ICW - Beaufort, South Carolina

We headed to Beaufort, SC on Saturday, November 22nd, two days earlier than expected due to bad weather on its way.  We are now in a high tidal range area and there are several areas that are impassable for us if the water is too low.  This passage was over 60 miles and included two “trouble areas” with low water which we did make it through with little to spare below the keel.  You can see in the picture just how low the water is and where the “high tide” mark is on the pilings.  Beaufort absolutely wins the award for “southern hospitality”.  The town is full of charm with one of a kind shops and galleries with many restaurants, a great riverfront, elegant southern mansions, unique live oaks and Spanish moss.  Local residents volunteered to be host couples to our boats in the Sail Rally.  A lovely couple, John and Diane, were our host couple and took us all around one afternoon shopping and also showed us their yacht club and many historic homes.  The city celebrated our stay with an awesome party at the Saltus River Grill with fantastic food (especially the shrimp and grits and raw oysters) and live music.  Our host couple, John and Diane, attended and introduced us to many local residents, including the mayor.  Everyone at the party were just the nicest people.  Each boat in our Sail Rally was given a welcome bag with some wonderful gifts inside.  We are recommending Beaufort, SC as a must stop to all of our boating friends.