Day 187 - April 18, 2013: Beaufort, NC

It was only 1 1/2 hours up to Beaufort, NC, and we got an early start on a warm and sunny day. Beaufort is the third oldest town in the state and shares a large protected harbor with Morehead. A couple of weeks ago we visited Beaufort in SC, where they pronounce it "Bew-fort," However, here they pronounce it "Boh-fort," and it is critically important to get it right lest they get offended.

Beaufort is located in NC's Inner Banks region, which is at the south end of the Outer Banks. While small, it has much to offer and is a popular stop for cruisers, being about half way between Wilmington, NC, and Norfolk, VA. We decided to anchor between Beaufort and the Rachael Carlson Coastal Reserve, a small island dedicated as a wildlife refuge, and when we arrived we saw a wild horse eating grass near the beach. There are walking trails and sandy beaches to explore here.

Great Laker on anchor at Beaufort, NC

Little Laker at the town dinghy dock

After a great lunch at the Beaufort Grocery, we visited a branch of the North Carolina's Maritime Museum, which focuses on NC's cultural maritime heritage, coastal environment, and natural history. There are many elaborately built and award-winning models of ships of all kinds used over the years in this area.

One of the largest and most interesting exhibits traces the discovery of the wreck of the frigate Queen Anne's Revenge, which was built in London in 1710, captured by the French and modified to be a slave ship. The famous pirate, Blackbeard, attacked and took over the ship in the Caribbean and used it as his flagship to rob merchant ships along the southeast coast. In 1718, he beached and sunk it here just outside the Beaufort Channel in an elaborate and successful ruse to take all the booty without sharing it with his crew. After much analysis and research, and against all odds, it was discovered in 1996, and since then divers have recovered several cannons and over 16,000 fascinating artifacts. There are many of the retrieved artifacts on display, and we think this is a must see for anyone stopping here.

North Carolina Maritime Museum

Ship models, some full size

10 ft long wooden model of the fishing boat Menhaden

Six foot long model of the trawler Miss Teresa II

Brian and Ida, our friends from California, alerted us a few weeks ago that we should be on the lookout for their friends, Walter and Claudia, who had purchased a boat named IBIS in Naples and were in the process of cruising it up the east coast. By some amazing coincidence, we spotted them here this afternoon and spent some time visiting.

Walter on IBIS