What a welcome back, the customs dock was packed with friends and family! I spent a very long final night and day dodging commercial traffic while struggling against the outbound current, arriving at Friday Harbor, WA in the San Juan Islands at 2:30 on the 25th, 70 days and a few hours after leaving Auckland.

It was an amazing experience for me. I passed through 85 degrees of latitude, most of the climates from the last 2 years, watched southern hemisphere constellations change to northern, experienced every weather pattern, and a blur of major milestones. While sailing covers ground at roughly the pace of a brisk walk, the trip home now feels more like that speeded up film of the flower opening in 6th grade science.

The trip was much more physically taxing than I ever imagined. There were demanding conditions that left me exhausted and reduced to just the basics of keeping the boat safe and moving. I experienced some of the best sailing in my life with weeks of ideal conditions that any sailor would welcome on an ocean passage. Each day at both extremes left me more familiar and comfortable on the boat until I found myself staggering up on deck half asleep, reefing in the dark, and going back to sleep without comment. On the easy days I felt like a little kid on summer vacation with seemingly endless sunny afternoons ahead of me and nothing to do but laze in the shade and read. There was freedom in having no responsibilities or expectations, but ultimately I missed having Mary and the boys to share it with.

Some basic info:
Estimated actual distance sailed - 8500 miles
Time - 70 days
Average daily run - 120 miles
Average speed - 5 knots
# of gales - 3
Max wind - 45 knots
Amount of water used - 50 gallons
# of fish caught - 6
Amount of chocolate eaten - 5 lbs

Next plans:
To remain in Seattle, we would definitely need to get jobs. Still not knowing what we want to do when we grow up, the only sensible option seems to be to return to Mexico for one more season and talk about it on the beach over a cold Tecate.

That is being actively discussed. Stay tuned as we work though some boat projects and decide if September will see us headed south one more time.