Since we took care of laundry at Jekyll Island and hit the grocery on St. Simons Island, we were ready to head north. We motored 39.5 miles on the ICW to an anchorage on the Wahoo River. We hardly passed a boat on the way and it felt like we were in the middle of nowhere. The next morning, we pulled anchor and cruised another 29.5 nm to an anchorage (Possum Pt.) on the Vernon River near Savannah. It was a gray and dreary day as we skirted storms most of the day until eventually one caught us about an hour out from the anchorage. We decided to skip Savannah since we’re heading into summer and we want to get north to escape the heat. Also, we couldn’t find any decent anchorages there that would allow us easy shore access to town.

On our third day of travel to Beaufort, we left the anchorage early since it was a long day of motoring 62 miles. It that was very calm in the morning with afternoon storms all around us as we passed Hilton Head. As we cruised by grass flats, the tides became more evident with the super long docks behind the homes. We were now cruising in Lowcountry. We arrived in Beaufort late in the day and anchored near the mooring field. We were officially in another state: South Carolina!

Located on Port Royal Island, Beaufort (pronounced, “BEW-fert”) is the second oldest city in South Carolina, behind Charleston. It’s known for its preservation of antebellum mansions and downtown buildings. When you come to shore, there’s a beautiful grassy park with mossy covered oaks and free-standing porch swings all along the waterfront. There’s also a 200-foot long floating dock that’s free to use for boaters during the day.

After Randy and I got some work done the next morning, we took the dinghy to shore with Sophie to explore. Our timing wasn’t great since a thunderstorm rolled in shortly after arriving on shore. We sought shelter under a gazebo to wait out the rain. Once the rain subsided, we walked around the town streets past shops and boutiques selling anything from t-shirts, to antiques or fine art. I even went to check out the local yarn shop but it was closed even though the hours said it was supposed to be open. We eventually, found an outdoor restaurant with a beautiful view of the waterfront and ordered an appetizer and beer. The next morning, it was time to move on and head to Charleston…

St. Simons Island to Wahoo River = 39.5 nm
Wahoo River to Vernon River = 29.5 nm
Vernon River to Beaufort, SC = 62 nm
TOTAL miles: = 810 nm

Bridges = 1
TOTAL Bridges = 20