Let me preface this with a simple caveat...I have had a few Bahamian rums and am listening to some of my favorites, from Jonnie Mitchell singing Both Sides Now to Neil Diamond's Sweet Caroline to Rufus Wainwrights's rendition of Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah.

We are one page from our final destination. Just the turn of a page on our chart books and we will be on our way to Ft Lauderdale. How a page on a book can determine the end of a one year journey is beyond me.

I watched my children tonight as they played in the setting sun jumping off the bridge and rigging new ways to swing off the stern. Over 365 days in and it never gets boring.
I cried tonight as the kids talked openly about their careers - 'What are the best marine biology universities? Do you think I would make a good journalist? What about if I became a lawyer?' I cried thinking about the times I sang John Denver's Sunshine on My Shoulders aboard Chilli Oyster in the setting sun of Norman Island.

One more 40+ nautical mile sail and we will be landlocked in a marina in Ft Lauderdale. No more casting our lines, no more setting the genoa, no more finding the perfect spot to read. No more watching the sunset at night or feeling the heat of sun in the early morn without worry of sunburn. No more gourmet meals on board, no more snorkeling in crystal clear waters. No more marveling at sunsets, clouds, and the ocean's wonders. No more falling asleep to the gentle rocking of the evening waves sheltered in a bay.

A year in our lives...to reset our directions...to cement memories. I cannot fathom that in a mere 365 days we have forever changed as a family. Jenny a reader wiser than her 10 years, Connor an incredibly intelligent man still trapped in a child's body, Ziggy a sailor searching for a giant dorado and the perfect novel - to read, or perhaps to write.

And then there is John, a captain who perhaps never knew he has everything there is to be a perfect captain. Capable of charting our course, leading his crew, seeking safety, fixing problems, finding a peaceful anchorage, hosting the perfect party, pouring a tasty rum and coke, searing fresh ahi, filleting another fish. Without flinching altering course to help others. He was and is the captain of the MacKenzie ship. You are my home.

For those of you who have joined in this incredible journey, I thank you for making our lives richer - before we began the family journey, there was Darryl, Steve and Bob, John's brother who joined the ARC and some crazy seas and winds, mechanical failures and the calmest seas in the northern Atlantic to deliver Windancer to the Azores. We started as a family in Lagos, Portugal and welcomed (in order) Karen, Emily and Kate in Barcelona and the Balearics who joined as our first guests and set a very, very high bar; Uncle Dan, Aunt Nancy and Misa in the south of France and 60ish birthday in the Monte Carlo Casino; Maris and Michel in Italy, for fixing not only our teeth but our course, had it not been for you we would not have experienced the pasta, pizza, gelato and history of this beautiful county; Mark who jumped aboard in Gibraltar and journeyed with us to Morocco including Rabat and Marrakech; Uncle Bruce, Aunt Marlene (who traveled in borrowed clothes until her suitcase arrived in St Lucia and didn't complain once...NOT) and Cousin Ari who ventured with us and Maris across the ocean over 2700 nm from Las Palmas, Canaries to St Lucia and traveled with us north through Antigua, St Maartin and to the BVI for Christmas; Dave, Michelle and daughters Caroline and Sabrina who rejoined us in the BVIs and experienced Old Year's Day on a grassy knoll; Alicia, Michael and Caroline in their BVI tour to experience dancing tuna and real blue waters; Bruce, Steph, Kim and Shae in the ponds and pools of St Marten; and Alice, Mike, Connor and Devon for a week of sailing in Antigua through the clearest waters, sails at 9 knots and drifting away not to mention countless euchre nights.

The visits from friends at home only reminded us who and what we had left behind; emails and blog comments delivered us missives of well wishes and glimpses into the lives of those who still hold us close in their hearts.

But our trip would never have been complete without the friendship of those we met along the way who altered our course and changed our lives forever. From the early ARC partners on Fuerte and C-Squared to Fionn on the ARC team to the well wishers and advisers in Colin on Summer Breeze, Jim and Jeb, John and Jillian on Stevie Jean, and George and Sandra on Cool Runnings.

But, it was during our ARC journey from Las Palmas, Gran Canaria to St Lucia, when we met the friends who grabbed on to our hearts and have never let go. We miss the laughs with Angela and Richard aboard Sophistikate and traveled the miles knowing they were sure to be just around the corner in the next bay.

In our home away from home, we joined up with our Canadian compadries, the new sailors aboard Solitaire and experienced the beauty of the Caribbean with Barry, Alison, Kayla and Quinn.

And lastly, we end our trip with Dave, Becky, Jordan and Indy (and Molly, the bearded collie) on Chilli Oyster. From the moment you knocked on the hull to say hello, we welcomed your friendship, your laughter, your sailing stories. We swapped recipes, crew, chilled cocktails and bolts but we shared more, much more. We leave our trip anchored deeply knowing you are only a horizon away.

There were those who wished to be here who could not, but let it be known, that although not physically here, you journeyed with us every day in heart and spirit. We could not have done it without you.

I wish to thank each and every one who made a difference to our lives during the journey of a lifetime.

With love, Ziggy