By Delayna Earley
The Island News
Port Royal now has a public volleyball court just in time for summer.
The new outdoor court was built at The Sands beach in Port Royal by Paul Smith with help from Steve McHugh, both of Beaufort.
Smith was wanting an outdoor place to play volleyball and hatched up the idea with help from Wesley Millard, a lifeguard whom he would often see while swimming at the Beaufort YMCA in Port Royal.
Milliard, who works at the YMCA, lives in Port Royal and suggested The Sands beach as the perfect location.
During their short planning period for the court, Smith and Milliard connected with Port Royal Town Councilman Kevin Phillips one day while he was swimming at the YMCA, and he set up a meeting in March for Smith to present their idea to the Town of Port Royal’s Town Manager Van Willis and the town’s planning director Noah Krepps.
“Noah had already selected the best location for the volleyball court so that it wouldn’t be affected by the tides,” Smith said about their meeting. “I couldn’t believe how fast all of this happened.”
The volleyball net and materials to install it were provided by Smith, who said he wanted to get a top-of-the-line net that would last. The court is roughly 30 feet by 60 feet.
Once he got permission from the town of Port Royal to install the court and they helped him to select a location, Smith enlisted the help of his friend and neighbor Steve McHugh, who works in construction.
The instillation went quickly, and they were finished on May 9.
Originally, Smith thought that they would only have the net up on Saturdays and that members of the public would have to reserve the court to use it, but he quickly abandoned that idea and decided to leave the net up for use throughout the week.
“All you need to do in order to enjoy the volleyball court is bring your own volleyball,” Smith said about the court.
He hopes that as word spreads about the volleyball court, locals may become interested in creating a Port Royal Volleyball League in the future.
“Port Royal is a very outdoor community,” Councilman Phillips said about the court. “This volleyball court is a great addition.”
Delayna Earley lives in Beaufort with her husband, two children and Jack Russell. She spent six years as a videographer and photographer for The Island Packet and The Beaufort Gazette before leaving the Lowcountry in 2018. After freelancing in Myrtle Beach and Virginia, she joined The Island News when she moved back to Beaufort in 2022. She can be reached at delayna.theislandnews@gmail.com.
