20 APRIL 2015 PHOTO BY RHONDA THOMPSONB
eaufort, South Carolina—pronounced
Byoo-for—has, in my opinion, the most
attractive waterfront on the Intracoastal
Waterway. Its design is very people-friendly, with
a park behind a long promenade next to the sea-
wall. Backing that park are several great restau-
rants and pubs, including the Saltus, arguably the
best of the lot. The buildings are historic—Lu-
ther’s, for example, harkens back to 1906 when it
was a pharmacy operated by Charles Luther, and
continued in that family until the mid ‘80s. Now
it’s one of Beaufort’s most popular restaurants.
Stepping through Luther’s onto Bay Street,
you’ll discover a beautiful downtown, replete
with historic buildings and interesting shops. A
few steps farther, and you’re in a designated his-
toric residential district with many remaining
homes from the English colonial settlement. It’s
a great place to explore.
Even better, the area lends itself to good sail-
ing. The Beaufort River is quite protected, while
being open to the winds, so you get smooth, fast
sailing on a river that at some points is as much
as a mile wide—although the edges shallow out
very quickly, as I discovered just off the United
States Marine Corps base on Parris Island.
However, you don’t want to head into Port
Royal Sound with the wind against the cur-
rent. Coming into Beaufort from the Atlantic
late one night, the 21-mile run from the sea
buoy took 10 miserable, wet, pounding hours,qualifying as one of the worst times on the
water I have ever had. Dropping the hook at the
anchorage just to the south of the municipal
marina at sunrise was one of the most welcome
events of my sailing life.
If you’re interested in sightseeing, the best
spot to anchor in Beaufort is adjacent to
the municipal marina, but there are several
other options. One is Factory Creek, which
runs parallel to the highway and into Ladies
Island. There is an excellent but inexpensive
marina there, Lady’s Island Marina, which has
a 3,000-square-foot workshop. The anchorage
here is close to food stores and an excellent
hardware store, and the marina offers dinghy
dockage for those on the hook.
To the south of Beaufort proper, Port Royal
beckons with several marinas and a well-pro-
tected anchorage. However, it is not as conve-nient for provisioning or sightseeing.
There are many great destinations within a
day’s travel. Hilton Head is only 14 nm distant,
although if you head there with the powerful
tide against you, it will seem a great deal further.
Savannah is just a few miles further on and
well worthy of your attention, although you’ll
most likely have to motor up the Savannah
River due to its strong current and the heavy
freighter traffic there.
Fifty-six miles north on the Atlantic from
Beaufort’s sea buoy brings you to Charleston,
another of the south’s iconic cities and a great
sailing destination on its own.
For those wanting the protection of the ICW,
the stretch between Charleston and Beaufort
has many excellent and scenic anchorages and
good sailing opportunities, particularly on the
Coosaw River coming into Brickyard Creek,
just north of Beaufort. Catch the tide right,
and even the slightest of breezes will give you a
great ride all the way into town.
To date, I’ve visited Beaufort more than 20
times. Each (and every) time, I’ve discovered
something new to explore there, some new
facet of this town that is even more wonderful
than the last. The locals are friendly and help-
ful, eager to show off their jewel of a home-
town. And so they should be. As a place to
cruise into on your travels, Beaufort, SC, is not
to be missed.—Wally MoranBeaufort, SCAtlantic
OceanICW Hotspot
Beaufort, South Carolina
Beaufort, South Carolina
is a great stopover for
folks transiting the ICW