the little blue boat

Local Landmark Inspires The Lowcountry

Written by Amy Coyne Bredeson | Photos supplied

If you have lived or vacationed in the Lowcountry over the past few years, you’ve probably seen the little blue and white sailboat resting beside the first bridge going onto the island. And if you keep up with local news or frequent Facebook, you’ve likely seen some of the hoopla about the stranded vessel.

While some people complained about the abandoned boat, others grew to love seeing it as they traveled to and from the island. The boat, which at first was near the Daufuskie Island Ferry dock but was eventually pushed to the other side of the U.S. 278 bridge where it got stuck in the marsh, became a landmark, a source of inspiration, a fun distraction from the pandemic and politics, and a warm welcome to many. If you zoom in, you can even see it on Google Maps.

Referred to as “Little Blue Boat,” “Little Blue,” “Bluey” and “LBB,” the boat became a phenomenon. People started Facebook pages and groups, shared photos and memes, made pieces of art inspired by the boat, wrote short stories and poems, and even raised money for charity with images of the beloved boat.

Around Christmastime, someone hung lights and a wreath on the boat. There was even a meme of Santa driving the boat through the sky with his reindeer leading the way.

Local designer Aimee Downing of Bluffton sold handmade Little Blue Boat ornaments with the choice of three different designs on oyster shells. Each ornament included a copy of her original poem called “Little Blue Boat.”

In a Facebook post Dec. 18, 2022, Downing wrote, “The little blue boat has inspired so many of us! It’s become a symbol of the island, our lives, the changing tides and evolving seasons.”

After much prodding from his girlfriend, Bluffton singer and songwriter Jevon Daly wrote a song called “Little Blue Boat and You,” which can be found on Spotify and YouTube.

Daly said he woke up at 4:30 in the morning one day, and the words just came to him:

“All I want for Christmas this year is that little blue boat and a beer

Sailin’ ‘round the island would be fine With my little honey bunny and a bottle o’ wine

We could play hooky, drop a couple lines, shoot the breeze til dinner time

Wouldn’t that be funny watching all the cars go by”

The little blue boat brought out all kinds of creativity –through paintings, sculptures, stickers, jewelry, you name it. Like so many others, Bluffton artist and musician Robin Ross enjoyed seeing the boat when she crossed the bridge. “Going by it every time I went over the bridge, I thought it was so cute,” Ross said.” And then it kind of blew up on social media, and I thought, ‘Well, maybe that would be a good subject for a painting.’”

She painted the boat with acrylic on canvas, and then took it to Coastal Exchange on May River Road, just across from Squat ‘N’ Gobble. The owner of the store called the next day and said it had sold.

So, Ross painted several more.

Molly Fox Rohrer posted in the Facebook public group “We Love the Little Blue Boat” that she was commissioned to create a necklace for someone and received several more orders as a result. The necklaces were hand-sawed from copper and layers of glass, and fired in a kiln, then put on a sterling silver chain.

Little Blue Boat-themed paintings, T-shirts, kitchen towels, cookies and other items were made and sold to benefit local nonprofit organizations, including Bluffton Self Help, Pockets Full of Sunshine and Turtle Trackers of Hilton Head Island.