Beaufort and Charleston South Carolina

After leaving Hilton Head we had a short 20 mile day to Beaufort SC. It was nice to be in and tied up by noon to have a chance to explore the town a bit since we were only staying one night. Along the way we passed Parris Island where all Marine recruits east of the Mississippi attend boot camp. I know we just celebrated Mothers day but the next picture was taken with dad in mind....

I mentioned in the last post that I half expected Forest Gump to be seen walking down the street. Turns out this is because the movie was filmed in this area, not the gulf coast...who knew? The picture below is the bridge that connects Beaufort with Lady's island. It is also the bridge where Forest ran across the "Mississippi" river. The plantation house was built just outside of town and torn down after filming.

We found out all these tidbits of local information by doing the tourist thing and taking the carriage ride through town. It's a great way to see the sights when you're only there for a short time.

The town is home to many stately old homes and gardens with some dating to before the revolutionary war. The town has strict building codes so any new construction must fit in. The guide said it takes up to 3 permits just to paint the house.

Beaufort is another town worthy of a few extra days to explore. We left early the next morning with a long run to Charleston. Along the way we found some high winds crossing a sound and experienced the roughest water of the trip for an hour or so. After that it was smooth sailing.

We made it in to Charleston about 3:30 and were treated to a nice view of the city as we rounded the Battery heading to our marina across the harbor.

Once headed toward the marina I was pleased to see that there would be plenty of security at the docks. I don't think we even bothered to lock the boat while we were there.

The Charleston Harbor Marina is located right next to Patriots Point which is home to the aircraft carrier Yorktown, destroyer Laffey and sub Clamagore. All WW II era ships and floating museums. We toured all three the next afternoon and could have gone longer if our knees would have held up. Lots of ladders on these ships (except the sub). The group was happy to get ice cream treats between tours.

The next day it was in to Charleston for a bus tour of the city followed by a trip to the farmers market. After that Jill and I broke off to explore some of the places we had seen on the bus. Again a very cool town and worth a few days to check out. They have some very good restaurants and I could gain some serious weight back if we stayed longer.

We are now in Georgetown SC which is the 3rd oldest town in South Carolina. The first two you ask?? Beaufort and Charleston...I wonder if Myrtle Beach is # 4, doubt it. We'll be heading there tomorrow morning for 1 night and then Wilmington NC for a few days. Not sure where after that but we'll keep you all posted with the tweets when we travel.

One last thing. There has been some concern lately that we may have sold off our cabin boy, Timmy, to pay for some extensive dock fees in the keys. Not true at all. He wasn't sure at first that he was cut out for the sea life but has finally left the galley for some time on the fly bridge. He seems to be doing well and I will be sure to include him in future blogs....Till next time.