"ICW Trip 2001 Leg 17 - Johns Island to Beaufort SC" Top 5 Page for this destination Beaufort Travelogue by grandmaR

Looking back at the bridge

We spent the night at Johns Island, just south of Charleston. Bob heard a barge and tow go up the river early this morning. We were up and about before 7, and the lady on PENELOPE JAYNE told us that the tug had hit the Limehouse bridge. So I turned on the radio and heard a sailboat asking to go through and the bridge tender told him the tug had just hit the fenders (hadn't damaged the bridge mechanism) and he could open. I also heard the tug captain who was really upset that he'd hit the bridge

Barge near Limehouse bridge

I checked on the radio, and the bridge tender told me the same as the other boater. We got underway about 7.

We got to the bridge, and I took a lot of pictures of the damage as we went through. I think the tug and barge were probably materials for the new bridge being built near there. They are constructing a new high rise span, which may be open in a year or so.

Later we heard some more boats go through, and then we heard the bridge tender say that he was closed to water traffic until further notice. Some people apparently anchored in front of the bridge. The bridge guy said the engineer was climbing down to inspect it.

New Bridge Construction Site

We could also hear the Wappo Creek bridge tender saying that she would not open either, and that people had to go out Charleston Harbor and come in by an island. When I looked on the chart and the route she recommended would have been impossible.

About noon, the Limehouse Bridge opened and let the people waiting through. The Canadians (PENELOPE JAYNE, CJ VI and a ketch that had been anchored near Johns Island) caught up to us eventually, and then stopped and anchored before we got to Beaufort.

Army shipyard

We went on down toward Beaufort SC - saw again the yard doing work for the army and took pictures. Came into Beaufort and were tied up by about 3 pm.

Tide was low and ramps up to ground level were very steep. The word there was that the Limehouse bridge was not going to be open until about Weds. for boat traffic.

Army yard

I did email at their counter inside the store on the fax line, and called Palmer-Johnson on my cell phone and they said they'd put me on the waiting list for today.

We walked up and had dinner at Bank's (which was in a former bank). Lucette would have loved it - they had herbal tea. We both had prime rib, and I took some of mine home for lunch. I didn't like their garlic potatoes- too much garlic. Since they didn't ask us if we wanted dessert, we went to an ice cream parlor and had some ice cream.

Fisherman north of Beaufort

Palmer Johnson was supposed to call me back if we could get a space and the Toshiba which I am using for charting keeps asking for virus software updates, I thought I'd do that. I made the mistake of trying to do it without plugging it in, and it is SO SLOW on the battery.

While I did that I heard that the Limehouse Bridge concrete supports had been damaged, not just the wooden fenders, and it was considered unsafe for motor vehicle traffic, so was permanently open for water traffic until they could repair it.

That means that all the folks who want to drive to Johns Island have to get to James Island (possibly by the Wappo Creek bridge) and then from James to Johns Island via the bridge over the Stono River.

Paris Island

Then I had a shower and found that Palmer Johnson had called back, and Bob couldn't figure out how to answer the phone. They said we had a space, but now we had to hurry and leave.

We got underway about 10 just as PENELOPE JAYNE and CJ VI and a houseboat were coming through the Ladies Island Bridge just north of the marina. We followed them down to Port Royal Sound, past the Parris Island Marine Base.

We had 47.5 statute miles to go, and we normally go about 6 mph. So that would put us there about 6.

Next report - Thunderbolt GA Leg 18