June 4
The water in this area is the color of black coffee, a shock to our Lake Huron/St. Clair River sensibilities, as is so much of the water we’ve been in on this trip. We have found bridge tenders and lockmasters to be friendly and accommodating for the most part. But not the horseflies! This was the worst day yet; we killed at least 20 of them and then had to close the front center bridge windshield and the aft deck wing doors, which do not have screens and which we usually have open while running. It got stuffy on the bridge with only the side screened windows open, but better to be hot than eaten alive. We passed through this pristine area with all the homes and buildings looking clean & new. With a little research we found that it was the town of Andersonville, which had been destroyed by Hurricane Hugo and rebuilt to its present condition. Our plan today was to go to Beaufort, NC (beau pronounced as in boat), but as we approached the entrance to Cape Fear River (you remember that movie) the weather turned nasty with thick fog and light rain. We decided to turn around and dock at the marina we had just passed, Southport Marina.