BY HAL MURRAY
Changes may be ahead for how the large paddle wheeler, the Albemarle Queen, is docked in its home port, Edenton, a community that is a member of Harbor Town Inc., the non-profit running excursions across our waters to ports near and far.
The Albemarle Queen has been moored off the southern facing bulkhead by the Barker House. To permanently accommodate the paddle wheeler, the Town of Edenton has submitted an application for a permit in accordance with the Coastal Area Management Act [CAMA]. See below at the end of the story.
The CAMA permit applied for [PA 1728] by the Town of Edenton is for the installation of four mooring clusters, commonly referred to as “dolphins”, along the Towns Public Docking Facility south of the Barker House to allow for dockage of the Albemarle Queen. Two of the mooring clusters at the bulkhead will be 6-feet above normal water line [NWL]. The two mooring clusters further out will be 8-feet above normal water line.
The preliminary Vicinity Map was drawn by Quible & Associates, P.C. and is dated Dec. 16, 2024, so the process is moving quickly.
This is where you come into the picture. Public “Comments Accepted Through 03-14-2025” this, according to a notice posted on a pole by the Barker House bulkhead.
Comments will be accepted via email to the Division of Coastal Management to Mr. Wayne Hall, [Wayne.Hall@deq.nc.gov] or via paper mail at the following address.
Mr. Wayne Hall
Assistant Major Permits Coordinator
Division of Coastal Management
400 Commerce Avenue
Morehead City, NC 28557
Taken from PA 1728 showing relative position of the dolphins to the southern bulkhead of the Barker House.
Taken from PA 1728 showing relative position of the dolphins to the open space of the Barker House.
Electric and Dockage of the Albemarle Queen in Edenton
In an email from Professor Nicholas Didow, head of Harbor Town Inc., “We are not charged for dockage or electric, but we are charged for any water we use or consume.”
In an exchange with Town Manager Corey Gooden, the history of the 100 A utility, installed for the Albemarle Queen and other large vessels that come to the Edenton from time to time, is being reviewed and Harbor Town is to be charged for previous and present usage. It appears that the issue of charging Harbor Town Inc. for town electric is in flux, as of this writing.
It is noteworthy that commercial rates for a slip in the area, on a monthly basis, is $10 per foot with electricity being metered and billed. At those rates, the slip fee alone for the 79-foot-long Albemarle Queen, excluding the gangway, would come to $790 per month. Include the gangway and the per month fee would be $1,000.
Susan Martin Cyr, proprietor at Inner Banks Inn, has been managing the bookings and cruises for Albemarle Queen since November 2024. The cuisine of the Inner Banks Inn is legendary, one can only hope that catering will be done by Mrs. Cyr as well.
So, there is lots going on at the town dock. Get involved and comment on the proposed “dolphins” along one of Edenton’s majestic views.
A resident of West Queen Street, Hal Murray, who holds a Ph.D. in chemistry, wrote this story for the Albemarle Observer.
