Our week at home for the holidays was just the right amount of rest and rejuvenation before we made our way back to the boat in Cape Coral. Seeing so many family and friends that are still just as excited and curious about our journey was a reminder that we are truly living the dream.

During our week in Iowa, I made the impulsive decision to cut several inches of my hair, which I hadn’t cut once in over a year! Besides that excitement, the rest of the week was spent soaking in family time and enjoying everything that comes with the holiday season.

As we made the 20-plus hour drive back down to Florida, we reflected on the whirlwind year we’ve had. The SeaPeople app, which we’ve used to log all our miles, gave us a summary of our year, which includes:

• 4,431.2 nautical miles traveled
• 832 engine hours
• 159 trips logged
• An average speed of 5.3 knots

Not only can you track our trips and follow us on SeaPeople, but we’ve also been given a special link to treat our followers to a free 30-day trial of SeaPeople Plus. You can check out more here. 

We’re often asked what our favorite part of the last year has been, which is never easy to answer, but in the spirit of reflection, we can agree on these three things:

• Watching the Blue Angels in Annapolis, Maryland
• Spending two months cruising through Canada this summer
• Pulling up to the Chicago skyline after conquering Lake Michigan

However, more than anything, we have been immensely surprised by the kindness and generosity of humanity across the U.S. and Canada. The absolute best part of this adventure has been meeting dozens and dozens of people with whom we’ve laughed with, been through rough days with, shared meals with, and so on and so on. Our life is forever changed by conquering this dream!

Once we returned to the boat, we made a 30-mile jump to Naples, where we rang in the new year! Last week was the reset we needed to round out our Loop, but don’t worry…there’s plenty more adventure to come! We’re looking forward to making our way down to the Florida Keys, where we’ll spend at least a month (if not more), then cross over to the Bahamas for several weeks.

We’re wishing each and every one of you a prosperous, healthy and safe new year. Cheers to continuing the adventure!