DAY FIFTEEN -- HILTON HEAD TO BEAUFORT

                            DAY FIFTEEN -- HILTON HEAD TO BEAUFORT           

            After Ashley got back to the boat via Uber (I just can't use that as a verb), we had a family conference and decided to forgo a fancy brunch on Hilton Head because the only decent place was full and instead take off right away and get lunch in Beaufort, which was only a 22-mile run. We got underway at ten and had a pleasant run until we hit Port Royal Sound, which was pretty sloppy (but not horribly so) with a stiff NE wind and residual swells coming in from the ocean. It was the first time we saw serious white caps so far this trip. It was just a four-mile crossing, however, and once we were in the Beaufort River things calmed down, although it did start to rain, so we came down from the flybridge into the cabin. Here's Ashley's selfie of us underway before it started to rain:

And here's Paris Island, which we passed running up the Beaufort River. It was established as a marine training camp in 1915 and played a major role in Beaufort turning its economy around after a devasting hurricane in 1893. The water tower says, "We Make Marines". 


            We pulled into the municipal marina in Beaufort at noon, filled up with diesel, got the holding tank pumped out, and then moved around the pier to our slip. Our dock out on the far pier 100 yards out into the Beaufort River leaves us exposed to waves and currents, but things calmed down at night. 


            We spent our first couple hours in Beaufort catching up on the blog while Ashley went into town to get us some take-out sandwiches. After lunching and blogging we walked into town, did a bit of shopping, and got Ashley checked into her hotel. Beaufort is a nice old riverfront town that has gone through a lot of ups and downs since its founding in 1711. It has gone from being one of the poorest parts of the US in the 1930s to the wealthiest and fastest growing county in SC in the 1990s (based on the explosion of tourism and retirement living with the development of Hilton Head and other areas). 

            We met Ashley back in town for dinner at a fabulous foodie place on the riverfront that she had found on-line and booked for us while she was still back in Lexington. We had an outside table in the shade with a lovely view of the river. The waitress took our picture for us:


 And Ashley took this nice picture of our cocktails:


Ashley here: Please note below that I showed Mom and Dad how to tag their posts with their current location. So at the bottom of their posts you should be able to click on the location link and be taken to a Google map to see where they are. Technology!

P.S. It is a lot of fun to go cruising with them on this beautiful boat.
   
Location: Beaufort, SC, USA

Comments

  1. Mary LouJune 7, 2022 at 10:41 AM

    I love Beaufort! Glad you’re having so much fun together!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousJune 10, 2022 at 1:32 PM

    so fun to enjoy your trip vicariously! Also that Ashley can join you. Y'all really know how to travel. (Texan Ki)

    ReplyDelete

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