We did it! We have completed our circumnavigation. At 3 pm Saturday Dec 20, 2008 we entered our home port. We are happy to have Phoenix safely tied to our home dock and to see all of our friends again. The clearance in Key West was quick and easy and we sailed overnight to be here in Key Largo well before the high tide at 3 pm. The tow company took a halyard and laid us over on our ear, rail in the water! Garrett powered and we got half way in the channel before we had to stop. We were now sitting sideways in the main entrance hard aground. Our tow man Mark towed the bow around and took the halyard from the opposite side and we got a bit further. With a towline on the bow we made the final 10 feet. It was great entertainment for the neighbors watching and photographing our graceful entrance! Our friends were on the dock to take lines and the fun of seeing everyone has begun. The boat was secured and the boys taken to the park within minutes to see all of their friends. We only found out late that night that Johnny had hurt his foot at the park playing basketball. We took him to the orthopedic surgeon today and it is broken! Not even home one hour before major injury after 3 years, 30,000 miles and 32 countries. What luck. We are sad to have our trip end but excited about the next phase of our lives. We have friends all over the world now and have been blessed to live the dream. Many thanks to everyone who was there to help, encourage and give support during the bad times and share the good times. We are truly grateful to all of you. Best to all who are still out there and we will now look for news from you and pray for your safe passages. John, Lynda, Johnny, Garrett and Nati

With less than 400 miles to go we finally feel as though we have entered the last leg of our circumnavigation. We have actually sailed most of the last week from Antigua. The winds have been strong and seas high but we can't complain. We were boarded by Coast Guard in the Windward Pass night before last in rough conditions. They were most courteous and spent almost 3 hours on board. Fortunately for us we only had a couple minor violations like out of date life raft inspection and were given just a warning. They gave Garrett a hat when they left and that sure made him happy. Last night we were contacted again by a different Coast Guard unit. We gave our information and told of previous boarding. They too wished us well. This is how thoroughly the waters are being monitored. I feel better knowing there is such a force in the area. Tonight we enter the narrow stretch of the Old Bahama Channel and there is already lots of traffic. Looking forward to seeing everyone in just a few days.

Phoenix finally made it across the Atlantic on Dec 6th. Our passage was three weeks and even longer than the Pacific! We arrived in Antigua to find English Harbor full with the Charter Boat Show. There were wall to wall multimillion dollar yachts everywhere. We also lost our engine just as we were coming in. We had a reservation at Nelson's Dockyard and they were going to send a dinghy to help us to our slip. Garrett managed to start the engine and move a bit before it stopped again. This went on all the way to the fuel dock where he landed us with perfection! Then our dinghy driver arrived. All the yachties in the restaurant next door of course were watching and even came to compliment his skill! We were permitted to stay one night on the fuel dock while we made repairs. It was bad fuel, dirty filter etc. The boys launched the Kayaks and went fishing and snorkeling. By 8 pm that night we were fueled, had supplies and cleared in. The next day we anchored next to the dockyard and used the kayaks to clear out after touring the Dockyard. Much has changed since we were there in 1991 but the people were just as friendly. ]When we tried to leave the engine was still not right so we anchored again and went through the process of filter change and clearing the last we hope of the bad fuel. Thanks to Mike on "Meredith" I was able to get a filter as I had just used our last. We left Antigua yesterday and are now just 10 miles southeast of Anegada. Best to all.