Access restored just in time for the Beaufort Water Festival
By Delayna Earley
The Island News
Boaters regained access to downtown Beaufort last week when the city reopened the day dock at Henry C. Chambers Waterfront Park, nearly a year after structural concerns made it inaccessible.
The reopening was briefly interrupted Sunday, July 19, when the city temporarily closed the dock for the Beaufort Water Festival Ski Show. The planned closure was related to the event and did not signal a new structural problem.
Access to the dock was restored Wednesday, July 15, two days before the 70th annual Beaufort Water Festival began. The reopening reestablished a direct connection between the Beaufort River, Waterfront Park and downtown Beaufort in time for the festival’s opening weekend.
In his weekly Bridge Report, City Manager Scott Marshall thanked O’Quinn Marine for helping the city fulfill its promise to restore dock access through the park before the Water Festival.
“Reopening the Day Dock restores an important connection between Beaufort’s waterfront and those who enjoy it by boat,” Marshall said. “We’re excited to welcome visitors back and appreciate everyone’s patience throughout this process.”
The dock had been inaccessible since the summer of 2025, when an engineering assessment identified significant structural deficiencies in the relieving platform supporting the waterfront promenade. The city closed the promenade as a safety precaution, cutting off the park’s connection to the dock.
O’Quinn Marine helped restore access by installing a temporary gangway across the closed promenade.
Although boaters can use the gangway to enter and leave the day dock, the promenade remains closed to pedestrians. City officials said the crossing was installed solely to provide dock access. People who enter other portions of the closed promenade could face trespassing charges.
Four days after the reopening, the city closed the dock from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Sunday to accommodate the Water Festival Ski Show on the Beaufort River. The city said in its public notice that the dock would reopen after the event.
The temporary closure kept dock and boat traffic away from the performance area during one of the festival’s signature waterfront events. It was not a reversal of the city’s decision to reopen the dock.
Restored access allows boaters to reach Waterfront Park and downtown businesses during the 10-day festival, which brings thousands of residents and visitors to Beaufort for concerts, sporting events, community activities and other waterfront traditions.
The temporary gangway does not resolve the larger structural problems affecting the promenade. The city has advertised a request for qualifications from firms interested in providing design services for the Waterfront Park relieving platform. Responses are due Thursday, Aug. 13.
That process represents the next step toward a long-term repair or replacement of the promenade. Until that work is completed, visitors using the day dock must remain on the designated gangway and outside the closed portion of the waterfront.
Delayna Earley, who joined The Island News in 2022, formerly worked as a photojournalist for The Island Packet/The Beaufort Gazette, as well as newspapers in Indiana and Virginia. She can be reached at delayna.theislandnews@gmail.com.
