Charleston

We made a grand entrance into Charleston Harbor under sail.  Fort Sumpter was just off our port bow, directly in the middle of the harbor entrance.  It was built just before the Civil War as a defense against foreign attacks.  It sits on a man-made island (landfill) and was almost completed as the war broke out.  There are smaller forts on each side of the entrance of the harbor as well.

Fort Sumpter as seen from the boat.

Without exception, every boater we met on our way south recommended two places that were not to be missed: Charleston, SC and Beaufort, SC.  They both lived up to the hype.  We stayed at the City Marina in Charleston.  A courtesy shuttle would take you downtown every hour, but downtown was so close that we usually walked to the historic downtown area and took the shuttle back.   New friends we met (on the VFH radio as we both approached Charleston Harbor) had stopped at Charleston several times and acted as our tour guides. We were both headed to the city docks and met up there.  After spraying the salt off the boats and settling in, they took us to Pearlz which must have the best happy hours in South Carolina.  Cheap (but good) drinks and eight bucks for a dozen oysters on the half-shell.

The next day, Susan and I signed up for an historical tour of Charleston that included a ferry ride out to Fort Sumpter.  The tour around town was very well done.  Fort Sumpter is a part of the National Park system and it is well worth the visit.


The highlight of our stay in Charleston was a visit to the Rhett-Aiken Mansion just outside of the cental historic district.  Being slightly away from the center of town, the mansion was spared the years of civil war bombardment as it was just out of cannon range.  The mansion is unique in that it remained in the same family until it was donated to the historical society in the 1990s.  But what makes it extraordinary is that no significant changes were ever made to the house and outbuildings.

The family simply closed off areas that they did not use.  As a result, it is pretty much like it was 150 years ago.  The dependencies, consisting of a cook and laundry house, and stables, are all intact and original.  There are even two carriages still in the carriage house.






Beaufort, South Carolina

Our next stop was Beaufort, South Carolina with an overnight anchorage on route.  Beaufort is pronounced Byooferd and is not to be confused with Beaufort, North Carolina, which is pronounced like you would think: Boefort.  Beaufort, SC, is very much like Charleston, but smaller.  The waterfront is a park with plazas, fountains, sitting areas, and picnic tables.  There are palm trees everywhere. It backs up to the downtown area which is alive with art galleries, small shops, restaurants and bars.

We took a historic tour around town via horse-drawn carriage.  The streets are canopied by Live Oak trees which are covered with Spanish Moss.  It is a lovely little town.  Our last sail would be to our final destination in Savannah.