Say hello to the law - all of it
We crossed the Florida straits from Bimini back to the US today. Our heading was due west the entire day towards Miami, but since we were catching a ride on the Gulf stream conveyor belt, we landed - as planned - in Ft. Lauderdale, 15 nm north of Miami, We had beautiful conditions with the wind from behind at 14-18 kt. Sailed most of the day with the genoa and the screecher wing-on-wing, i.e. one sail out to port, the other to starboard. It made for a pretty picture in the early morning when the sun rose behind us and colored the sail in rose hues.
As we approached the US, it was time to take down the Bahamas flag, the foreign courtesy flag that flies on the starboard side of the mast. It had fared pretty well in the past five months with only some fraying. This unlike my Swedish “house” flag that flies on the port side of the mast. It had taken a real beating and will be replaced at first opportunity.
Then, out of the blue, as we entered the Ft. Lauderdale harbor, we were boarded by the US Coast Guard. It was startling to have a swarm of armed men in bullet-proof vests onboard in a matter of moments. Lucy, for one, didn’t like it one bit. The Coast Guard performed a brief “safety check”, then escorted us to a dock where we were met by every other possible law enforcement agency we can think of: Customs and Border Patrol, more US Coast Guard, County Sheriff officers, Homeland Security, ICE and ATF.
The boat was searched, documents were checked and two dogs sniffed for explosives and drugs. Turns out that this was all part of a special coordinated operation today and we got caught up in it. But, everybody was courteous and professional, and we got the all clear eventually, so no complaints. In fact, I have always had a thing for firemen, but now I’m adding “coasties'' to the list. What a handsome bunch.
Yes I see what you mean (good looking bunch)
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