We arrived at Kushiro, Hokkaido at 9 AM this morning. For the first time since leaving Okinawa in mid April we could see two foreign yachts at the quay in front of the MOO building, the designated quay for visitors. We moored up with the help of the Monkey Fist crew out of Darwin, Australia. Before our lines were secure, two uniformed Customs officers were peering down awaiting permission to come aboard and commence the paperwork dance. A short time later we met the crew of the second yacht that was from Singapore. Before the day was half over, two other yachts had arrived, one from New Zealand and the other from France. Each of us is here for one thing and that is to position for the 1300 mile run to Attu in the Aleutians. It is a relatively short distance with a lot of weather uncertainty and while the spirit is one of confidence and is light hearted, there is no doubt that everyone knows this upcoming passage is the big one. We were greeted after arrival by a series of welcoming local people and ended up under the wing of a member of the Kushiro Japan America Society. Fumio took us fill our jerry cans with diesel, the last we will be able to purchase before Adak in the Aleutians. I ended up spending most of the afternoon with him looking for bits and pieces. He has an English teaching establishment in Kushiro and our time together gave me some in depth insights into Japanese culture and behavior that you could only get from someone who can convey his knowledege and experience in a language you can understand. We have not had time to make our own evaluation of the forward weather so do not have a fixed departure date. Until we decide, we will enjoy Kushiro's hospitality and catch up on some much needed sleep.

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