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Respecting The Fish

Written by Mark Shaffer
Tuesday, 15 November 2016 11:06
The Backyard Tourist Hooks Up With Cast Away Charters Story and Photos by Mark Shaffer “There it is!” shouts Captain Tim. After 30 minutes of fishing I’m pretty sure he can sense the fish before it hits the bait. That’s been the trend, anyway. Before the words are out of his mouth the tip of Susan’s fishing rod snaps down. “Fish on!” The early November morning is cool and the air is sweet with the scent of marsh grass and oysters waiting for the incoming tide. A soft breeze barely ripples the surface leaving a near perfect mirror to reflect the lipstick smear of sunrise. We’ve been fishing the mouth of a tidal creek in Port Royal Sound since just before sun up and the Speckled Trout are running.
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Scent of the Season

Written by Mark Shaffer
Tuesday, 01 November 2016 13:30
*It’s beginning to smell like fall; the Backyard Tourist follows his nose…* Story and Photos by Mark Shaffer Southerners have an inborn appreciation of the autumnal equinox for a number of reasons. It signals the gradual demise of summer’s stifling tyranny - a time when our primary occupation is staying cool and still as possible. With the cooler weather talk turns to football and weekend oyster roasts. Overnight the oppressive murky haze that blurs the summer horizon is gone, replaced by a brilliant blue. The breeze off the marsh is crisper, fresher even as the brilliant green of the spartina grass begins to drain away. The scent of wood smoke hangs in the air.
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Museum & Library Hold Lecture Series

Written by Editor
Tuesday, 06 September 2016 12:59
The Beaufort History Museum (BHM) is partnering with the Beaufort County Library to create and present a lecture series that will focus on the fascinating history of the Beaufort District. The series, which is free to the public, runs from September 2016 through May 2017 and features two lectures each month.
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The Cousteau Effect

Written by Mark Shaffer
Tuesday, 28 June 2016 16:19
Story and PRSF photos by Mark Shaffer (Shark photos by Peter Cram) The Jaws get you every time. These very, very big jaws hang over the eastern end of the main gallery in the Port Royal Sound Foundation Maritime Center. On the opposite end of the room red drum and sea trout shimmer in the 3,000-gallon display tank on a constant voyage to the Chechessee River just beyond the window. Overhead the sound’s native predators cruise through imaginary waters. The Sound is home to 17 native species of shark including hammerheads and tigers. The PRSF is actively involved with the SC Department of Natural Resources’ ongoing research efforts. “Chessie” (left), a 12 foot long, 1200 pound tiger shark was tagged not far from here in 2015. She is the largest of her species ever tagged on this coast, yet she would be little more than a morsel to the owner of the jaws on the wall.
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In the Cradle of the Sea

Written by Mark Shaffer
Tuesday, 03 May 2016 11:34
*The Backyard Tourist Boards the Spartina With Capt. Amber* Story and Photos by Mark Shaffer “Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul.” – John Muir The day is spectacular. The sky is a perfect pale turquoise seeded with a sprinkling of cotton ball clouds. A light breeze ripples the surface of the May River and rustles the spartina grass and ruffles the feathers of the shore birds stalking the edge of the salt marsh. It is the kind of cool spring day that we Lowcountry dwellers embrace with a hint of trepidation – a modicum of suspicion, even.
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