07/10/2009 0001UTC 17 40.828S 177 23.159E Day 849 Up at 0600, 25C, Mostly Cloudy, Wind Calm.

[Above, the crew of Wind Dancer on Pirate's Day at Beachcomber Island, Fiji.]

[To read our book, Family Voyaging - Ak to nZ, receive voyage planning assistance (VIP Service), keep up with our exploits or contact us, go to the Family Voyaging website at www.familyvoyaging.com.]

The Burns family is forging ahead with the exciting subsequent phase of our personal Voyage of Discovery, one holding all the promise and engagement of the journey to date. While postings will no longer be published here, we heartily encourage you to follow our escapades on the Family Voyaging website. Under the banner of Crew's News, we will issue communiqués regarding our present whereabouts and activities. The website, www.familyvoyaging.com, is now the focus of our endeavors.

This blog, sans new entries, will remain online as a permanent, complete, unedited and unabridged daily record covering the three-year period (September 2006-October 2009) of planning, preparation and implementation of the Burns Family Voyage of Discovery.

We'd like to express our sincere gratitude to all who've been regular readers -- your comments and critiques shaped the blog's course and sailed it safely to port.

"Crew Quarters"

1st Mate: This is not the end but the beginning. We have, over the years, embarked on many exciting adventures. Yet none has compared to what this voyage has brought us as a family. We have learned to work together with a can-do attitude in so many ways.

I have enjoyed bringing you new recipes and ways to prepare a meal without any ingredients except imagination. I myself have learned to do many household chores without a vacuum, mop, dishwasher, crock pot or microwave. I can't remember how any of those actually worked =). If you have any galley questions -- from storage, cooking, provisioning to even cleaning -- please sign up for VIP Service on our website to get the details you need.

I have enjoyed being a teacher to my kids. I loved watching everything they have learned and accomplished from start to finish, right before my eyes. Both of the kids have become more independent, self-reliant and confident during our voyage. Being on the boat has taught all of us how to learn creatively and all without the stale usuals. I've learned more about culture, diversity, people outside of work, and stress and where cuisines began and became another. I feel far more well rounded in mind and soul than during my college years or at any other time. It is amazing what a night alone at sea can bring back in your memory banks from life. A challenge made, followed through and met is like nothing else in discovering your full potential.

I remember back to before we left Alaska and worrying about being the ship's doctor and how big a responsibility I felt. I see now that it is not much different than on land. You just need lots of band-aids and love for most things. I kept Murphy's Law at bay by having many medical supplies available, yet most remain unused. Reading-over most common problems and picturing how I'd handle them really diffused my fears. It really is true that there are more risks driving to work than sailing across the ocean. Do it... don't just dream about it!

2nd Mate: Wildlife seen yesterday and today: frigate bird, least tern, black surgeonfish, blueback jack trevally, rock crab, crowned urchin.

This is our last blog post. It's amazing how much we've experienced in the past three years, and, hopefully, how much you've all learned from this journal. We began posting many months before anyone other than our closest friends knew about our plans. Now, people we only know through blog comments have read posts and become friends.

When we started the blog, we were using the Internet that was hooked up to the computers in our house. Since then, we've updated our blog, often at great effort, using an Internet modem in Mexico, expensive and slow WiFi in the South Pacific and elsewhere, and even through our SSB radio when we were a thousand miles from the nearest land. And yet, we've always been able to keep the public posted. From your suggestions, we added many things, from my foreign words and phrases, to Grace's weather and lunar observations. I've really enjoyed the fact that I've been able to share with you my experience of documenting the wildlife we've seen, and how it relates to where we are.

We all hope that you've enjoyed the blog posts, and that you also enjoy our book, Family Voyaging - Ak to nZ, which tells our story better than we could do with the blog. Thank you for reading our posts, and I hope you can embark on your own family's Voyage of Discovery.

Today's Fijian phrase: ni sa moce = farewell and see you soon.

3rd Mate: The weather today: cloudy, light wind, the high was 33C, the barometer is 1010 and rising, the moon is waning towards third quarter.

I've enjoyed giving you the weather over the past couple of years, and I've learned many things. These include moon phases, clouds (I learned there's a difference between partly cloudy and mostly sunny), barometric pressure, types of temperature, and the tides.

Today is our last blog, and I'm sad that we won't be able to post anymore. I've enjoyed writing my entries and sharing them with you. I feel fortunate to have moved up from Cabin Girl to 3rd Mate with you as a witness. I can run a dinghy, dive deep snorkeling, recognize many different currencies and know all sorts of new foods and friends!

Bon voyage, and I hope to see you sailing!