We’ve had mostly beautiful warm weather since we arrived in Charleston but the last two days have been really stormy. A tropical depression has been sitting off shore and just cranking wind and rain across the SE area since Thursday.
The crew at the marina was scrambling this morning to assess damage and check all the lines on the boats that are kept here full time.
This boat is in good shape and has extra storm lines on.
Thursday, we were downtown doing a driving history tour with our friends Drake and Wanda and strolling King Street. At 3 o’clock in the afternoon there were hardly any tourist to be found. The wind was starting to pick up but we enjoying having the sidewalks to ourselves. Our almost three week stop over here in Charleston has been great and the plan is to leave on Tuesday.
Where the heck is everyone???
There are so many beautiful old homes in downtown Charleston and its fun to just wander the streets and look at them.
Despite the howling wind, we are mostly just relaxing on the boat today and I did two weeks worth of laundry this morning. Our friends are hosting us for Burger and Bourbon tonight!!!
After a day of rain storms, it was time to get out and explore some more. We spent the next two days exploring Sullivan’s Island, Mr. Pleasant and Fort Sumter.
We started the day off Friday with a nice lunch at the Maybank Public House then headed to Sullivan’s Island where we enjoyed a walk on the beach and checking out the ruins of Ft. Moultrie. South Carolina was the hot bed of the early civil war and we have really been enjoying relearning all our country’s early history.
On the way back we stopped by two great seafood places off Shem Creek in Mt. Pleasant. These places are quintessential low country seafood docks. The boats actually come into both these places daily which fresh shrimp and seafood.
My kinda place… they were processing shrimp when I walked in.
There were a number of fresh fish options here… we bought 2 beautiful swordfish steaks. Check out the egret to the dudes left and yes, he definitely got a bite of the scraps as did the pelicans. Who said birds are dumb…Why fish when they just toss you scraps???
Our friends Drake and Wanda have been spoiling us … Saturday, we started the morning at their place on the screened in porch, sipping mimosa’s and then brunching on Eggs Benedict. After a relaxing brunch, off to see more of Charleston we went.
First stop was the Angel Oak on James Island. This lowcountry treasure is a Southern Live Oak Tree which is thought to be the largest Live Oak Tree east of the Mississippi estimating to be 300 to 400 years old. This ginormous tree is 65 feet high with a circumference of over 25 feet, shading an area of 17,000 square feet. The oak derives its name from the estate of Justus Angel and his wife, Martha Waight Tucker Angel. Local folklore tells stories of ghosts of former enslaved people appearing as angels around the tree.
I didn’t see any angels … but the tree is certainly impressive and beautiful.
Next stop was a ferry ride across Charleston Bay to Fort Sumter where the first shots in the Civil War were fired. The National Park Service does an excellent job of getting people over to the fort and recreating the epic battles that were fought in Charleston Bay. The tour and museum at Fort Sumter are very well done.
The city of Charleston was strategic in both the revolutionary and civil wars. During the Revolutionary War, the 1780 siege of Charleston was a decisive success for the British during the War of the American Revolution as they shifted their strategy to focus on the southern theater. Capture of the city and its harbor gave them a vital base from which to conduct operations in their attempt to rally the support of American Loyalists and reconquer the southern states. Conversely, the loss of Charleston was a painful blow to the American cause, made even worse by the capture of over 2,500 Continentals and numerous vital weapons and supplies.
During the civil war, many Southern port cities had been closed off by the Union blockade, Charleston became an important center for blockade running. Repeated attempts by the Union Navy to take Charleston and/or batter its defenses into the ground proved fruitless, including the Stone Fleet.
We saw all kinds of boat traffic in busy Charleston Bay. While cotton and rice exporting are a thing of the past now, the South Charleston Port is a busy place and throughout the last three decades, automotive has become one of the largest commodity groups for the SCPA. Today, the SCPA contracts with three original equipment manufacturers: BMW, Volvo and Mercedes-Benz Sprinter Vans, who all call on the Columbus Street Terminal. BMW, however, is at the core of the state’s automotive sector and recently exported its 3 millionth car from the terminal.
We could see the cars being loaded, one at a time into the massive cargo ships.
We finished the day with “linner” (cause it ain’t quite lunch and it ain’t quite dinner) at the Charleston Harbor Fish House. The view of the city and bay from the open air dining room is beautiful. FYI, linner is a southernism I made up – HAHA!
I shot the picture thru the screen so it has an almost 3D effect.
Sunday was a sleep in day and in the afternoon a few projects on Escapade. Drake treated us to a fun evening at the Club Lounge at the scenic Joseph P. Riley, Jr. Ball Park located in downtown Charleston on the banks of the Ashley River. The Charleston RiverDogs are a Minor League Baseball team and a Class-A affiliate of the New York Yankees. The RiverDogs focus on family-oriented, fan-friendly entertainment and it was really great to see all the family’s there enjoying the game. The food and beverages in the lounge was surprising very good too… a grass fed hot dog and pimento cheese made it on my plate!!
The RiverDogs beat the Shorebirds 7 to 4 and each team had three errors too. Definitely minor league but a fun game with a spectacular catch my the RiverDogs pitcher.
Beaufort SC has all the charm of a fine southern lady and was a delightful three day stop for the crew on Escapade. We stayed at the Safe Harbor City Marina which was the perfect place to see all of the historical areas and stroll along the pretty waterfront.
The marina itself was adequate as far as facilities, the docks are a bit long in the tooth but the marina has all of the basic amenities such as a fuel dock, pump out, restrooms, showers, laundry area and a ships store. The staff are all great and the location is perfect, so no car is necessary to explore all the historical parts of town. We were also happy to be put on the end of the outer dock… it was a bit windy when we came in but Captain Wally did an excellent job of turning us in to the current and the wind pushed us right onto the dock. We also had the best view in the marina…PERFECT!!!
Escapade sitting on the outer dock
And explore we did… the highlight of our stay was a 2.5 hour walking tour with Janet. One of the friendliest and most knowledgeable guides I have ever toured with! Janet has a witty sense of humor and makes the history of Beaufort so much fun and so interesting. You can’t help but get caught up in her enthusiasm for Beaufort and it was perfect to do her tour on our first full day there. I had no idea what an important role that Beaufort played in the revolutionary and civil wars.
The area had been subject to numerous European explorations and several aborted attempts at colonization. Scottish immigrants founded the short-lived “Stuart Town” in 1684 and the British successfully founded the city of Beaufort in 1711, the second-oldest in South Carolina (behind Charleston). The city initially grew slowly, subject to numerous attacks from Native Americans before flourishing as a regional center for the Lowcountryplantation economy up through the Civil War. The community rebounded in the later half of the 20th century and is today recognized as one of the most livable small towns in the country.
Beaufort has retained much of its historic character through its renowned architecture and historic preservation efforts. We also toured the John Mark Verdier House , walked by the house where the Big Chill was filmed and just enjoyed strolling the oak lined streets and seeing all the beautiful antebellum houses. These beautiful homes are tucked into winding, historic streets framed by natural foliage and centuries-old, moss-draped live oak trees. Beaufort is definitely a low country gem.
Beaufort is home to several beautiful antebellum homes that take you back in time to a different era in our history. Each of the popular spots are as unique as the owners who originally built them, and a few stand out as much as Tidalholm, perhaps Beaufort’s most popular historic home.
Tidalholm was built in 1853 by Edgar Fripp. The Fripp family owned a great deal of property in the Lowcountry of South Carolina. Some of the Fripp plantations on St. Helena Island that were mentioned in records during the Civil War included Oliver Fripp’s plantation, Thomas Fripp’s plantation, Hamilton Fripp’s plantation and John Fripp’s plantation that was also named ‘Big House’.
Fripp reportedly built Tidalholm to use as his “summah” home when the heat and mosquitoes made life at his plantation home on St. Helena Island intolerable. Apparently, most notable plantation owners had summer homes in Beaufort. Before the Civil War broke out he sold the house to his brother, James Fripp.
In November 1861, Union Navy and Army troops invaded Port Royal and most of Beaufort County subsequently was occupied by Union forces. Owners and overseers fled area plantations in the wake of the oncoming Union troops, and thousands of slaves were then free. During the war, Tidalholm served as Union Hospital #7 dedicated to the treatment of officers of the occupying Union Army.
According to local lore, when James Fripp returned to Beaufort after the war he arrived just as the house was being sold for unpaid taxes by the U.S. Tax Commission, but Fripp was not able to bid on the house due to his current financial situation. Then, a Frenchman who had been living in the area and who was sympathetic to the plight of the South in the war, purchased the house and is said to have walked over to the former owner, presented him with the deed, kissed him on both of his cheeks and walked away. It’s said that the kind Frenchman returned to France before Mr. Fripp had a chance to repay him.
Over the years, the private residence was used as a summer retreat by Fripp and his family. It was also used as a guest house from the 1930s until 1974 with many artists, authors, professors, and statesmen staying there.
Hollywood came knocking in the late 1970s and Tidalholm went on to become the setting for the films The Big Chill and the Great Santini; which is why many of the locals here in the Beaufort area also refer to Tidalholm as ‘The Big Chill House’.
Beaufort has no shortage of great restaurants and cute shops to pop into. We had a great dinner at Saltus, and delicious lunches at Wren and the Low Country Produce Company.
We spent the evenings on the flybridge of Escapade with our friends Ken and Joyce, sipping wine, enjoying dinner, playing Five Crowns and catching up. We really appreciate our friends who are willing to travel to find us and stay onboard Escapade to share our adventure. I hope we didn’t get to many demerits for the hot water incident!!!
Of course, no stop is complete with out a few boat projects… the hot water heater thermostat went out but Captain Handy aka Wally found the part locally and rode his bike there to get it. Never a dull moment on a boat!
The Beaufort waterfront is beautiful day and night… such a great place to stroll or relax on one of the swinging chairs for awhile.
It was a nice, short cruise from Savannah Georgia to Hilton Head Island South Carolina. We got up early to arrive before the big wind that was forecasted. Best I can tell, a lot of looping is running from the next storm! Typically, we found that on the water the mornings and evening are the calmest from a wind perspective and afternoon is when the wind usually picks up. Also, there are typical wind patterns and then there are blows… us power boats hate blows.. nothing worse than getting caught out or trying to dock or anchor in strong winds.
Here is our Nebo log for the cruise from Savannah to Hilton Head Island.
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As it turned out, we arrived early to Palmetto Bay Marina and then the wind started again…up to 40 mph gusts for almost three days. Good news is we had planned to stop here for a week – YAY. The marina itself is very nice, very quiet and not a lot of transient boaters. The docks are big and new, as are the restrooms and free laundry facility. They are Great Loop Sponsors, and the dockage rates are some of the most reasonable on the island so all that combined is why we decided to stay at Palmetto Bay Marina for the week.
One great aspect of slow looping is we can stay as long as we want and wait for nice weather to cruise. We had long time friends staying on the Hilton Head Island so it was great to spend time with them, relax on the beach and catch up. While the island is very bike-able, we decided to rent a car so that we could have the flexibility to explore more. The four of us had a fabulous dinner and celebrated our 31st anniversary together at Ombra Cucina Italiana.
Hilton Head Island has over 12 miles beautiful beach on the Atlantic Ocean, loads of golf courses and wonderful restaurants making it is a popular vacation destination. The island is named after Captain William Hilton, who in 1663 identified a headland near the entrance to Port Royal Sound, which mapmakers named “Hilton’s Headland.
The island has a rich history that started with seasonal occupation by Native Americans thousands of years ago and continued with European exploration and the Sea Island Cotton trade. It became an important base of operations for the Union blockade of the Southern ports during the Civil War. Once the island fell to Union troops, hundreds of ex-slaves flocked to Hilton Head, which is still home to many of their descendants, who are known as the Gullah (or Geechee). They have managed to hold onto much of their ethnic and cultural identity.
Hilton Head Island is considered a barrier island. A typical barrier island has a headland, a beach and surf zone, and a sand spit. The Island is lush and beautiful, with a dynamic beach system with offshore bars, pounding surf, and shifting beaches; as well as grassy dunes behind the beach, lush maritime forests with wetlands in the interiors, and salt or tidal marshes on the lee side, facing the mainland.
Besides hanging with friends, exploring and checking out the restaurant scene, we got caught up on some chores (free laundry), fixed an emergency vacuflush disaster (ohh, the joy of boat toilets) and we actually did do some general relaxing. I also found a great seafood market – Benny Hudsons. They had an Atlantic fish that I had never heard of – Wreckfish. Of course, I had to try it. DELICIOUS… it is a mild, flaky but firm whitefish. I fixed it with a herbed panko crust and a citrus beurre sauce.
Another highlight was that friends and fellow boaters from Anacortes WA, Ken and Joyce joined us on Saturday and will be cruising with us to Charleston. All in all, we really enjoyed our 7 night stop at Hilton Head Island… Off to Beaufort SC now.
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