Day 107 - Beaufort (Bofort), NC not Beaufort (Buefort), SC

Today we would be travelling both the ICW and the Atlantic to reach Beaufort, NC.  We started up the Cape Fear River at 8:25 am, passing the shipping port, to Snow’s Cut, a narrow channel leading to New River.  The shores are still marshy even though we are technically out of the Low Country.  We past the charming town of Carolina Beach and took a starboard turn to Shinn Creek and the Masonboro Sound that leads to the ocean.  Wrightsville Beach is just to the north on the ICW.  A working dredge sat in the Masonboro Inlet – good thing because it is very shallow here, making the Captain a little nervous.

 

Captain Randy powers up at 10:35 am and we have 60 nautical miles to go to reach the Beaufort Inlet.  The Wrightsville Beach area is visible on shore but we have to run out 12 miles off shore in order to avoid the Camp Lejeune military exercise area.  There are regular artillery firing and beach landing exercises across the ICW and into the Atlantic.  ICW travelers are stopped by flags, lights and boats.  Ocean travelers must stay outside of the yellow buoys; unless you want to be fired on!  We passed, but could not see, Snead’s Ferry and Swansboro.  The waves were picking up and when we hit the Beaufort Inlet, conditions were similar to a day earlier when we went into the Cape Fear River:  wave heights were 5-6 feet.  The current, tides and wind all have a hand in how the water behaves.  We pull into Beaufort Dock at 1:40pm.  You need to get the right pronunciation of Beaufort depending on whether you are in North Carolina or South Carolina (hence the title of today's post) or be corrected by locals.

Several islands sit to the south and east of Beaufort, making it very scenic as well as a historic seaport.  It is the third oldest town in North Carolina whose most famous resident was the notorious Blackbeard the Pirate.  He is said to have sunk his own ship, the Queen Ann’s Revenge,  on the shoals here and recovered artifacts can be found in the Beaufort Maritime Museum.  Also in the museum is a "lifesaver" capsule used to rescue people off a ship in trouble off shore.  The one pictured below carried 11 people!  One of the most interesting places to visit here is the Old Burying Ground.  Most of the graves date back to the 19^th Century, and some earlier.  The local Historical Association has marked 28 of them and gives out a brochure with the stories of each inhabitant.  There are officers from the Revolutionary War, War of 1812, and Civil War, emancipated slaves, and local families.  A British naval officer is buried standing up as he did not want to be buried “with his boots off”.  A young girl who died on a return voyage from London was placed in a rum barrel on board the ship so that her father could bring her home to be buried.

 

 

 

Later we sat on the upstairs porch at the Dock House, looking out at Shackelford Island and saw 2 horses at the shore.  These horses had been left centuries ago and run wild on several islands.  It was exciting to actually see them!  We had dinner on another outdoor porch at Aqua, a local tapas restaurant where we had a gourmet meal that included an unusual Caesar’s salad, grouper over noodles and vegetables, and shrimp with kale and lentils.  To top it all off, the Hawks won and kept their chances for the Stanley Cup alive!!