Wrightsville Beach to Beaufort, NC

Monday, Memorial Day, we leave Wrightsville Beach and will travel 80 miles to Beaufort City Docks in Beaufort, NC. We will travel this distance offshore.

We arrive in Beaufort just in time for lunch at Clawsons, one of the few restaurants that are open this Memorial Day. We quickly realize that our first order of business is learning the correct pronunciation of Beaufort. There is a Beaufort, NC and a Beaufort, SC. While both are spelled the same and both founded after Englishman Henry Somerset, the second duke of Beaufort (who ironically never even came to either North Carolina or South Carolina), they are pronounced different (why?? idk). Beaufort, NC is pronounced BOH-fert, while Beaufort, SC is pronounced BEW-fert. If you pronounce it as the South Carolina Beaufort, irked locals have no issue correcting your mistake and helping you practice the correct pronunciation.

Pronunciation issues aside, Beaufort is a BOHtiful city (I’ve learned to eliminate the BEW in all regards to this North Carolina town!).

We also visited the North Caroline Maritime Museum. They have quite a collection of nautical items and storyboards, focusing primarily on the sinking of Blackbeard’s flagship, Queen Ann’s Revenge. They offer an hour long movie documenting Blackbeard, the sinking of Queen Ann’s Revenge, and the discovery/recovery of the ship. In May 1718, Blackbeard ran his ship aground at the Beaufort Inlet, whether intentional or not, is not known. They do know, however, that most of the valuables were transferred to smaller ships. In 1996, discovery of Queen Ann’s Revenge was made and even today artifacts are still being painstakingly harvested from the ocean floor. Many on these artifacts are on display at this museum.

We really enjoyed our stay in Beaufort. We were able to shop in the boutiques, dine in small local eateries and relax with wonderful weather. Another perk, the marina offers a free loaner car which we used to make a trip to the grocery store. While the car is not the best, especially if you are used to using the doors of a vehicle, it was very much appreciated as our supplies were getting low. Note to any other travelers, there is a Food Lion and a Piggly Wiggly close to each other. Just as in life, the Lion beats the pig any day. Choose wisely.

One more order of business before we leave Beaufort, we need diesel…again. It is another first for us as we fill up right in our slip. The marina has the capability to fill almost all vessels in their slip. No need to make a stop at the fuel dock. What a convenience!

We stayed two nights in Beaufort and enjoyed every minute. Now, on to Belhaven. We will see what they have in store for us!