We left Bundige Island early (for us!) and in clear beautiful sunny weather. This is about as good as it gets crossing a major passage like Dixon Entrance, so we'll gladly take it.
Using the CBP Roam application I applied for entry in the United States as we went over the border. Within less than 15 minutes I received our confirmation that all onboard Enfin and Enfin were cleared for entry.
This is such a practical system compared to having to go to a special custom dock.
I lowered our courtesy Canadian flag and switched the various clocks and watches onboard to Alaskan time, an hour earlier than Canada.
The view around Enfin was magnificent as we could see the tallest mountains on the horizon.
Di and I hesitated which marina to choose. The marinas here are all public and do not allow reservations. I was initially tempted by one downtown, in the middle of the tourist area, but we both decided Bar Harbor would be more convenient with its proximity to a Safeway grocery store and a nice marine shop.
We had time to explore downtown. It's a bit of a walk from Bar Harbor, but all on Enfin needed it after days with limited walks due to bear risks.
Touristy downtown, which we found mostly closed at this time of the day on the eve of 04th July.
We had a thought at all it took for us to get here. From the years dreaming of having our own boat, to organizing our retirement that way, fighting and so far beating cancer. We stuck with it and now were within reach of one of our major dream, seeing a Glacier from our own boat. A dream we devised back when we cruised to Antarctica for our 5th wedding anniversary.
04th July was fun, with a typical small town parade along the main waterfront road. A helicopter flew over with a huge American flag, clearly rejoicing in Enfin's arrival in Alaska too.
At the end of it all we were happy with our choice of marina: Bar Harbor South. It is right next to a large Safeway and a well supplied marine shop, so we were able to replenish Enfin's supply of fresh veggies and fruits, as well as catch up on basic groceries and some marine supplies.
Last, we grabbed a couple hundred gallons of diesel on the way out. A quick back of the envelope calculation shows we used just under 8 gallons a day during our trip North from Blaine to Ketchikan. The pace felt very fast to us, almost rushed compared to our normal relaxed speed, but we want to get as far North as soon as possible and intend to take our time on the way back South.
Let's keep going North then.