop that the wind was going to kick up. We turned off the channel south of Green 157 beyond the island's shallow tail and headed back up towards the anchorage icon. We decided to move about a half mile to the east along the bank in order to have better protection from the forecasted winds before dropping anchor for the night in 9 feet of water. We had to back down on the anchor three times before it held properly but, once set, we did not move during the night. The anchorage is actually a small part of a plateau at 9 to 10 feet depth that is on both sides of the North River channel in the area so you have many choices as to exactly where to drop the hook. Even with the wind we spent a quiet night but, shortly after sunrise the parade of boats going south from Coinjock started and there is little protection from their wakes as the motor by at speed. Some of the larger boats throw uncomfortable wakes at you no matter where you anchor.

As North River is part of the bays behind the outer banks there is no lunar tide but depths do change with wind directions. Winds from the north will empty water out of Albemarle into Pamlico Sound. Winds from the south will do the opposite. We had surprisingly good cellular reception. Shore access is not an easy thing in the marshes. We would not recommend trying it in this area. Even this late in the year there were crab pots on the flats so a watchful eye is necessary. The night time temperatures were cool enough that we were not bothered by the infamous "fuzzy bill" midges that sometimes swarm in warmer weather.

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Review for North River - Buck Island (South)

Reviewed by: Ben Sutton, Safe Haven, on Oct 28, 2024
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 50'
Draft: 3.5'

We stayed here had a great night. Couple of crab pots to avoid but was good protection from north east wind. There were 4 other boats in area but plenty of space and 7 ft depth most of area. The only issue was you better be on your toes once sunrise. The traffic coming from Coinjock was non stop and started rocking boat

• WG Editor Comment:
  

  Coinjock tide approximately 1 foot.

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Review for North River - Buck Island (South)

Reviewed by: Naomi Delzell on Jun 3, 2023
Vessel Type: Sail
Draft: 0.0'

Great holding, a little buggy but not bad. Anchored in 7 feet of water with 60 feet of chain. Gusted 15 from the north. 2 other boats are here but room for a lot more. Really foggy in the morning- had to wait to head north, but a nice place to wait! Great Verizon service.

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Review for North River - Buck Island (South)

Reviewed by: Capt. Mac Rubel on Oct 24, 2022
LOA: 48'
Draft: 5.0'

We anchored here on Oct 9, 2022. Leave the channel approximately 0.3 miles south of Green 157 to avoid the shoal water sticking out from Buck Island. Expect 10 feet of water through most of the anchorage in normal conditions. We never saw less than 9.5 feet and we anchored southeast of the anchorage icon in 10 feet of water. There is no lunar tide in Albemarle Sound. Water depths are influenced by persistent winds. South winds will raise the water level, north winds will lower it. We saw one big snag just exposed in the middle of the cove (N36 14.91 W75 56.52) so care should be taken. The anchor set immediately and held well through the night in dense mud. Wind and wave protection is fair except from the south: the anchorage becomes uncomfortable with south winds greater than ten miles per hour. (We had three hours of that in the evening before things settled down.) Be prepared for wakes starting at about 7am from the faster vessels coming down from Coinjock. There is no shore access available in the area, in fact, the anchorage is well clear of any human habitation. With nice weather it is lovely and quiet and away from light pollution. Cellular reception and speeds were very good for the big three with download speeds in excess of 50 mbps.

This is a good fair weather anchorage and acceptable with stronger winds from the north and the east. One warning, however: the area is notorious for midge hatches. We have twice experienced a nighttime swarm of "Fuzzy Bills" while anchoring in the bay. Each infestation required two days for cleanup and we are still finding desiccated corpses in nooks and crannies of the engine room. Perhaps the colder nighttime temperature (50 degrees) helped to keep them away from us this time.

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Review for North River - Buck Island (South)

Reviewed by: David Rowe on Oct 14, 2022
LOA: 38'
Draft: 3.5'

Stopped here on our way south after a long day in a NE wind. It was flat-calm all night. Good holding in mud.

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Review for North River - Buck Island (South)

Reviewed by: Captain Gene Of Galene on Oct 19, 2021
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 39'
Draft: 4.0'

October 19 2021 anchored here for the night. Easy exit off ICW. Some crab pots but not a problem. Had light winds so nice quiet night here. Large open area so can just pick a spot out of channel not necessarily on the WG marker.

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Review for North River - Buck Island (South)

Reviewed by: Drew Goddin, Jenelle, on Jun 7, 2021
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 45'
Draft: 5.8'

Plenty of room and easy stop off the ICW. We had a light breeze but I wound imagine it would get rough in higher winds.

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Review for North River - Buck Island (South)

Reviewed by: Lucy Wilcox on Dec 20, 2019
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 38'
Draft: 5.0'

Great ICW roadstead for winds from the North and Northeast. We entered this anchorage from Green 159 and saw 10 ft depths. Good holding in mud. We had full Verizon and ATT voice and data. No shoreside access for dog walks. Quiet location with beautiful stars.

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Review for North River - Buck Island (South)

Reviewed by: Skipper Bob on Jun 1, 2016
Draft: 0.0'

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