Beaufort, SC (pronounced Bewferd)

It was another sunny, beautiful day as we pulled away from the dock at Charleston.  South of Charleston, the coastline begins a radical transformation.  Gone are the simple pattern of rivers and streams found to the north.  The ICW now follows an increasingly complicated and often bewildering maze of creeks, rivers and inlets, all of which flow around the plentiful Sea Islands.  These small, often marshy land masses are the most striking feature of the southern SC coast.  Separated from the mainland by multiple streams, they provide some of the most scenic and historic cruising grounds in the state.

The main rivers in the northern section are the Stono and North Edisto Rivers.  The smaller Wadmalaw and Dawho Rivers join these principal streams and are followed by the ICW as it snakes it way south.  They are joined by small, often shallow cuts.

Here is a typical scene from the waterway.

Since many of the rivers are wide and fairly undeveloped, we made good time and reached Beaufort around 3:00 p.m.  Beaufort sits on the banks of the Beaufort River and the Downtown Marina sits in the heart of the historical district.  We had time before dinner so I got out the trusty bike and took a few pictures.

There was a 10 foot tide today, this is how the marina looked at low tide.

As I write this at about 11:00 p.m., I walked out on the aft deck and the water level is now within 12 inches of the top of that wall.

There is a lovely park next to the marina, several pictures follow.

There are several restaurants that front onto the park, this one is Plum's.

A young girl was fascinated by my bike (it folds and has small wheels), so I let her ride it and she gave me a big smile.

Next I rode down Bay street, the residential waterfront street to the west, featuring huge, old live oak trees draped in moss.

The street is also lined with homes dating to the early 1800's, including locations fimed in "The Big Chill", "The Prince of Tides", "Forrest Gump" and others.

Since we had reservations at the Saltus restaurant, along the park waterfront, we wondered over there about 6:00.

Sunday, May 16 - Town was quiet this morning so took out the bike and rode around.  There are street after street of historic houses, here is the view along a back street.

I would love to spend a week in Beaufort, but it was time to go.  Today we decide to travel to Savannah, Ga. and stay a couple of nights.  We haven't been to Savannah for several years and it's only 8 miles up the Savannah River from the ICW.