Grady White 306 Canyon30' 6"
View Specs & ReviewA 65 ft sportfish home port with a no-bridge door to downtown Wilmington
Yachting in Wrightsville Beach
A Minted Location · Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina
If the boat you want is a 40 to 65 ft sportfish or centre console and you want an all-weather inlet a few minutes from the slip, this stretch of the North Carolina coast makes the decision easy. Seapath describes itself as adjacent to both the Intracoastal Waterway and the Masonboro all-weather inlet from the Atlantic, and the slip inventory behind that sentence is unusually consistent: its long-term slips run 22 ft to 65 ft, Bradley Creek takes 17 ft to 65 ft, Masonboro's wet slips run 30 ft to 60 ft, and Federal Point's 110 slips run 30 ft to 54 ft. Every facility here that gives slip dimensions stops at 65 ft.
Sixteen or so miles away by a different waterway, the market has a second personality entirely. Downtown Wilmington sits on the Cape Fear River, and Port City Marina publishes dockage for vessels up to 400 ft — qualified on its own site as select areas of the marina — across a 630-foot floating megadock, roughly 1,500 linear feet of transient dockage and slips it describes as 10+ ft deep. The reason those numbers are possible there and nowhere else nearby is one line on that same site: "no fixed bridges to the Intracoastal Waterway."
Read the two halves for what they are. The Cape Fear River is transient capability — a genuine 200 ft yacht can come downtown, take a megadock berth and walk into a city. It is not a home-port inventory. Outside Cape Fear Marina, which caps at 100 ft and sets a 40 ft minimum — the one facility here that turns small boats away — the published slip inventory stops at 65 ft.
One planning note before you book anything. The bascule at Wrightsville Beach and the swing bridge at Figure Eight both open on federal schedules under 33 CFR 117.821, and the windows are seasonal and hour-dependent. Read the current text on eCFR and time your arrival to an opening rather than plan to pass underneath.
Where to keep a yacht in Wrightsville Beach
Wrightsville Beach — where the resident fleet lives. Seapath Marina & Yacht Club is the anchor: 190 slips plus 600 feet of face dock, vessels to 150 ft, a stated maximum draft of 8 ft, diesel and non-ethanol gasoline, and pump-out. It reserves by phone rather than through a booking platform — the staff monitor VHF Channel 16 — and calls itself the premier transient stop in southeastern North Carolina. Wrightsville Beach Marina sits nearby with 105 slips accommodating vessels up to 200 ft, a full-service fuelling dock carrying both diesel and gasoline, three-phase shore power at 30, 50 and 100 amp, overnight, monthly and annual rentals, and a dock office staffed seven days a week. Bridge Tender Marina, on the Waterway at the bascule, publishes a 300+ ft floating dock and quick gas or diesel fuel-ups within walking distance of restaurants, bars and grocery and supply stores.
Read the slip sizes rather than the headline lengths. Those 150 ft and 200 ft figures are capability statements. What the slips actually measure is the same story everywhere: Seapath's long-term slips are 22 ft to 65 ft, Bradley Creek accommodates 17 ft to 65 ft, Masonboro Yacht Club & Marina runs wet slips from 30 ft to 60 ft with a 22 ft to 28 ft dry stack, Federal Point Yacht Club's 110 slips take 30 ft to 54 ft, and Carolina Beach Yacht Club & Marina's 69 slips break down as fifty-three 45-footers, twelve 50-footers, two 40-footers and two 35-footers. That is the fleet — and it is exactly the fleet an all-weather inlet with a short offshore run produces.
Downtown Wilmington — where the big boats come. Port City Marina publishes vessels up to 400 ft, qualified on its own page as applying to select areas of the marina, across a 630-foot floating megadock and over 200 floating wet slips. It states approximately 1,500 linear feet of transient dockage, deep-draft slips at 10+ ft, marine diesel and ethanol-free gasoline from a fuel dock open 09:00 to 17:00, and short-term and overnight bookings through Dockwa. The sentence that makes the rest of it work — and the single most useful navigational fact in this market — is its own: no fixed bridges to the Intracoastal Waterway.
Up the Northeast Cape Fear River, Cape Fear Marina is the market's odd one out. It accommodates boats up to 100 ft in its slips and sets a 40 ft minimum, which makes it the one facility here that turns small boats away. It describes deep-draft slips suited to larger luxury sailing vessels — confirm the depth with the office — and it rents by the few weeks or few months rather than by the night.
Haul-out and yard work are real but modest. Wilmington Marine Center on River Road runs a 75-ton travel lift and a marine railway rated up to 500 tons, inside an enclosed-basin marina with gas, diesel, water, electric, showers, restrooms and pump-out. Up-river at Navassa, Cape Fear Boat Works lists an 88-ton Marine Travel lift and takes vessels with beams up to 25 ft and lengths up to 150 ft.
Marine supplies here are an in-marina function rather than a standalone chandlery — the Seapath dockhouse and the Carolina Beach club's ship store are where you pick up gear, so put anything specialised on the list before you leave home.
Marinas
| Name | Where | Max yacht | Slips | Fuel |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Port City MarinaThe market's large-yacht berth, and a transient one rather than a home port. Publishes dockage for vessels up to 400 ft — qualified on its own site as select areas of the marina — across a 630-foot floating megadock and over 200 floating wet slips it describes as 10+ ft deep. Its most useful published line is navigational: no fixed bridges to the Intracoastal Waterway. Settle the berth that fits your boat with the dock office when you book. | Downtown Wilmington — Cape Fear River | 400 ft | — | Marine diesel and ethanol-free gasoline; fuel dock 09:00–17:00 |
| Wrightsville Beach MarinaOne hundred and five slips accommodating vessels up to 200 ft, with three-phase shore power at 30, 50 and 100 amp and a dock office staffed seven days a week from 7am. Confirm depth for your draft with the dock office before you book. | Wrightsville Beach | 200 ft | 105 | Gas and diesel — full-service fuelling dock |
| Seapath Marina & Yacht ClubCan accommodate vessels up to 150 ft across 190 slips plus 600 feet of face dock, with a stated maximum draft of 8 ft. Its long-term slips are 22 ft to 65 ft, which is the honest measure of the resident fleet. Describes itself as adjacent to both the Intracoastal Waterway and the Masonboro all-weather inlet, and as the premier transient stop in southeastern North Carolina. Transient space and the per-foot rate are settled on the phone. | Wrightsville Beach — on the ICW at the Masonboro inlet approach | 150 ft | 190 | Diesel and non-ethanol gasoline, with pump-out |
| Bradley Creek MarinaAccommodates vessels from 17 ft to 65 ft, with a bath house, laundry, clubhouse and work racks. A private facility rather than a transient stop, and it also trades as Bradley Creek Yacht Club. | Wilmington — Bradley Creek, on the ICW | 65 ft | — | — |
| Cape Fear MarinaThe one facility in this market that turns small boats away: it accommodates boats up to 100 ft in its slips and sets a 40 ft minimum. Describes deep-draft slips able to take larger luxury sailing vessels — confirm depth and availability with the office. | Wilmington — Northeast Cape Fear River | 100 ft | — | — |
| Carolina Beach Municipal MarinaThe public option at the south end of the market: five transient slips, four of them 20 ft wide and one 30 ft wide, taking vessels to 65 ft over a stated 6 ft to 8 ft of water. The town's mooring field is listed separately. The 10-day cap applies across slips, moorings and anchorage alike. | Carolina Beach — ICW mile marker 295 | 65 ft | 5 | — |
Yacht clubs
| Name | Where | Max yacht | Slips | Fuel |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masonboro Yacht Club & MarinaPlaces itself at mile 288 on the Waterway, three miles south of Masonboro Inlet and four miles north of Carolina Beach Inlet. Wet slips run 30 ft to 60 ft with a 22 ft to 28 ft dry stack. | Wilmington — ICW mile 288, three miles south of Masonboro Inlet | — | — | — |
| Carolina Beach Yacht Club & MarinaIts inventory reads slip by slip: fifty-three 45 ft slips, twelve 50 ft slips, two 40 ft slips and two 35 ft slips, sixty-nine in total. The largest slip on the list is 50 ft. | Carolina Beach — near AICW marker 161, at the north end of town | — | 69 | Ethanol-free gasoline and diesel |
| Federal Point Yacht ClubOne hundred and ten slips for vessels ranging from 30 to 54 feet — a clear statement of what actually lives here. | 910 Basin Road, Carolina Beach — the Yacht Basin | 54 ft | 110 | — |
Figures are as each facility publishes them on its own site; blank cells mean the facility doesn't state a number. Confirm slip availability and current rates directly — or ask us to make the calls.
Cruising from Wrightsville Beach
Two ICW mile markers anchor this market, and the venues publish them themselves. Masonboro Yacht Club & Marina places itself at mile 288 on the Waterway, three miles south of Masonboro Inlet and four miles north of Carolina Beach Inlet. Carolina Beach's municipal marina and mooring field sit at mile marker 295. Everything between those two numbers is the day-boat spine of this market: Masonboro Inlet at the north end, Carolina Beach Inlet at the south, and the reserve island in between.
Bridges: read the schedule before you leave. The Wrightsville Beach bascule and the Figure Eight swing bridge both work to 33 CFR 117.821, and their opening windows are seasonal and hour-dependent. Open the current text on eCFR, read the schedule that applies to your date, and time the arrival to an opening.
Moorings and anchoring are documented at the Carolina Beach end. The town's mooring field runs 12 mooring balls taking vessels to 55 ft at $40 a night, over a stated 15 ft minimum depth at low tide; its five transient slips take 65 ft over 6 ft to 8 ft of water at $2.75 per foot per day. One rule governs all of it, including anchoring: a maximum stay of 10 days within any 90-day period. North of there, Masonboro Island Reserve is 5,653 acres bounded by Masonboro Inlet to the north and Carolina Beach Inlet to the south, reachable only by boat, with primitive camping allowed for no more than two consecutive nights.
The Cape Fear River is the other route and it behaves nothing like the Waterway — no fixed bridges between the downtown Wilmington waterfront and the Intracoastal, which is why a 400 ft figure is publishable there and nowhere on the ICW side.
- Carolina Beach Mooring Field — Carolina Beach — ICW mile marker 295The town publishes a 15 ft minimum depth at low tide at the moorings, which take vessels to 55 ft. The 10-day cap covers moorings, transient slips and anchoring alike.
- Masonboro Island Reserve — Between Masonboro Inlet and Carolina Beach InletA 5,653-acre state reserve reachable only by boat, bounded by Masonboro Inlet to the north and Carolina Beach Inlet to the south — the undeveloped middle of this market's day-boat spine. Nothing here is marked or serviced: sound your way in, watch your swing, and take everything back out with you.
Service, refit & supplies
Shipyards & refit
| Name | Where | Max yacht | Dockage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wilmington Marine CenterThe market's working yard: a 75-ton travel lift and a marine railway rated up to 500 tons, inside an enclosed-basin marina with showers and restrooms. Confirm your LOA and draft with the yard before you book a haul. | River Road, Wilmington — Cape Fear River | — | — |
| Cape Fear Boat WorksTakes vessels with beams up to 25 ft and lengths up to 150 ft, with an 88-ton Marine Travel lift on site. Between this yard and the 75-ton lift down-river, the market can haul most of what it berths. | Navassa — up the Cape Fear River from Wilmington | 150 ft | — |
On the Wrightsville Beach calendar
The market's signature event is a boating event without being a yacht event. The NC Holiday Flotilla runs at Wrightsville Beach on 27–29 November 2026: a captains' meeting at 5:30 pm on the Friday with a 7:00 pm kickoff, a Day in the Park from 10:00 to 16:00 on the Saturday followed by the boat parade at 18:00 and fireworks after it, and an awards ceremony at 10:00 on the Sunday. It is a decorated-boat parade with a town festival around it, so plan around the crowds rather than travelling for the racing.
Inland, the NC Azalea Festival in Wilmington runs 7–11 April 2027, its eightieth edition. It is a city festival rather than a marine one, but it fills the downtown waterfront and the river berths with it.
On the fishing side, Dockside is a certified North Carolina weigh station and sponsors area fishing tournaments; the dates belong to the organisers, so call for the current calendar before you plan a trip around one.
Marina hours are the rest of the calendar here: Port City Marina's fuel dock runs 09:00 to 17:00, and Wrightsville Beach Marina is staffed seven days a week from 7am.
Yachts we'd shortlist for Wrightsville Beach
Reviewed the same way as everything on this site — specifications verified against the builder's own numbers.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the bridge clearances on the Intracoastal Waterway at Wrightsville Beach?
Both are opening bridges, so what governs your arrival is the opening schedule rather than a fixed clearance. The Wrightsville Beach bascule and the Figure Eight swing bridge both work to 33 CFR 117.821, and the windows there are seasonal and hour-dependent. Read the current text of 33 CFR 117.821 on eCFR, along with the local notices to mariners, and time your arrival to an opening rather than plan to pass underneath.
Can a large yacht reach downtown Wilmington?
Yes, and the reason is one published sentence. Port City Marina, on the Cape Fear River in downtown Wilmington, states that there are no fixed bridges to the Intracoastal Waterway — which is why a 400 ft figure and a 630-foot floating megadock are possible there and nowhere on the Waterway side of this market. It also publishes roughly 1,500 linear feet of transient dockage and 10+ ft depth. Treat it as a transient destination for an 80 to 200 ft yacht rather than a home port; the slip inventory nearby tops out at 65 ft.
Where can you anchor or take a mooring near Wrightsville Beach?
The documented option is at the south end of the market. Carolina Beach's town mooring field at ICW mile marker 295 runs 12 mooring balls for vessels to 55 ft at $40 a night, over a published 15 ft minimum depth at low tide, with five transient slips alongside them at $2.75 per foot per day over 6 ft to 8 ft of water. One rule covers all of it: a maximum stay of 10 days within any 90-day period. Masonboro Island Reserve, 5,653 acres between the two inlets, is boat-access only and allows primitive camping for no more than two consecutive nights.
What size boat do people actually keep at Wrightsville Beach?
Forty to sixty-five feet, and the market is unusually consistent about it. Every facility here that gives slip dimensions stops at 65 ft: Seapath's long-term slips run 22 ft to 65 ft, Bradley Creek takes 17 ft to 65 ft, Masonboro Yacht Club & Marina runs wet slips of 30 ft to 60 ft, and Federal Point Yacht Club's 110 slips take 30 ft to 54 ft. Carolina Beach Yacht Club publishes its 69 slips one size at a time and the largest is 50 ft. This is sportfish and centre-console country, sitting on an all-weather inlet.
What is the largest yacht that can dock at Wrightsville Beach or Wilmington?
Port City Marina in downtown Wilmington publishes dockage for vessels up to 400 ft, qualified on its own site as applying to select areas of the marina, across a 630-foot floating megadock with slips it describes as 10+ ft deep. That is a Cape Fear River berth, not a Wrightsville Beach one. On the Waterway side, Wrightsville Beach Marina states 105 slips accommodating vessels up to 200 ft and Seapath states vessels up to 150 ft on a maximum draft of 8 ft. Those larger figures are transient capability; the long-term slip inventory is a different number entirely.