The Little Blue Boat
Written by Amy Coyne Bredeson
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.
When people heard that the boat needed to be moved, they rallied on social media in an effort to “Save the Little Blue Boat!”
Bluffton native Cam Letzinger, who owns Letzbuild Handyman Services, came to the rescue. Although the boat couldn’t remain where it was like LBB fans had hoped, Letzinger vowed to move it and restore it to its former glory.
Letzinger said the boat’s owner told him if he could get the boat out of the water, it would be his.
The boat was moved out of the marsh and over to a friend’s dock in late January. Unfortunately, the process was anything but smooth sailing for Letzinger, with one problem after the next.
On Feb. 15, Letzinger finally got the boat out of the water and onto his property, where he will begin restoring it. He’s looking forward to making the Little Blue Boat seaworthy once again.
The cabin needs to be gutted and rebuilt. The mast needs to be put back on, and the boat needs new sails. Letzinger hopes to have it all fixed up in the next six months. He’d love to either offer sailing charters on the boat or turn it into an Airbnb.
Letzinger said he first noticed LBB about three years ago.
“I wanted this boat before anybody even realized it was out there,” Letzinger said. “I’ve always wanted to restore it and get it sailing again.”
