Settling back into Pelican after road trips north had us itching for some time away from dock. The first weekend in August we tossed the lines and heading out not sure where we’d end up. The weather here has been wetter than usual but the next few days promised clearer skies.
I really wanted to show Mike the town of Beaufort. He had never been there. So we headed up to Skull Creek, across Port Royal Sound, and up the Beaufort River. A couple of hours of cruising finds us with Paris Island to port. The water tower says in huge letters “We Make Marines”. It was very cool to be able to see from the water this facility where our Marines all train.
We dropped the hook close to the mooring field just off the Beaufort shoreline and their municipal marina and spent a lovely Saturday night with hatches open and a summer breeze blowing through. A very welcomed feeling after weeks of being battened down in the ac. Sunday morning we scooted up to the day dock and got a prime spot for the day. The city opened this great floating dock last May. They hoped to entice local traffic off of the waterways from nearby areas to come and shop their shops, eat in their restaurants and drink in their pubs. It appears to be working. By midday there was a steady flow of vessels filled with families or couples embarking up to town to spend their time, and money! Mac and I were some of them. We walked up the ramp to be greeted by a gentleman, Scott and his dog Sam. He asked us if he could borrow our boat while we went to brunch. Forty-five minutes later we were still sitting on the bench having a delightful chat with this sweet man!
We ate brunch at Plum, a fun spot right on Bay Street with great food and a wonderful view of the park along the waterfront. We returned to the Pelican for an afternoon of reading and relaxing and then returned to Luthers for happy hour and local color with live music and cold beer. The dock is open from 6AM until 1AM. We shoved off just before sunset and cruised down river to a gunk hole around the bend to spend the night.
Beaufort is an interesting city with rich heritage and many very historic buildings and landmarks. Unfortunately the carriages weren’t operating. They said it was because of the heat but we think it was because of the onset of the off-season. A lot of their guides and drivers are college students in the summer so we speculate they are short staffed this month. We set out on foot and strolled the streets reading the markers and peeking into courtyards. Because Beaufort was taken over by the Union army early in the Civil War conflict it was spared the destruction that other southern towns were not. If your travels, by land or by sea, take you anywhere close to this wonderful town be sure to visit its shores. The history is rich, the people are great, the food is good, the shops are interesting and the stroll along the waterfront is amazing! Be sure to tell Scott we said hello. He will probably still be sitting on the park bench with Sam greeting the tourists and locals with his southern charm.
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