Leg #20, April 24, 2022, Thunderbolt, GA to Beaufort, SC.

It’s a sunny Sunday morning and travel along the AICW is calm, shallow and challenging in areas. Are you surprised? Me either. 40 miles of scenic winding rivers, one river to another, and another, and crossing the Calibogue Sound and the Port Royal Sound. I’m trying to understand the difference between an inlet and a sound. We passed by Hilton Head and Parris Island , where 20,000 Marine recruits come each year in hopes of becoming a US Marine by enduring 13 weeks of vigorous training.

We arrived at Safe Harbor Beaufort around 1:00 p.m. and landed gracefully with a west facing, starboard tie on the face dock on the Beaufort River. A large anchorage and mooring field is available to the west, to the east is the Ladies Island Swing Bridge. There is a constant flow of boats (mostly north bound) to watch. We watched our friend Sean (who we met in Thunderbolt) cruise on by us. He is one of the VERY few sailboats that actually sail the ICW whenever possible. A sailboat with sails up is a rare sight. Sean called us about 8:30

that evening and after 13 hours of solo sailing he had dropped anchor for the night. He caught a good and favorable wind and had to keep going. I hope we cross paths with him again.

Sunday, we mostly relaxed and explored the immediate area which has a historic downtown shopping and restaurant area and a charming swing lined park along the river.

Monday, April 25, 2022. ONE MONTH ON THE WATER and 20 days underway.

Monday morning, we did some house cleaning and laundry. Monday afternoon was the day the mechanic was here to change our thermostat and work through a few things with Glen. Monday evening, Glen led our annual Operations Workshop for the USCG Auxiliary via TEAMS. Glen’s co-worker Jack is in town for a business dinner and morning meeting with Glen. He stopped by the boat, then we walked into town and ate at a wood fired pizza restaurant. Very cool atmosphere and delicious food.

Tuesday morning Jack picked Glen up and off to work they went. I tagged along and stayed in the car to plan the next few legs of our trip. Planning is getting a little more taxing as more and more boaters are getting on the water and underway. I have our next four legs planned. St. John’s Yacht Harbor in Stono River (Charleston area), SC., Harborwalk Marina in Georgetown, SC., North Myrtle Beach, SC . and finally on Sunday, May 1st we will be in Southport, North Carolina. When Glen and Jack returned, we did some provisioning and then back to Saunter. We enjoyed a couple of cocktails onboard as we visited with Jack and

watched several thunderstorm cells develop, unload and pass. Later in the evening Glen and I enjoyed our leftover pizza and one of the prettiest rainbows I’ve seen. We could see the full spectrum of colors. Always, quite a sight to witness.

These two looked like a couple of school boys doing their homework.

Wednesday, we began with brunch at the Blackstone Café, a favorite of locals. Back at the boat, Glen is working and I’m preparing this blog as I wait for a call regarding our Annual USCG Flotilla Boat School which we are trying to be home for. We enjoyed a long walk through the historic homes and stopped for Kilwins (my favorite) ice cream where we ran into Bob and Diane from Soulmate who are staying at a marina a couple miles away. We will travel together tomorrow to the same marina. Also, docked just in front of us is Panacea, Saunter’s sister ship that we’ve been in several marinas with (Titusville, St. Augustine and Beaufort) and will also be traveling with them. Wednesday evening, we had dinner at Paninis and returned to the boat to check our charts and weather again before ending with a nightcap.

Thursday morning, we will be on the water again and dock hopping for the next four legs. Next stop, Stono River, SC. at St. John’s River Yacht Harbor.

Beaufort, SC. has been a delight. Smithsonian.com ranked it one of America’s best small towns. It’s a city on Port Royal Island, one of South Carolina’s coastal Sea Islands and is known for its antebellum mansions, especially in the downtown historic district. We would highly recommend Beaufort, SC. as a stop for Loopers.