Yes, it’s Sunday and we are still waiting on Beryl to move away so we can head north. While the winds are down, the seas are still pretty rough off of Hatteras and our Monday morning departure is still looking good. While winds are low enough for us to leave late today instead of in the morning, it won’t make a big difference in our arrival date so Monday morning it is and giving the waves a bit more time to calm down will make for a much more enjoyable ride up the coast.
Another unique feature , and source of local pride, of Beaufort is the wild horses that live on the barrier island having arrived with the early Spanish explorers some 400 years ago. What a contrast it is to sit on board The Abby and look the short distance over the harbor to see horses grazing at the water’s edge.
Yesterday afternoon I went for a walk and enjoyed passing through the well kept neighborhoods and shady streets. As I have mentioned before, the homes are well maintained, and there’s not a whiff of vinyl siding or “mini mansion stucco” to be found. If the condition of the homes is any indication, it’s also a great place to be a painter, or sell white paint. Every home is white. Perhaps it’s to stay cool. And, lots of nice front porches, a throwback to the days before air conditioning.
Some of the gardens are really nice. What a great spot to relax and read the paper on a Sunday morning, or later in the day, with an “adult beverage”.
It was also fun to wander among the headstones in this cemetery. Many of the graves were from the civil war and the live oaks were clearly not planted yesterday. Lots of stories here, I am sure. Very peaceful. 
Nice views in every direction.
Plenty or churches to choose from but our crew decided to attend a service on the water, at the town dock, provided by the Intracoastal Waterfolk Ministry who had dropped off a flier at our boat on Saturday. It was a nice service with about 30 in attendance in a nice shady spot on the water. Seeing the wild horses in the distance certainly set the tone. During one of the hymns there was a bird chirping in the tree over my head that was even more enthusiastic than the congregation.
The service was at the public landing which was very nice with a big sign welcoming all to visit Beaufort.
I have really enjoyed our visit here and look forward to visiting with Brenda in November on our way south. However, it’s my hope that our visit won’t be sandwiched between two tropical storms or worse. We will also likely be anchored out in the harbor with the little people. Not a bad place to be. Besides, we will be a lot closer to the wild horses of Beaufort.