Yep … the post title is correct.

The Family is DONE Sailing.
I have been thinking about this post for a while, and still now, to this line, I don’t know how to write it.

On the one hand I would like to write about how it feels to be going through this transition. But the rational part of me says it would become a mellow story, relevant to none but us.

I also considered sharing the process that led us to here, to this decision, to this post. But that I will keep to another time. The body is slightly tired, the mind a bit too busy, and emotions somewhat stirred to make up a story of that right now.

So, instead of telling you a story, today I will stick to the fact, to the news:

Our cruise is complete; we are moving back to land; we are done sailing.

 

And here is the F.A.Q. related to it (as I said, not much on storytelling mode today):

Frequently Asked Questions about the family being DONE sailing:

Q: Seriously, are you REALLY done sailing?
A: Yes, we are.

Q: Why?
A: The short answer is this – on the one hand, once we reached NZ we felt our cruise was complete. To continue in a meaningful manner from here would require a level of commitment we didn’t want to make. Besides, and more importantly, the Paulo and Raquel are entering High School, and we decided it is the right time for them to go back to the mainstream system.

Q: So, where are you headed to?
A: We are going back to the US, where we lived before this cruise started. More to this later (on a subsequent post, or in the comments session, or on Facebook, or Instagram).

Q: When is this happening?
A: Pretty soon. The kids start school in about a month from now.

Q: Can you sail from NZ to the US this fast?
A: No, we will take an airplane. Pesto remains in NZ.

Q: And what about Pesto?
A: Pesto is where she needs to be right now. There is world-class marine services here (in NZ), and she will receive the TLC she deserves after taking such good care of us for nearly four years. More specifically, she will be undergoing a number of maintenance projects over the next months. And on the meantime, we will be actively looking for new loving owners to build their own journeys with her.

Q: And Alfredo (the car we bought in NZ)?
A: Alfredo is pretty busy and happy. He already took us around NZ in March-April, over 6000kms. And now again, we are starting a second tour with him, after which we will look for a new owner for him as well

Q: So, is the Journey over?
A: The Journey which started when we moved aboard is – even though I prefer to say it is “Complete” (it will remain forever in each of us, and thus it isn’t “over”). And a new, very exciting one starts on the backside of it as we build our lives on land again.

Q: Will you shut down Familygonesailing?
A: No, not at this time at least. First, there is still a lot going on as we transition and we may choose to tell the stories associated to it here. Second, some of the experiences we’ve been through might be of use to fellow cruisers, so we will keep that up for now.

Q: But most of the site’s content seems to be gone?
A: The stories we shared here were part of an ongoing thread, our Journey as we cruised along the Pacific Ocean. Now that we are wrapping it up, as it’s often said, this is all history. And, as I said above, we will keep up stories which we believe might be of interest to fellow cruisers. If you can’t find it here, send me (Alex) a note. That being said, the site’s navigation will be “broken” for some time, with links that take to nowhere. When I have time, I will try to come back and tidy that up.

Q: And how are you all feeling?
A: Hmmm … this is a question that would be more fairly answered by each of us, and I don’t want to risk incomplete interpretations here. What I will say is that this transition is very intense, and each of us is processing it in different ways. In general, though, it is fair to say that we are all, and each of us, well.

……

I think that should cover it for now.

It is quite a nostalgic feeling to be writing these last lines … I really enjoyed telling our stories here. And for this:

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR FOLLOWING US ON THIS JOURNEY !!!