Home at last

I just got home a few minutes ago, it is 4:30 am. I am so excited. It is Sunday Morning, and I have been driving all night, I will be in church today. Check it out, Northcliffe Baptist Church in Spring Hill, Fl. For all you people who have focused on the danger, I understand your concerns, but also let me encourage you to think about your heritage, The Great American Spirit. The Great American Spirit, with God given guidance made this the greatest country in the history of the world. Our fore fathers endured great hardship and great risk to provide us this heritage. They did not focus on the danger, rather the success.
You want danger, talk to the families of Sgt John Harvey, USMC; LCPL George Holmes, Jr., USMC; SSgt Dewey Johnson, USMC. I was on the original roster to take back the US Embassy in Iran. They downsized the roster and took my name off. These are the US Marines that died in my place. They are heroes. The soldiers and Marines in Iraq are the ones in real danger, not me I just believed in my boat, and with help from others and God proved it. If you read the whole blog, you will notice we were careful with help not to get in bad weather. Yet we trusted the Intruder. You would too, if you rode one.
My brother Bob, never thought we would go all the way to Bermuda, he thought we would turn around at the first big waves. That is what changed his mind, big waves. The Intruder took them flawlessly. We went 1547 miles of open ocean, according to our GPS, and by God's grace never felt in danger at all. We broke NO LAWS, and disobeyed no authority. We had more than the required safety equipment. We were in constant communication with the Bermuda equivalent of our coast guard by their request, and they were in constant contact with our Coast Guard, we were tracked all the way back to New York Harbor. I think they were a little surprised that we made it, but both offices told us that we did a great job. The Coast Guard is an absolutely excellent organization. Their Search and Rescue teams save countless lives and risk their own without reservation, and they love doing it. They are heroes. I would never disgrace them.
Yes, they and half a dozen more government representatives tried to talk us out of finishing the trip. That is part of their job. They said we had already traveled more than any unescorted flats boat that they knew of, and should declare victory. However, that was not the plan. We were determined to finish the course, just like Dream Boats will finish its course. It will become a major competitor in the boating industry.
The Intruder is solid boat. It was designed for the strong who want a flats boat that could take mild stormy seas, and still feel safe. Almost every single person who ever looked at our boat didn't think much of it, just like Bob, until they rode in it. Bob learned to feel safe riding into a storm in the dark with the moon and stars blocked out by clouds 300 miles from the nearest shore and never felt in danger. We really could not see anything, with 4 -6 foot seas and pooring down rain. However, we were very cold, man were we cold, did I tell you it was cold. I am a Florida boy, and I tell you it was cold. We had all kinds of cold weather gear, but it was still cold.
I know it is yet to be determined, but I have been told that we set a new world record, and broke it in a two week period. That is success. For that success, I thank God and all the other people who helped us like Marin Savov, Pete Rostel, Steve and Sandy Holis, Geoffry, Pete Cardil, and many, many others. Please forgive my spelling. Tomorrow after some rest we will post several pictures and a complete summary.