SAN DIEGO (KGTV) - Around the world in eight and a half years, one couple returns to San Diego after almost a decade of sailing.
Neal Schneider and his wife Ruth left San Diego on their 48-foot sailboat in December 2010.
Schneider tells 10News, “I felt like there was an invisible hand grabbing the front of my shirt saying come on you got to do this.”
He initially thought it would take them four years to circumnavigate.
38 countries and 49,000 miles later, they ended up taking a little longer.
Their path took them to Mexico, French Polynesia, Tonga, New Zealand, Fiji, Thailand, and Africa and beyond.
In fact, they decided to spend one whole year living in Thailand.
During their adventures there were times where they flew back to the United States. Two of their children got married and they attended the weddings.
As the couple prepares for the final leg of their trip, Schneider says, “we are very excited on the verge of being emotional”.
An eye-opening experience for the Schneiders, “what a fabulous world this is, but I’ll tell you, I think one of our favorite places in all the places is San Diego.”
They are expected to arrive Tuesday evening and dock at San Diego Yacht Club. Upon arrival, the San Diego Harbor Police will escort them into the bay with a water display overhead.
