Wandering through South Carolina - Beaufort

[Hilde’s log]

First views of South Carolina, palms and pines.

I’m thinking of changing Raven’s name to Drifter, due to our very leisurely attitude since leaving Savannah (Just kidding; we’d never change her name!) Our first day out of Savannah, we managed a whole five miles, then plopped into a broad, marsh-lined creek and set the hook. The next day we wandered another 15 miles or so, and the third day we arrived in Beaufort, South Carolina. The good news is, we caught a mooring ball at the city marina. The bad news is, we arrived tired at the end of the day in 20 knot winds. I had to fight contrary wind and river current while David wrestled with catching the ball. On the best days we aren’t very graceful with this maneuver; that afternoon we were a wee bit testy with one another by the time we were done. A pot of tea soon put us to rights, and we were very glad to have a ball and not worry about the anchor coming loose, as they sometimes do in a lot of wind.

The daily commute, here from Beaufort docks to Raven on the mooring ball.

Our original plan was a couple of days on the ball, visiting good cruising friends Penny and Richard, who have settled here permanently. The weather forecast was for a lot of strong wind over the week, so we elected to stay, as part of our route on the way to Charleston was St. Helena Sound, a wide-open body of water. Strong winds against the current there would have made for a miserable ride. We have no schedule (yay!), so why sign up for punishment? We ended up staying a week.

Beaufort is one of those “sticky” towns – it’s a place that is so nice, it’s hard to leave. Succumbing to development (albeit nice development) is going to make a mess of it, but on the boat and limited to walking around downtown, you don’t have to interact with traffic. There’s a lot to see and do in walking distance, and no worries on the mooring ball, so it’s a great cruising stop.

It was very warm there most days, although with the clouds and a bit of rain it cooled off regularly. The locals were panting, but Texans that we are, we just shrugged. It is nowhere near as hot as Texas is this time of year. Just pleasantly warm. The no see ‘ems were all over the place, and they think I am just yummy. I slathered myself in a coating of “No Natz” which is a combination of flower oils that no see ‘ems (also called midges) don’t seem to like. Their bites are like chigger bites, so I call them “flying chiggers.” It’s really beautiful here in the low country, but those bugs make it a lot less attractive! Our friends here recommended a bug repellent lantern of sorts for days when there is little to no wind. We tried it once and it may help. Ugh, bugs. Good news: when the breeze blows, it keeps them away. We had no complaint with the winds!

Beaufort County is made up of a number of islands on the Atlantic Coast, close to the sea. The downtown area of the town of Beaufort is an old historic district, filled with beautiful 100 and 200 year old houses – all very “southern mansion” type homes. We splurged on a one hour carriage ride, about 10 of us sitting in an open air carriage pulled by a slow and patient draft horse named Angus. The driver told us all about the area and about the homes we were passing. At one time money was made here growing indigo (for the blue dye) and, of course, cotton. 

Angus, getting sweet feed treats after the tour.

A lovely, low-key way to see part of the historic downtown.

The most interesting person our driver told us about was a man named Robert Smalls. Born a slave, Mr. Smalls was sent off to school to learn a trade, evidently so that he could eventually buy his freedom. He started work on the waterways and became skilled in boat handling and life on the water. In the Civil War, he was so well thought of that he was left in charge of a large Confederate ship while the officers went ashore. He brought on board his own family and several other families of slaves, and stole the ship! Wearing the captain’s uniform, he sailed out of Charleston under cover of night. He knew all the signals to get past the forts, etc., and took the ship out to the Union vessels off shore. As a reward, he was commissioned as a captain in the Union navy and paved the way for other African-Americans to serve in the Union army. After the war, he came back to Beaufort, and became very active in the life of the city, founding a church and starting public education in Beaufort. He was well respected as a fair man (this during the ravages of Reconstruction) and a man of character. He found the wife of his former owner wandering the streets of Beaufort, destitute and on the verge of dementia, and took her into his home (which was the home of the man who had owned him – he bought it at a tax sale) and looked after her there for the rest of his life. Wow. He eventually became a US Congressman.

The houses, of course, are gorgeous. The city’s historical society has insisted that the area be preserved, and so all building and additions, etc., have to conform to the look of the era of the houses in the neighborhood. There are some “new” houses, but they were built before the code was established in 1973. All I could think of as we rode by was the enormous amount of upkeep each house requires. After all, they are built of wood in this hot and damp climate! Not to mention just the housework involved in such huge places. I’m glad to live on my tiny boat. I don’t have the housework gene, I’m afraid.

Wow, the porch! Picture me with a mint julep in hand...

A more modestly-sized dwelling.

We also linked up with cruising friends we met in Savannah, Tony and Ann, sharing a very pleasant breakfast at the must-do cafe, Blackstone’s. David and I spent a couple of mornings walking the old town, admiring the old churches and graveyards, and finding a cafe that had Blue Bell ice cream. We paid that cafe two visits, David lurping Blue Bell and me nursing iced tea or Diet Dr. Pepper and a grudge. I miss being able to eat those sweet treats!

No comment. Hmphf.

St. Helena’s, one of the churches in downtown Beaufort, was established in 1712; the current church building was built in the early 1800s. The inside of the church is all white, with clear glass windows everywhere. The altar was hand-carved by Union sailors who frequented the church during the Civil War, and it’s simply gorgeous. We’ve been to some wonderful old churches since we got to this part of the coast, all started in the early 1700’s! The “new” buildings we have visited were built in the 1830s and 1840s. Pretty old by Texas standards, but laughably new by European standards. In Canterbury, near where David is from in England, the cathedral was founded in 597, and the church was rebuilt between 1070 and 1077, and again in 1174, after a fire. The “new” church was built in the late 1300s. That’s old.

St. Helena's Church (Anglican).

Part of the old graveyard around the church. Vets from all wars are honored with flags.