Circumnavigation complete
February 26, 2007 
Posted by Belle in : Miami , trackback
Two years and nine months after leaving Miami on our 47 foot catamaran Simpatica, we’re back. Older, and hopefully wiser, we sailed into the Miami Beach Marina February 26th 2007, Wence’s 33rd birthday. My God. We did it. We sailed around the world.
The past few weeks we have been flooded with memories of our journey. It was a very special time for us. It’s really hard not to sound cheesey. I’ve been spitting out cliche’s since the day we got back. I can’t find the words to share how we feel. But I’ll try.
We feel lucky, so lucky on many levels. Lucky that we had the time, and such a wonderful boat to carry us through this adventure. Lucky that Simpatica gracefully handled all of the weather the oceans and winds presented. Lucky that the sea shared so much of its life and beauty with us. Lucky that our children adjusted so nicely to life at sea. Luckily that though there were illnesses, we got through them. Lucky that we had such great help along the way; Glenn Harman, Sofia Ruiz de Luque, Ricardo Sartor, David and Liz Otway, Veronica Andrade and Martin Colles. We are also grateful to our friends who came to visit and help us sail the boat; Jor Restelli, Willy & Maria Kirchner, Martin & Mercedes Fernunson, Crhistian Austin & Paula Ferro and their three kids, Diego Valenzuela & Javiera Pascal, Antonio & Diane Espinoza, Pablo & Gisela Bosch, Gringo (Fredrik) Holst & Julia Matarazzo, Margarita Palatnik & Barbi, Michael Esrubilsky & Tatiana, Micky & Becky Malka, Martin & Marina Lanus, Javier Bolzico, Nico Petreanu, Diego Pastore, Con Bonadeo, Dieguito Gutierrez Zaldivar, Leo Lena, Diane Crespo & Karin Schaefer, Esteban Sosnik & Macarena Reitze. Lucky to have been so graciously accepted into the wonderful community of hundreds of yachties, and to have become friends with so many of them. Some of whom we got particularly close to like Nico & Dagmara of Hippocampus and Eric & Nicole and their daughter Luna of Rainbow Voyager. Lucky to have met people we hope to see again, or for our next circumnavigation like Maria & Eduardo and Alan in Tonga. Lucky that our families could come and share this with us; Scott & Wylie, Theo, Nicholas, Dennis, Ezequiel, Charlie & Mei. And lucky that some of our good friends who wanted to come and visit but were unable to get away got to share this with us through the website, giving us support in many other ways.
There are so many ways we could try to sum up our experience circumnavigating. When we talk about our best memories or what we think we learned, we remember the people we met along the way who shared their homes, their food, their stories, and their smiles. Through them we saw into their worlds and learned different ways of thinking, doing, and feeling. To all of those people, we are truly grateful.
Sailing around the world has been the most challenging thing we have ever done, as individuals and as a family. We’re proud we made it. And though we are sad to say goodbye to our lovely lady, Simpatica, who took such good care of us, we know it’s time. Wence is starting a new business, Dio’s going to preschool, Teo is learning how to walk in a straight line, and I am ready to have another baby and hope to write a book about some of our adventures. Right now we’re just trying to get settled in our new home in Woodside, California.
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