NOT OUR FIRST RODEO

In 2014 we were out fishing and came upon this…an obvious migrant vessel. 

We reported it to the Coast Guard and spent the next couple of hours twiddling our thumbs until the Coast Guard showed up, thanked us, and told us we could go. 

So 8 years later (yesterday) we were out fishing and came across this…another obvious migrant vessel.

Do we report it?  Do we risk being tied up for a few hours twiddling our thumbs until they show up or do we just troll around it a few times and see if it is holding fish and pretend we NEVER saw it?  I was leaning toward, “Let’s just troll around it and pretend we NEVER saw it.”  Naturally CTM took the moral high ground and thought we should report it to the Coast Guard.  It started out the same way.  “Captain, can you please take photos and text to us?  Captain, can you please stand by? Captain, what is the name of your vessel?”   Captain this and Captain that…thumb twiddling beginning to start.  “Captain, thank you for the information.  We will be in touch if we need anything else.”  WHAT?????  We were off the hook this quick?  We both got what we wanted.  CTM had taken the moral high ground, we trolled around it, caught nothing (Karma?) and got the heck out of there!  

Catch you on the flip flop…

CJM 

DAY 12, DAY 13, AND DAY 14

Saturday…Day 12…we spent cruising the inside passage from Ketchikan to Vancouver, BC.  It was a beautiful sunny day “at sea!”  I especially loved the “at sea” days meaning it was NOT boot camp.  We slept in, had breakfast in our room while watching the beautiful scenery float by, drank, relaxed, ate some more, drank some more, and watched the beautiful scenery float by literally all day long!  IT WAS WONDERFUL!!  

A few pics of the passage…

During our stay on our “home away from home”, the Nieuw Amsterdam, we returned to our room to find this…

Somehow our room steward became aware of our political affiliation as we returned to find this…no jackasses in OUR room…well, maybe one 😬😉

And last but not least…a subtle hint that they noticed my transformation from blue jeans to stretch pants as I ate and drank my way across Alaska…

Day 13…Boot Camp AGAIN!  We arrived in Vancouver around 7:00 a.m. and disembarked around 9:00 a.m.  We cleared Canadian customs, grabbed our luggage, and boarded our coach to Seattle.  We arrived at the Canadian/US border and had to then clear customs again 🤪  

A border agent came on board and collected all of our passports to take inside for processing while we waited patiently.  GASP!  He dropped half of them on the pavement and they went flying!  Wouldn’t you think he would have a bag or at least a cardboard box or something to carry them in?  

After a short amount of time (not long enough to do anything with 50 passports but long enough for a cup of coffee) he came carrying them all back (not in a bag or cardboard box) and handed them to the driver.  The driver then handed them to one of the passengers and told her to return them to their rightful owners while he peeled out and headed south 😳 I am pretty sure they could use a couple of alpha females at the border (both north AND south) to be in charge 😬

DAY 14… We flew home without incident…no lost luggage, no delayed or cancelled flights 👍🏼  We were home long enough to catch up on a few things and just in time to spend Labor Day weekend working at the tap room.

  We are now in Islamorada for some R & R from our Alaskan adventure…

 Wait…what?  BOOT CAMP AGAIN?  I think CTM noticed my transformation from blue jeans to stretch pants so he aired up the tires on our bicycles and “boots” me out the door every morning!  I now find myself once again longing for that day “at sea” 😉!!!!!  

Catch you on the flip flop…

CJM