Beaufort, Then Onto Hilton Head

Beaufort to Hilton Head  – 27 nautical miles sailed, 3 bridges, 4 kilometres walked

We awoke to a bright and sunny day with highs of 22 degrees forecast and a new city to explore. As it was Sunday we didn’t expect there to be much open so after cruising over to the expansive and very new-looking town dock, we walked the harbourfront. It is a beautiful spot with manicured gardens, a kids playground, gorgeous concrete walkway with dozens of swinging benches facing the waterfront, and rows of tropical trees. When the park ended we continued along a street past a large marshy area near the anchorage, admiring the hundreds of year old houses, adjoining canopies of tree growth, and noticed several sailboats that had been washed up on shore and abandoned, likely after the last hurricane that passed through. We wandered through a residential area then worked our way back towards downtown, where we noticed most of the shops opened at noon, so we went back to a waterfront café we had passed earlier and had a long, slow coffee and shared a blueberry cheese Danish as we looked over the ocean and listened to the conversations around us.

 

There was a family beside us – Mom, Dad, Grandma, Grandpa, and the cutest little red-haired girl bouncing around amongst them, maybe 3 years old. Grandma asked, “How did you sleep last night sweetie?”

“Good, Grandma,” the little girl replied.

 

“What did you dream about?”

 

“Cake!”

 

“You dreamt about cake?” asked Grandpa.

 

“Yep. All night.”

 

“Well so did I!”

 

With that, the little girl took off towards the grassy waterfront where a massive Christmas tree had been installed. Ana and I laughed as we watched her go. Little kids never really run or walk; instead they lurch from side to side, from one foot to the other, sometimes falling down, sometimes leaping in the air, as if they’re getting hit repeatedly with electrical shocks. Grandma chased after her then stood back as she ran laps around the tree, stopping once in a while to try and yank off the oversized and colourful decoration balls.

 

We did a tour of the main downtown strip  but Ana wasn’t too excited about the shops, as most of them were tourist places, selling Beaufort-themed knick-knackery, beef jerky, real estate, gourmet jellies, or outrageously priced clothing. We did see a car with a fancy band-aid covering up a boo-boo. Along the way we had made a new plan for the rest of the day. As tomorrow was Ana’s birthday, we decided to continue onto Hilton Head today then stay in a marina so we could have a full day exploring the island and not have to worry about where to stash the dinghy or the anchor letting loose. We hadn’t stayed in any marinas since Oswego and Castleton where we had to in order to remove then replace the mast, so we have been very successful with just anchoring and the occasional mooring ball.

 

We left at 12:30 and arrived around 5pm after a non-eventful ride, although we did see the mast and shredded remains of a sail from a sunken sailboat, dozens of pelicans, plus several pods of dolphins, which seem to be plentiful in this area.

 

We anchored SeaLight in Broad Creek, not far from the Shelter Cove marina that we had booked for tomorrow. There was still a bit of sunlight left for a sundowner so we sat in the cockpit for a long time enjoying the views, particularly the sun-stained fiery red and yellow contrails left by the dozens of airplanes we counted passing overhead and on the horizon.

Tomorrow was going to be a big day.

All I Want Is My Wife and My Boat

Charleston to Beaufort, South Carolina – 60 nautical miles sailed, 4 bridges

We were up and at the fuel dock shortly after their opening time of 7 am. The lad working the dock struck up a conversation with Ana, and after learning we were from Canada he reached into his walled and pulled out a Toronto Maple Leafs fan club card.

 

“You’re a sucker for punishment,” I told him.

 

“I’ve always cheered for the underdogs,” he replied.

 

Well, he found the right team.

 

The cruise from Charleston to Beaufort was lovely – very scenic, lots of twists and turns, many birds, and the tides times worked out perfectly giving us a current boost in the cuts, low water for the 65’ bridges, and high water over the low spots like the Ashepoo Coosaw Cutoff and Watts Cut. To help dull the after effects of last night’s excesses, Ana made me the most incredible breakfast sandwich – two fried eggs, aged cheddar, three medallions of that fabulous American pork in a tube, a dozen pumps of hot sauce, all bound together between two pieces of toasted wheat bread. It may have been the most delicious thing I have ever eaten.

 

The non-food highlight of the day was when Ana spotted some commotion ahead in the water as we were passing through the Coosaw River. We cut the throttle and coasted in to find ten dolphins playing in the water and they came right up to the boat, so close that we could see their blowholes opening and the gleam from their leathery textured skin. They swam around the boat for quite a long time and we stood on the deck, mesmerized with these beautiful creatures.

 

We arrived in Beaufort (and yes, you’re probably wondering why there’s a Beaufort in both North and South Carolina. I have no idea, but I do know the one in NC is pronounced Bow-furt and the one in SC is Behw-furt) and stuck in the anchor on the second attempt. By then it was sunset so we sat in the cockpit, gave our friends Ben and Kate a call, and chatted until it was dark, retired to the cabin, made a delicious shrimp stir fry, then watched a show. I didn’t quite make it to Mariner’s Midnight (which is a 9pm bedtime…Adrian told us about this one!) and that’s okay with me.

 

Both Ana and really enjoyed our conversation with Adrian last night, particularly the lucid parts before all the tequila. He and his wife Sara had done a similar trip to ours when their kids were very young, taking a small Bayfield sailboat all the way from Lake Huron to the Florida Keys and back again. Their motivation back then was taking a life break and doing an adventure. Our plan is the same, but with one difference – no kids. At least not for most of it.

 

I would have loved to have both our kids join us for this trip, like we’ve done so many times before sailing through Lake Erie, Lake Huron, and the North Channel. But it wasn’t possible for them and it would have made it a different experience for us. For me, right now, all I want is my wife and my boat. Just the two of us, making decisions, learning, seeing new things every day, working through the difficulties of navigating, sailing, and anchoring, and being completely and totally independent from the world. I love spending time with Ana. And throughout our child rearing years, there were many times when I wasn’t getting enough time with her and it caused problems. Young kids take everything you’ve got, then a little bit more. And I will admit there were some moments when I wished I could go back to just her and me. But I always knew that time would come again, and here it is. A time I’ve been dreaming about for a long time. And yes, it’s been just as good as I was hoping.

 

In just over a month we are going to have both the kids with us on the boat, in south Florida, and it is going to be so much fun. Ana is headed home for Christmas and will return with them on Dec 26 (as well as Stella’s lovely friend Anna). Magnus will be with us for about a week then is flying to the UK to take a semester of schooling in Edinburgh. Stella and Anna will join us for the trip across to Bahamas with Anna staying for 3 weeks and Stella hopefully longer. I am really, really excited for this part of the trip. It is going to be louder, crazier, goofier, and much harder on the battery, propane, and water levels with all the showers, long hair, blow dryers, power-hungry phones, dishes, and fabulous meals we’re going to cook on the boat for everybody.

But, when everybody is gone, it will be back to a team of two as we take on the return trip and revisit some of the spots we loved, explore some areas we skipped, and probably do some longer ocean passages. Then eventually we will get home and regular life will resume.

 

Until then, all I want is my wife and my boat.