Editor's Note: The ICW series of blog entries details the April 2010 cruise down the ICW made by WaterViewHome Network Publisher David Lott. The purpose of the trip is twofold: to accompany Captain Steve Weisbrod who is delivering a Lagoon PowerCat 43 from Lewis, DE, to Key West, FL, where it will become part of a charter fleet, and to visit golf and waterview communities and report on them. You can read all other posts by clicking on the headlines on the list of entries at the end of this installment.
DAY 2: A Visit to River Dunes Marina Community
On Sunday morning we take a quick two-hour run from Belhaven at Mile 135 to Oriental, Mile 182, where I visit our first marina community, River Dunes. Oriental is a tiny coastal community that is all about boats. Residents I met boasted that the village had 850 residents and 3,200 boats!
Oriental Marina, NC
What impressed me about River Dunes was the coastal architecture that resonated with quality. The clubhouse and homes are tucked around the marina so that the water and beautiful boats are almost always in view.
The Harbor Club overlooks the River Dunes Marina.
I was met at the Oriental Marina by JC Capplemann who has built an impressive resume base upon a lifetime on the water. JC had traveled the world in vessels great and small and is now using his experience to help create a truly memorable marina community at River Dunes.
You can now view River Dunes on the WaterViewHome Network and see more photos and learn more details about the real estate offered here.
View of the marina from the River Dunes pool.
JC described how he wanted boaters coming to the community by water from the ICW to turn the corner towards the community and be hit by a wow factor. The house below is the first home one sees and it is a 'wow."
Making a statement: the first RD home the boater sees.
Outdoor living: the outdoor kitchen gives residents the first glimpse of new arrivals.
The home comes complete with boardwalk and dock.
The Low country style at River Dunes.
Homes are priced from $489,000 at River Dunes and waterfront homesites for custom homes start at $175,000. Styles range from low-country waterfront cottages to stately Charleston-style homes.
Rental cottages: come for a visit.
You can come to visit up to a week at River Dunes, and the rental cottages are just as smart and photogenic as the larger homes. Picket fences, gas light posts, fireplaces, metal roofs, porches, clapboard siding and 6/6 windows project a warm comfortable feeling.
Rental cottages: That old maritime village feeling with 1-3 bedrooms.
River Dunes homes enjoying a harbor view.
The Harbor Club pool.
Stately Charleston-style home at River Dunes.
The RD marina had some impressive boats, both power and sail.
The sailboat pictured above was just one of several good-looking vessels at River Dunes. As JC drove me back to the Oriental Marina, he told me about the boat show going on this weekend. In a town of 850, it would be a great opportunity to learn more about this picturesque spot.
Next entry: A town just for sailors.
Follow the ICW Cruise by clicking the headlines below:
DAY 1 - Havre de Grace, MD - Engine Trouble
DAY 2 - Alligator River Marina, NC - River Forest, NC
DAY 3 - Oriental Boat Show Is a Town-wide Celebration - A Visit to River Dunes
DAY 4 - Tiptoeing Past Firing Lines to North River Club & Brunswick Forest
DAY 5 - St. James Plantation Marina - New Home Construction
DAY 6: Charleston's Mega Dock Is a Showcase for the World's Most Beautiful Yachts
Day 6: Daniel Island's Mitchell Wharf Offers Deepwater Docks, River Views
Day 6: Harbour Town Yacht Club with All the Trimmings on Hilton Head Island
Day 7: discovering Windmill Harbour's Elegance and Privacy on HHI, SC
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