Like many who move to Oriental, N.C., Michael and Diane Paling were drawn by the sailing. Their town sits amid eight navigable creeks at the confluence of the Neuse River and Pamlico Sound, with easy access to the Intracoastal Waterway. Local sailors often say Oriental is the northernmost place in the United States where you can sail year‑round, and the town’s roughly 2,700 registered sailboats outnumber residents by about three to one.
The Palings’ waterfront home on Whittaker Creek offers a front-row seat to that boating life. Their 2,400‑square‑foot residence sits on a 0.6‑acre lot with about 260 feet of water frontage, a multi‑slip dock and a three‑car garage. From the porch and screened waterfront living areas you can watch yachts from nearby marinas parade past during regular club races, or launch a day sail on the Neuse in fair weather.
With health concerns now keeping them from sailing as often as they once did, Michael and Diane have placed their four‑bedroom, four‑bath home on the market for $499,900. The property combines classic coastal living with practical improvements made over decades of ownership.
Originally a 1981 ranch, the house was lifted and expanded upward — a change Diane calls “the best thing we did.” The raised design created a spacious, sunlit lower level: a 1,500‑square‑foot workshop that doubles as covered storage for cars and boats and receives steady breezes and direct sun. Part of that area is used as a greenhouse, and a full bath on the ground level adds convenience for boat crews and weekend projects.
From the adjacent garage, stairs lead up to the main living spaces. The upper level opens into a large living room with hardwood floors and numerous windows, plus sliding glass doors that connect to a screened waterfront porch — a favorite spot for the Palings to watch activity on Whittaker Creek and the Neuse River. The kitchen occupies two corner walls and features maple cabinets and updated appliances, while a side deck off the living area provides an outdoor grilling spot.
The remodeled second level also added a master suite and a bonus bedroom above the original garage footprint. The master suite includes a glass‑sided gas‑log fireplace that warms both the bedroom and the adjacent clawfoot tub, creating a cozy coastal retreat. Ample closet space leads to a master bath equipped with a tiled shower, vanity and private toilet room. Sliders from the bedroom open to a sunny deck with views over the dock and creek.
A pathway from the lower level leads directly to the multi‑slip dock, which has handled a 50‑foot vessel and a 42‑footer simultaneously. The dock’s outer face offers about six feet of water at mean low tide, while the inner face provides more sheltered, shallower‑draft berthing—ideal for a mix of powerboats and cruising sailboats.
The property has municipal water and sewer service and uses a heat pump for efficient climate control. Annual property taxes run approximately $2,800. For boaters, the location is particularly convenient: Deaton’s Yacht Services and two full marinas — Whittaker Creek Marina and Whittaker Point Marina — are nearby, and the town supports a full range of marine services from chandleries and sail lofts to electronics and hull repair.
Although the Palings typically sailed short local passages aboard their Morgan 25 sloop, neighbors in the area regularly cruise farther afield — up Smith Creek, down the Neuse, along the Intracoastal Waterway or out to Ocracoke Island. The house provides easy access to all those routes while remaining within walking or biking distance of downtown Oriental’s growing collection of shops, restaurants and services. The nearest larger city is New Bern, about 30 miles northwest via state Route 55.
The property is listed by Suzanne Gwaltney of Sail/Loft Realty in Oriental. For buyers seeking a true waterfront lifestyle in a tight‑knit sailing community, this Whittaker Creek home offers generous indoor and outdoor living spaces, substantial workshop and covered storage, and a private dock in a year‑round sailing town.
August 2013 issue