Beaufort SC

That’s BEU-furt, y’all.

The day began with a cruise through Charleston Harbor, right past the beautiful homes on the Battery.

From there on, it was clear sailing. Fast cruise speed all the way. We covered 82 miles today. Left at 8:30, and we were tied up in Beaufort by 1:30. The only issue was water depth. The recent tides have been unusually high and unusually low. We passed through some stretches with just a foot of water under the keel. Sheesh!

We had intended to stop overnight at Dataw Island, but we blew past it before noon, and we continued on to Beaufort. I remembered it as a cute town, and it looks even better than I remembered. Charming old house, a great retail district of restaurants, art galleries, and upscale gifts shops.

The best feature of the town is a long waterfront park and promenade. Many of the town’s restaurants have patios facing the promenade, and on the other side of the promenade is the marina and the water. Here’s a shot of me and Guinness enjoying the park after a lunch of shrimp and grits!

I realize I look like I’m in pain, but it’s just because I’m fighting with the camera and coaching Guinness at the same time!

It is a spectacularly beautiful day here. A very nice trip and a very nice stop.

I expect a short trip tomorrow – about 35 miles to Hilton Head and Jeff and Kathy Drennen’s home in Palmetto Bluff. If I have any anxiety at all, it’s because the ICW charts do not cover the May River, which is how you get to PB. We’ll just have to “keep ‘er between the buoys” and hope we recognize Palmetto Bluff when we see it.

I think we’ll be OK. PB has a prominent Inn on the river, and an antique cruising boat at the dock. Fingers crossed.