Post #34: Beaufort

Thursday, November 5, 2020

“We look around and think, ‘Wow, there’s nothing here.  But we’re so wrong.  There’s an abundance of natural wealth and unspoiled beauty all round us.’” It is indeed a good morning.

It’s difficult to capture the expanse of our horizon or the richness of the variety of trees and shrubs but I keep trying!

Today we were actually able to motorsail because we  left the oceans of marsh grass and reached the broad waters of the Ashepoo and Coosaw Rivers.  It felt so good to be able to shake out the headsail and feel the power of the wind again.

We rounded the bend in the Beaufort River (pronounced Bew-frt) and turned to port towards Lady’s Island Marina. We borrowed their loaner car, wiped it all down and drove to an AutoZone near Parris Island (boot camp for Marines) for a tool to remove the oil filter for our Yanmar diesel engine, and stopped briefly at a Publix market.  We’re on a quest for Old Bay seasoning for a recipe for crab cakes but haven’t been able to find it in 4 supermarkets in 4 different states!

Then we walked across the Ladie’s Island Swing Bridge to the small city of Beaufort. Ironically, when we reached the bridge it was slowly opening and closing for a passing motor vessel so we had to wait along with the cars to complete our trip across.

Its entire downtown is on the National Register of Historic Places! The gracious streets are lined with grand live oaks, historic homes and churches, places you’d recognize from movies and a waterfront park that offers 20 bench swings along the river—perfect for just lazing the day away. We took another horse-drawn carriage ride to get a quick tour of the historic sites.

The Spanish moss hanging from the trees is an airborne plant and not a moss after all.  It is a member of the pineapple family!

The town fathers of Beaufort gathered in this home and voted to secede from the nation, even if South Carolina did not.

We heard lots of stories of “when the Yankees invaded.” But I’ll have to come back and fill them in tomorrow. We have to get up before sunrise tomorrow to get through the swing bridge.  It favors vehicular traffic from 6:30 to 9 a.m. and won’t open for vessels.  So it’s time to say good night!

BTW: We enjoyed a take-out dinner of shrimp and grits plus an order of hush puppies from the restaurant right next door to the marina. It was SO delicious—and I finally did not have to cook!