Belle Isle SC to Beaufort NC

We left Belle Isle when the tide was high and the current low, following the marked channel from the marina into Winyah Bay. The outboard, on its unusual bracket, functioned well enough to get us the nine miles down Winyah Bay to the outlet, though we did have to take evasive action to make sure that it did not submerge, drown, and stop when the occasional large power boats failed to slow down, leaving us to deal with the high wake it left behind. We put our sails up, just in case our little motor was affected, but all went well if slowly.

Finally we sailed out through the inlet, unfurling the jib and pulling the engine up to the rail as the swells grew larger and set our course for Beaufort, North Carolina. Dolphins came to visit us on our second day out, hunting with concentration around the boat, powerful and graceful. A bird cried, loon-like, intermittently through our second night out. The first night was full of stars, the moon only a late rising sliver; the second night most of our light was the ambient light from the shore, reflecting off the clouds.

The weather window looked as if would last a couple of days, and it almost did. We were either on a broad reach or sailing with the wind behind us all the way - a beautiful couple of days of sailing, until we got close to the Beaufort inlet. Then, just to remind us that sailing has its challenges as well as its rewards, we were hit by a squall as we waited outside the inlet for the right conditions to enter. We were hove to waiting for the tide to change when a big blast of wind and heavy shower of rain hit. They passed and shortly after, anticipating the comforts of shelter, we got ready to enter the channel.

The tide and wind were still opposing each other as we started to sail in, and in the outer part of the channel lumpy, sometimes breaking seas rose behind us. To one side the water grew rapidly shallower, and the water on that side rose in breaking waves as it approached the coast. We stayed as close to the other side of the channel as we could, taking advantage of the smoother water there even as the sound of surf echoed in our ears, and sailed on into the flat water between the outlying islands. Then we could drop the engine again, douse our sails, and motor slowly in to the anchorage at Beaufort.

The wind we were coming in to let pass came in with us, so we dropped one anchor, then drifted back with the tide and dropped another. With lessons learned from the last time we anchored here, we used our Danforth with rope rode for the second anchor because it was easy to check for twisting and easy to undo and untwist if necessary. Then we settled in to get a little sleep after tidying ourselves and the boat. Except for checking in with the Southbound II net, the rest of the day was a lazy day - time to rest and relax before we started our round of in-the-anchorage jobs.

After our time off the boat and the installation of the engine and its bracket this part of the journey was like a shakedown cruise. A look at the way the trip had gone suggested a few improvements that needed to be made. A bumper for the outboard bracket that would keep it well aligned and at the same time protect the hull was highest on the list. Richard fashioned that one using rope (always a lot of that around) and tape. Then there were the bow lights to be fixed - we had checked them before leaving, but found under way that they were only functioning intermittently. Then there were the few things that had moved and needed to be better stowed.

On shore, we returned to Taylor’s Big Mug in search of coffee (fair-trade, and very good) and wi-fi. Right across from the Beaufort Town Docks, this is a great place to spend some time, especially on a rainy day. In season they sell tasty lunchtime sandwiches freshly made to order, and there are games, books, magazines and papers to entertain yourself with on a rainy day. Brochures, notices, newsletters and cards are a good source of local information, and you can pick up “This Week” if you are interested in local events. With a little persuasion they might even start a book swap that cruisers could take advantage of. Then we did laundry in the laundromat behind the General Store - if you can have a favourite laundromat, this is one of ours. And of course walked up to the Piggly Wiggly for groceries.

Beaufort at this time of year seemed a little quieter than the last time we passed through. We saw school groups touring the harbour, visiting the North Carolina Maritime Museum and exploring the waterfront - historic sites are never very far away here. Some cruising boats came and went, most passing through on their way up the ICW, many of them headed home after a winter in warmer climes. They were able to keep travelling, but since our little engine was not meant to push us for hours along rivers and canals we stayed put and waited for our next weather window. While they traveled we enjoyed Beaufort, revisiting Taylor’s Big Mug and walking along Front Street past the stores and restaurants and grand old houses. Fewer customers in the cafe and for sale signs suggested that the recession has affected life here too, but the sunshine and warmer temperatures were bringing people out to enjoy the waterfront, some of the local tour boats were active, and a quick check of the free weekly events listings showed that there was lots going on. And local boaters and sailors were active, including one friend who blazed past us in his Laser dinghy on a windy day.

Birds were active as well, feeding and calling. We passed seabirds feeding in the tumbling surf on our way in, and saw pelicans floating where the water grew quieter. Our first morning we woke to a chorus of bird voices from a group of small birds which had congregated on the lifelines of our boat. Dolphins came in to the anchorage to prospect for food, and Richard saw a turtle following the anchor chain up when he went to check the anchor. Wild horses could be seen feeding on seaside grasses on the islands that shelter the anchorage. In town the trees were in leaf and flowers bloomed.

But we had to keep moving on, and as soon as a window of good weather offered we pulled our anchors up and set out again. Our little engine soldiered on through wakes from sport fishing boats racing out the inlet, propelling us out till we could lift it from the water and start sailing again. Next stop - Chesapeake Bay.