We made it to Horta! Our internet was down so could not post until now. Dana gave his TED talk, on the Azores, as we approached in quiet seas on a beautiful day. What exquisite timing. Dolphins put on the best show we have seen, darting under the bow and jumping with spins. Jackie passed out ice cream and chocolate sauce as we drew closer. Mary and Annie met us at the dock, waving. Liz in particular is so thrilled to be here on this beautiful island. We are off to explore tomorrow. This was an unforgettable Father’s day.
St. Martin -> Newport 
Thank the Good Lord and the great sailors that brought the Moondance to land safely! God bless you all, I’m teary eyed! It must be great to Have a meal on a level table. Thank you Mr Johnson for this amazing experience for all of us! Enjoy your days on land. Happy Fathers Day and hugs hugs hugs. Tammy & Jim.
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Wonderful wonderful wonderful !!! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👌🏻👍🏻😃
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Congratulations on your arrival!!!! You all have created lasting memories together and I wish you all continued joy in your journey!!!
Thank you for sharing Mike!
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Congratulations! Really love all the pics and posts. Happy Father’s Day and best to everyone!
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know how nice it was to see land after so many days at sea. I made fathers day dinner at my house and Elizabeth I missed you being here. Looking forward to have dinner with you and Jillayne. Love you lots.
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so happy that you guys made it safe and sound….and Mary and Annie are a wonderful bonus!!! God bless you as you continue your journey!
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What must it be like to get used to your “land legs” again! Congratulations! Happy Father’s Day and hugs for Mary and Annie!
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Congratulations!! Moondance sailed into Port right on schedule — 2,000 miles in eleven days — WOW!! Yes, you’ve definitely earned a Certificate of Competence — An amazing vessel and crew! Enjoy your two-day shore leave. Thank you for the pics and posts that carry us along this fantastic adventure. XO
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Am besdide myself with joy!! … thrilled seeing all of your beautiful faces and wonderful smiles on shore!!! Congratulations!!! Thanks so much Michael, Bill and all of you wonderful Moondance Family crew for taking such good care of each other and doing whatever you needed to to get this far! Mary and Annie, thanks for being there to welcome them all! Xo … I can truly imagine the strong emotions at that juncture! Xo
With so much love and care ~ Continued wishes for fun and safe experiences and travels! XOXO
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What a privilege it has been to share this with you! The pictures coming into Horta are beautiful and amazing! You are living so many peoples dream of adventure! Thanks Michael and Moondance Crew! Happy Father’s Day to all the dads as well and have fun exploring the terra firma tomorrow!
Love from Texas!!
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Following you every day. No words to express the Yanes family’s awe of all of you. Jackie, you rock. So happy you are with Mary and Annie now…enjoy exploring the island, we are thinking of you every day! xo
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Congratulations! So happy you are there with Mary and Annie! Would love to be seeing the dolphins and hearing your TED talks! Blessings!!
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Congratulations! What an experience of a lifetime you have shared. Happy you made it safe and sound!
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so glad you made it and it seems like you made impressive time so happy Mary and Annie could join you , it looks like your at home on land just like the water . Hope your exploration of the island goes good and your well rested for the final leg of the sail.
best wished and your guys are amazing.(It sound like some college credit should be earned with all the education on board)
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Wonderful news. Congratulations! How does terra firma feel? Also, I’ve been meaning to ask how you manage the clock vis-a-vis timezone changes and crew scheduling. I hope I didn’t miss an explanation of that. Moondance crew, you’ll be interested to hear that you were the most substantive (and by far the most interesting) discussion topic on this morning’s MS global energy call. I got no less than a dozen questions about your voyage. Good thing I’ve (mostly) been keeping up with your postings!
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Thanks JC! Enjoying a day on land. Cleared customs etc this morning and topped up fuel and water tanks. Then we rented scooters and circumnavigated the entire island of Faial. Took about 5 hours, so many beautiful places. Rained hard on the way back; foggy roads in the mountains. I was way more nervous than at any time during our sail. We will stay one more full day and depart Wednesday. Will post pictures later.
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That’s Awesome! Congratulations on completing this amazing first leg of an inspiring “mystery adventure” of a lifetime!! I can only imagine the emotions and feelings that you all must have experienced, when you all saw “land” once again for the first time, and will probably never ever forget! Well done and continued success on your journey on the next leg to Spain through the Azores.
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…..and sailing along Buzzards Bay or to the islands of Martha’s vineyard may never top the “thrill” and “challenge” of this amazing voyage, although it will be much more relaxing, considering. lol!
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I just love reading all about your journey. Everyone looks so happy in these pics….especially Mary!
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