We Did It!

CIRCUMNAVIGATION: ✔ Check! 
(or as they say in Australia and South Africa, ☑ "tick the box"!)

Today, May 31st, 2018 at 12.07pm, we crossed our wake in Key West, Florida, officially making the 4 of us circumnavigators!  We have been away for just over 2 years, traveled 33,021 nautical miles, visited 39 countries and crossed 3 oceans!

Circumnavigators!!

We also experienced the fastest, easiest and most efficient check-in of our entire journey.  The US Department of Homeland Security / Customs and Border Protection have developed an App called "ROAM" for check in.  We pre-loaded information about the boat and the crew and uploaded copies of our passports to the app.  When we arrived, we created a trip notification, and submitted it.  Within seconds, we received an email telling us that our submission was being reviewed, and we should stand by for a video call with an immigration officer.  That call came within a minute.  We could not see him, but he could see us.  He first spoke to David, confirmed where we had been, and asked if we had anything to declare.  He then asked to see me, then Benjamin and then Gaby.  He greeted each of us and then it was done.  He said "Welcome Home"!  And that was that.  We received a confirmation that we were now officially checked in to the USA.  All in the comfort of our own home, over the phone.  Brilliant.  THE. FASTEST CHECK-IN. EVER!!

A screenshot from Dave's phone immediately after our video call..we're officially home!

We also decided to treat ourselves and stay in a marina for one night.  We had a number of things we needed to get done, and being at a marina was helpful.  The boat got a really good scrub down, inside and out.  I did 5 loads of washing at the marina laundry:  bedding, towels, blankets, mats, clothes...everything got a good, hot wash and tumble dry!  Dave got a US SIM card for his phone, so we have a local number.   And we each had a big, fat cheeseburger and fries for lunch! 

Cool Runnings gets a well-deserved break at a dock.  She's taken us safely around the world!
Celebrating our accomplishment and enjoying our American sized cheeseburgers!

We plan to take another 2 weeks before docking back at home.  Weather dependent, we will spend the next couple of days at the Dry Tortugas, which was also our first stop on this trip two years ago.  We will then slowly make our way up the west coast of Florida, and plan to dock at our home in Madeira Beach on Saturday, June 16th!

I have a few more blog posts to do before then...an update on our time in the Berry Islands in the Bahamas, the rest of our journey home, and a cool story about a bottle that went around the world...stay tuned for that!

We Did It!