‘We have survived Hurricane Florence’: Captain Buck’s Port reopens months after flood

Captain Buck’s Port is back, seven months after the flooding following Hurricane Florence in September.

This Friday, May 10, the site in Bucksport will reopen for business with live music and food. The site is home to a general store, expansive dock and a waterfront restaurant popular with boaters and locals.

Managing Partner Luke Barefoot said at during the worst part of Hurricane Florence flooding, which hit Horry County in September and October of 2018, 19 feet of flood engulfed the restaurant and the dock, making it impossible for the site to operate without major revisions.

“It was catastrophic to Buck’s Port. We lost our restaurant, Marina store, we lost our bathhouse and our storage building,” “But now we’re back up and running.”

The whole Bucksport area was hit hard during the flooding following Hurricane Florence. The one road leading into the marina area was shutoff for days with crews from the National Guard driving large vehicles into the area for rescues. A barricade surrounded the James Frazier Center as waters threatened the building.

A few homes along Bucksport Drive sit empty with the gutted remains still in the front lawn. The community is still rebuilding, but the opening of the entire marina is a step toward normalcy for both the community and Horry County.

The bar and grill area is the last of the renovations. The marina itself reopened in February.

“I’m very grateful, it’s been a tough, tough road for a lot of people. But I’m very grateful we’re back up and running,” Barefoot said. “This place has some magic to it and I’m glad we’re able to get back into the season and being on the Waccamaw.”

The magic comes from the location of the marina, Barefoot said. While remote if you’re coming by land, he said it is easily accessible by a boat and brings in people from all over to admire the secluded spot on the Waccamaw River.

Boats can tie up to the dock, go to the bar for food or a drink, and then get back onto the water without having to walk far on land.

The Captain Buck’s Port bar will have a reduced menu, Barefoot said, at least for the coming year. It will feature hot dogs, deli sandwiches and some alcoholic beverages.

For the summer evenings, there will be live music on a stage that rivals House of Blue, Barefoot said. The opening week will feature the Bernie Britt Band and then for the rest of the season Charlie Floyd will perform.

While the post-Florence road to recovery continues, a community institute opening is another milestone in the process.

“We have survived Hurricane Florence,” Barefoot said. “Buck’s Port is this getaway on the water. It is a really beautiful unique place.”

This story was originally published May 9, 2019 at 1:19 PM.