We spent our last full day cleaning the boat and stowing everything away that we wouldn’t need. We fully expect to be impacted by at least one low pressure system, and perhaps two, and hopefully not three, so we are expecting the worst and hoping for the best.
We also needed to get some US dollars. It is most likely we will need to refuel in Adak before we clear into Dutch Harbour and they don’t have eftpos. There are no money exchanges and we needed the bank for this. It was an expensive exchange as the only way we could do it was with Japanese yen. So we needed to withdraw our AU$ as yen then convert to US$. The bank was exceedingly helpful, and what they have is an envelope with mixed dollars. Often when you enter a country you only have large notes that can be difficult to break. In the envelop was a useful mixture.
Quite funny, where we sat while doing our exchange, were complementary reading glasses to use if you required them!! The Japanese can be so funny. On one hand they wear masks and the other they have communal reading glasses.
With a final check of the weather Dean chose our day to depart. The irony of clearing out of Kushiro was for the whole of our time in Japan we have been chased down by Customs and sometimes Immigration and the Coast Guard, and this time we had to do the chasing! So first stop was the Immigration building. Mr Seto instructed us to go at about 3pm. We didn’t know if he had let them know or just that was a good time because he explained they are closed for a long lunch break.
When we arrived we explained to the young officer we were leaving the country on our ship, and a more senior officer came over with all of our paperwork. We were expected!
We weren’t sure if that was because Mr Seto had told them we’d be coming. Alternatively I said to Dean they’ve probably had our paperwork sitting there ever since we arrived in Japan and we couldn’t tell them anything past our next port, except for the fact we’d be leaving from Kushiro after approximately 3 months.
Since Customs was in the same building, we popped our head in there to give them our intentions. They too recognised us, and said please just send your departure date via email. Again an older more senior man came over, and said to Dean, “Thank you Captain”. So formal. So nice.
We spent some time with Ayame and Atsushi discussing travel routes, communication and just saying goodbye really.
The one thing I did want to see while I was in Kushiro alluded me. Apparently the wharf has some resident sea otters but try as I might, I never spotted any. So I will have to be content with the posters. Here they are via my google translate.
There was no alarm set for the morning, it was just a wake up naturally day and try to be well rested. Unfortunately the night before when Dean mopped out the shower he poured the water down the toilet and a small piece of plastic got stuck and he had to spend hours taking the whole thing apart to get it out. Note, always put your bucket of mucky water over the side not down the toilet, no matter how cold it is out there!
Ayame and Atsushi came to say goodbye. Ayame had made us some Japanese rice balls for lunch and she also had a gift for me. First she has a branch of dried gum leaves in her boat that I can’t entirely work out where they are from, either from Australia, or it’s an Australian tree she has growing in her garden. Anyway she gave me a bunch of the leaves in a pretty bag, which was so lovely.
But wait there was more. She gave me a kimono. A beautiful silk vintage kimono. I was so touched that she would give me something so precious. We have only known each other such a small amount of time, but it feel like we have known each other forever. Even now as I type this out, it brings tears to my eyes I am so touched by her generosity.
Just as we were about to cast off Customs arrived. What now??? But they weren’t there for us, they were there for Ayametta. Yay us, that was a nice surprise. So as well as Ayame and Atsushi, we also had the Customs Officers waving us off, which was kind of weird, but also fitting, after all of our interactions with them over the last 3 months.
Ayame followed us all the way down the dock until the end as we slowly chugged away. Slowly, so Dean could stow everything securely for our big crossing. Once Atsushi was finished with Customs he joined her and we could see them waving to us until we were out of sight. I am certain we will see them again.
The sun came out briefly as we left Kushiro. And with that our biggest, and for me, scariest voyage yet has begun. Goodbye Kushiro. Goodbye Japan.
Run to Paradise 