Welcome to the Low Country

Today we made a short (relatively) cruise up to Beaufort, SC. We had a quiet night in Isle of Hope and got an early start out of the marina. We made a winding passage to the Savannah River. Over the grassland, we saw a container ship coming down the river and realized we were on a path to intercept it. The pelican was oblivious to the circumstances. We put on a little speed and got across the river ahead of the ship. It's pretty imposing to see one of those big ships bearing down on you.

We passed through more seagrass areas, negotiated a few challenging areas of the ICW and made our way towards Hilton Head. The traffic picked up a little and we had to slow down as we cruised around the island. We entered Port Royal Sound on our way to the Beaufort River. The sound was fine until we got to the other side when the wind and waves picked up. We were bounced around a little, but it was nothing compared to our ocean passage last week. We had to deal with a strong current on the way up the river. The engines were working hard to keep up the speed. We passed the Parris Island Marine Corps Base and many sailors out taking advantage of the good winds. This part of South Carolina is called the Low Country and has a long history. We have always enjoyed visiting this part of the country.

We made good time to the Beaufort Safe Harbor Marina and that meant docking with some strong winds and a swift current at the dock. The dockhands are accustomed to these conditions and were very helpful getting us tied up safely. These may be the strongest currents we have experienced so far. The tides here change about seven feet or more on each cycle. Seeing the change is pretty cool.

Beaufort is an historic little town with a number of nice shops and restaurants. We will spend the day here tomorrow and take a rest from cruising.