Visiting One Of Our Favorite Spots

Beaufort 

I missed dawn's display of color, but that was OK. A few more minutes of sleep were a good tradeoff. Today was a planned down day to allow a front to move through. As predicted, the wind began howling through the Taylor Creek anchorage around 3:00 in the morning and created restless sleep thereafter. Our anchor monitor reassured us that our hook had a strong hold. My Cat, our travel partner, attempted to re-anchor, but had an unplanned rendezvous with terra firma. The local TowBoat US captain was able to return them to the water, unscathed -- except for their ego. Although the town dinghy dock was a mere 100-yards away, we would wait until mid-afternoon and the wind to lay down to make the crossing to the shore. Beaufort is one of our favorite stops and we were determined to leave the mothership for a visit to town.

We walked along Front Street and were pleasantly surprised to see so many of the stores and restaurants we remembered were still open. We thought about stopping at the ice cream shop, but will take a raincheck until warmer weather. The stretch of stately white homes glistened against a bright blue sky. Story-book porches, fences, and balconies exuded southern charm. Flowers bloomed in the well-landscaped yards, adding color and cheer. I love the town clocks and Beaufort's is in great shape. Bonus points were earned for displaying the correct time.

A last quick selfie in front of the Beaufort sign, and we were back in the dinghy and heading to My Cat. We all discussed our plans for tomorrow. The wind will continue to lay down and we should have a good run on the outside to Wrightsville Beach. The sun was dropping quickly and we hurried back to Crossroads.

She looked pretty good in the golden light as we approached. The dinghy was quickly hoisted to its upper deck home and all exterior tasks were completed before darkness settled upon us. Tomorrow we will rise early and head out the inlet into the sunrise. Time to make some more miles before the next front rolls through. (The final photo was taken by Linda on My Cat as we left Coinjock earlier in the week.)