Leaving the United States

We slid out of Oswego Marina with the charter fishing boats at 5 am. The sun wasn’t up but there was enough light to see the breakwater and the lake beyond. It was well worth the wait to cross today. Tiny waves of four inches or so and a gentle south-southwest wind. Perfect for a day with no drama.

We had the lake to ourselves as a blood red sun winked over the horizon. No need to avoid freighters as two downbound vessels crossed our path well off in the distance. We only saw one other boat. A sailboat under power following the same track in the opposite direction. Sixty miles across and we passed within thirty feet of each other.

Other than being swarmed by blind mosquitoes that completely undid our three days of cleaning, Lake Ontario was a lady.

We called CBSA half an hour before we arrived, gave them our information, and declared our “ship’s stores”. They asked for our arrival time which the chart plotter said was 11:06. They said we could tie up but, “Stay on the boat until 11:10. If no officers appear by then, you are free to land.”

Have to love technology and our nexus cards.

Our US courtesy flag was lowered and will be tucked away under the couch until it is needed again.