Today is the day we crossed back into the United States. It feels like more than an international border. It feels like we are crossing into the last stage "The end of the trip", we're just not actually AT the end yet. It's a bit melancholy, like being in the last days of a vacation and having to go back to your normal life soon.
The passage wasn't really anything important. It was basically just motoring along other than a few patches of fog which had us turning on the radar and paying close attention to it and the AIS display.
The last few times I was in a fog and made proper sound signals (one long sound at intervals of 2 minutes or less), it seemed to act more like a mating call than a sound to notify people to beware. I'd be making my sound signals and another boat would just appear out of the fog powering along at high speed, not appearing on AIS nor making any signals, but seeming to home in on my signals and come see what the fuss was about.
We were out of the fog fairly quickly, but were treated with constant sightings of clouds low enough that our mast would cut them, but off the water enough to be able to see ahead without restriction.
We checked into the United States at Friday Harbor. It's one of the few times that I've been a passenger on a boat doing this, so it was a bit disconcerting to give my Nexus card to someone else and have them walk off with it.
There was a bit of a kerfuffle. I'm not sure if the captain mis-entered my name or the customs person did, but they misspelled my last name and so couldn't find it. This may have triggered a further interview and held us up at the docks a bit, but everything worked out. Then we blipped over to Parks bay for the night.
Dinner was the left over rice from last night - just as good the second night. maybe even better!
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