Lady’s Island and Beautiful Beaufort

5/5 - It was chilly this morning as we pulled away from the Thunderbolt Marina. Linda had on a long-sleeved shirt and long pants and Gerry had on a light jacket. We kept the flybridge closed for most of the day. It was in the 60’s, but with a north wind that made it feel cooler. We passed Daufaskie, but didn’t stop there this time. Next it was Hilton Head, Port Royal Sound and Parris Island, finally arriving in the Beaufort area in the late afternoon.

We anchored in Factory Creek, the same location we had anchored in November on our way south. This anchorage gives you quick and easy access to both Lady’s Island and downtown Beaufort – Lady’s Island has grocery, drug, and hardware stores for provisioning while Beaufort is the more historic town with quaint shops, nice restaurants, stately old homes and a waterfront park.

5/6 – This morning held a hint of rain, but we decided to go ashore at Lady’s Island to get some needed supplies. The Lady’s Island Marina will let you dock your dinghy for free and will even let you use their restrooms and laundry facilities for a small fee. We walked to Grayco Hardware, which was really a large home/garden/marine/clothing store – very nice. Next it was on to Publix and then the Islands Meat Market where we purchased some very yummy looking stuff, including 2 steaks which Gerry will be grilling on Mother’s Day. All of these things are within a ½ mile walk of the marina – very convenient. Later in the evening we walked back to Upper Crust Pizza for dinner – twice – because the first time Gerry forgot his wallet. The pizza was outstanding and well worth the effort of the double walk. We had another boat in the anchorage tonight. As we passed by in the dinghy, Gerry thought they looked familiar. We stopped and sure enough, it was a sailboat we had met in upstate New York in Kingston when we first started the Loop. We had anchored next to them during a big storm. We saw them again at Waterford as we started the canal system, but they headed for the Erie Canal, while we went north through the Champlain. Small world.

(Editors note:) As I prepare to post this entry, Gerry is grilling the steaks mentioned above. HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY TO ALL THE MOTHERS OUT THERE!!!

5/7 – Today we went into Beaufort. There was a special festival going on called The Taste of Beaufort. Many of the local restaurants were offering samples of their specialties. Tickets were $1 each and food and drinks were sold for 2-7 tickets. In addition to the food, there were bands, dancing, a 5K run and kids activities. We spent the better part of the afternoon wandering through the festival, first checking out all the food tents deciding what we wanted to eat. So many choices and they all looked great, but we finally decided on a couple of Thai dishes for starters. After that we strolled through town checking out several of the shops. Last spring when we passed through Beaufort it had been unbearably hot – quite a contrast to today’s pleasant temps. We eventually ended up back at the food fest, tried a couple more dishes, listened to the band and did some people watching until the event closed. Back at the boat we watched a nice sunset overlooking the marsh. Our anchorage in Factory Creek had been an enjoyable 3 days.

A pod of pelicans sunning themselves

We had to slow down for a freighter leaving Savannah

Shoreline along the way

We passed by Hilton Head

Yuck - anyone for a mud bath. We anchored about an hour
before low tide. As the current changed and swung us around, it
looked like we were close to being grounded, but no problem -
still had 3 feet under the keel. There is an 8-foot tidal swing
in this creek.