 |
|
Bill’s Boat Shed
Time and tide of a Pawleys Island icon and the man who built it
For more than a century, residents and visitors have been coming to Pawleys Island for rest and relaxation among its beaches and bluffs, dunes and dances, and the coastal cadence of its creeks and marshes. Many of us have passed island landmarks for decades, taking for granted they would always define our future as they have our past. One such landmark, standing like a Lowcountry bastion above Pawleys Creek which helps define the isle’s northern border is Bill’s Boat Shed.
Stately in its perseverance, weathered by decades of tidal attrition and steeped in character in its creaking clapboards and rusty raincoat, its calico exterior has withstood more storms, tides and tribulations than anyone can remember. Bill’s Boat Shed is an island icon.
Lovingly cared for by the local Doar family for many years, the story of Bill’s Boat Shed parallels the island’s evolution and, as Bill Doar, an attorney with Georgetown’s McNair law firm and son of the previous owner remembers, "It holds its share of island memories, not only for our family but for everyone else who has seen it stand through the years. We used it to rent and store boats and all of the adventures our customers found in them."
Bill’s Boat Shed was a labor of love of the late W.W. Doar, a WWII-era retired Navy veteran who lived on Queen Street in Georgetown. The Boat Shed illustrated Doar’s love affair with boats and the local ocean, rivers and creeks whose treasures they offered to folks who would rent one for a few hours or a day.
"My father built the shed, that we just called Bill’s Boats, in 1950," says the younger Doar. "I worked there a summer or two when I was 17-18 years old, renting boats for folks wanting to fish in the creeks which were loaded with trout, bass and crabs. He carried on for some summers after that. It provided for the family, but also provided me with the magic and memories of growing up on Pawleys Island."
Doar, Sr., never wanted to be far from the water, so he’d work the boat shed from his summer house which stood on the creek at the north end of Pawleys Island.
"As a young boy I remember the little building beside Myrtle Avenue everyone knew as Bill’s Boats," recalls local Chip Lachicotte. "Mr. Doar operated it for years as a boat rental business, but also as a home for his own passion. He loved to fish; most of us [locals and seasonal island visitors] do. I have the fondest memories of Doar fishing at the north inlet of Pawleys Creek for speckled trout in the fall and winter. If I remember correctly, it would be just before Thanksgiving when Mrs. Doar would have to practically drag W.W. back to town, kicking and screaming, to live out the winter until he could do it again the next year."
Doar, Sr. captained a U.S. Navy landing ship during WWII which made eight to ten trips to the beaches of Iwo Jima with Marines and equipment. This experience stands in stark contrast to the quiet life he sought in Pawleys Island after the war. "He loved the shed, the peace of Pawleys Island and the enjoyment both brought to him," said Doar, Jr.
In Pawleys Island/Litchfield, we are inexorably drawn to the sea and its boundaries for our peace and prosperity, whether for a few weeks out of the year or for a daily vigil of watching the sun rise from its oceanic slumber.
"W.W. was a fixture among us who were drawn to the sea for fishing, fun or just reflecting about the magical place we often take for granted," Lachicotte recalls. "That man loved fishing with a passion, and he enjoyed sharing that love with boat rentals out of the shed. Once you immerse yourself in our creeks and rivers, especially if you love catching our fresh catches, you’re hooked for life just like W.W. He especially loved fishing the creek at the north end of the island which was sort of his sanctuary." He adds, "If it were not for the love and devotion he had for his wife Julia and the kids, he would have stayed in that creek house and fished every day."
Our lives in the Lowcountry are shaped not only by our ocean, sounds, rivers and creeks, but also by those who have salt water in their veins and hearts. We build monuments to this devotion, like Bill’s Boat Shed, which become part of our everyday lives.
"I thought a lot of the old gentleman and wish he was still fishing the creeks with us to this day," adds Lachicotte.
So next time you pass Bill’s Boat Shed on Pawleys Island, smile and know that W.W. would like that, too. |
 |
Carolina Forest: Carolina Forest
For those who love golf, there are three courses to satisfy any golfer’s desire at Carolina Forest. The Man O’ War Golf Club is integrated with an attractive 100-acre lake. The lake boasts numerous islands, finger lagoons, inlets and tributaries, all... More On This Community
Search Listings By MLS Area: Carolina Forest
|
 |
Little River: Little River
The town of Little River, South Carolina is one of the oldest settlements along the coast. Known for its seafood, deep-sea & commercial fishing, charter boats, annual blue crab festival, and historic live oak trees, it is one of the last communities ... More On This Community
|
 |
Margate Tower: Margate Tower
From the moment you open the wooden double-entry doors and step into the foyer, you realize the uncompromising elegance of The Margate, a luxury oceanfront tower that rises 29 stories above the ocean. 251 two-, three-, and four-bedroom residences ran... More On This Community
|
|
| |
G Royce King •
The Litchfield Company Real Estate Sales •
843.237.4000 • Toll-free 800.476.2861
14240 Ocean Highway 17 • P.O. Box 97 • Pawleys Island,
SC 29585
©2012 The Litchfield Company Real Estate Sales. All rights reserved. | Broker Login | SiteMap |
| | |
Loading Data...
