Great Loop: River Dunes, North Carolina

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Riding Bikes on trails at River Dunes

April 30th, 2022

River Dunes is one of the best marinas we have ever visited.  It is in a Planned Unit Development (PUD).  This means there is an HOA to maintain wonderful common areas such as tennis courts, swimming pool, bike paths, etc.  As a marina guest, you have access to all their facilities.  There are also zoning rules to maintain the design theme of the community.  It was very well done as it imparted a very peaceful and restful feel.  We enjoyed our ride, on free loaner bikes, as we toured the various neighborhoods which are a combination of permanent residents, vacation homes, and vacation rentals.  They even had cute little cottages for rent.

There was a terrific restaurant in the club house.  It is only open around weekends.  So call ahead if you visit during the week to see if it will be open during your stay.  The food was delicious, and reasonably priced.  We ate breakfast at the "Yawl Café".  It was also tasty and fortified us for the day's run to Chocowinity North Carolina.

We met a couple from St. Louis who were in the final stage of preparing their 31' Ranger Tug for the Loop.  They hoped to shove off on their adventure in a couple of weeks.  We enjoyed their company, so we ate dinner together at the restaurant.  It couldn't have been better.  Great conversation and wonderful food is always a winning combination.  We were sorry they weren't quite ready to depart.  They would have been fun travelling companions.

Ideally, we would have liked to spend more time at River Dunes.  We hope to be back there again some day.  We had to head out as we were excited about meeting our friends, Jeff and Cindy, in Chocowinity.  We did linger in the morning as the ambiance was so relaxing, we were reluctant to leave.  Finally, we cast off just before noon and resumed our trip north.




Club House and Restaurant at River Dunes Marina



River Dunes Marina



Water front view towards Guest Cottages and swimming pool



Swimming Pool, Guest Lounge and Showers/Restroom Building



Marina Basin, Good Protection from Storms



Rental Guest Cottages



Lakeside Home



Pony at Stables


A Ranger Tug R31 in final preparation stage for Looping
Hope we see the crew of "Two Buoys" along the way soon!


Berthing Information

  • One of our favorite stops
  • Great restaurant and breakfast cafe.
  • Club house is quiet place to read or play pool.
  • Loaner bikes for riding the adjoining Planned Unit Development Community.
  • Excellent WiFi
  • Floating Docks
  • Laundry, showers and restrooms.
  • Valvtect Diesel and Gasoline at Fuel Dock
  • 30- 50 amp Electrical
  • https://riverdunes.com/graceharbor/marina


Trip Log





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