The Sixth Annual Brays Island Outdoor & Shooting Exposition was held last weekend under crystal blue skies and ideal temperatures. For sport we had a pigeon ring, partner five stand competion and one hundred bird fun shoot on the sporting clays course.
Seminars include Chris Batha on over and unders versus side by sides, Marty Fischer on wing shooting and a fly casting seminar by Bay Street Outfitters of Beaufort. Jim Arnold, the Brays Island shooting pro, held a ladies five stand clinic attended by some forty women shooters.
Sunday featured a demonstration of upland and waterfowl hunting with English Cocker and Springer Spaniels. The handlers, from Horseshoe and DeeDot Plantations, also had puppies for sale.
Over thirty exhibitors offered everything from art work to clothing to both classic and new shotguns and shooting accessories. A highlight of the show was master engraver, Mario Volpi, creating a quail scene on a sidelock during the three days.
If you were able to attend, we hope you enjoyed yourself. If you could not make it, rest assured we will work diligently to help you become an owner at Brays before next year’s show.
Brays Island was first discovered in 1663 by William Hilton, for whom Hilton Head was named. William Bray, an Indian trader with the Yemassee Indians, settled on the island in the 1690's and gave the island his name. In the 18th and 19th centuries cotton and rice were the staples. After the area was ravished by Sherman the property went through several different owners until it was purchased by Mr. Davis as a farm and hunting retreat.
The next era for Brays begins in 1963, when Sumner Pingree purchased the Plantation from the Davis estate and began a farming operation which lasted for 25 years, until the late 1980's when his love of the property led him to create a community for 325 owners to share a traditional Lowcountry Plantation lifestyle. He set aside 3,500 acres as a wildlife and hunting preserve for dove, quail, deer, duck and turkey. He built a shooting sports center designed by Holland & Holland and an equestrian center with some 60 miles of trails and sand roads. He converted the old Plantation home and an adjacent carriage house into a 13 room Inn for owners and their guests and he provided the obligatory concessions to modernity including an 18 hole golf course, tennis courts and a fitness center with indoor and outdoor pools. Located on a tributary of the Broad River, the property provides boating access and superb fishing in Port Royal Sound and the Atlantic. Sumner is a beloved member at Brays and lives on the Plantation -- a unique accolade for a developer in today's world.
In 1998 the Plantation was turned over to the home owners, debt free with all amenities completed and operational. Since then the Homeowners' Association has operated the Plantation for the benefit of the owners.
By 2007, all 325 properties were individually owned and sales were of resale properties. Brays is in top financial shape with over $3 million in readily available cash for capital and operational purposes. We have a segregated fund for marketing Brays Island Plantation with a current balance adequate for four years of marketing expenses. This means a purchaser of land or a home is guaranteed there will be buyers available in the future if there is a need to sell.
We are a mature community, with some 200 completed homes. Purchase of property at Brays is the only way to become a member and the only requirement. There is no club to join. All owners have equal and unfettered access to all the amenities.
In the current economic environment many developers, who rely solely on property sales to fund debt repayment, operating subsidies and marketing are suffering. Brays Island is entirely owned by the Homeowners' Association, is debt free and in control of our own destiny. This ensures that your choice of Brays Island is a safe and secure investment for your future.
