Waving not drowning

I didn't see much of Harwich -- one minute we were driving through the green fields of East Anglia, and the next we were at the ship, without anything resembling a town in between -- but apparently there isn't a lot to do in the evenings. Every time a cruise ship leaves port, people gather on the pier to wave goodbye, and the ship's horn blows three times to acknowledge them. It's a little odd, but as customs go I much preferred it to the dozen bagpipe players on the dock.