( CNN ) -- Six Americans imprisoned in Honduras for more than a month on weapons smuggling charges are back home after sailing their ship from the Central American country to their home port in Florida . The crew of the Aqua Quest arrived in Tarpon Springs , Florida , on Wednesday after a voyage on stormy seas that delayed their return home by a day . As their boat sailed into the marina , they were met by family , friends and U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis of Florida . `` They 're thrilled to be back in the states , surrounded by family and friends , '' said Stephen Mayne , owner of Aqua Quest International , a salvage and treasure hunting company . `` They are looking forward to taking some time off , then regrouping to work on new projects . '' The captain of the ship , Robert Mayne -- Stephen 's brother -- called it `` an overwhelming day . '' `` It 's like waking up from a really bad nightmare , '' he said . The Americans sailed to Honduras in May at the invitation of officials in the country 's eastern municipality of Ahuas . They were tasked with removing valuable mahogany logs from a nearby riverbed , remnants of decades of logging . Profits from the sale of the recovered logs would be split between Aqua Quest and the municipality for use for social projects there . But the project was halted before it could really begin with their arrest on May 5 after Honduran authorities boarded their ship and discovered two handguns , two shotguns and a semiautomatic rifle . A judge and prosecutor in Ahuas accused the crew of attempting to smuggle weapons into the country for resale . The crew , however , were adamant that their weapons were for personal use and not for resale on the black market . Honduras is mired in drug and gang activity that has resulted in a sharp spike in gun-related deaths in recent years . Illegal arms regularly flow through the country , as drug traffickers transit cocaine from Colombia through the Central American country . Robert Mayne told CNN last month by cell phone from the prison that the weapons were for protection against piracy while at sea . He said that he and his crew always bring them when traveling in international waters . The captain said he even once had to brandish a handgun to ward out would-be pirates off the coast of Mexico . `` Everyone tells us this would never happen in any other port in Honduras , '' he said earlier this month , expressing his frustration with the judge 's and state prosecutor 's interpretation of the law . `` We have the right to do it ( carry arms ) for protection on the high seas . '' The charges were dropped against the men last week after they spent more than a month in a rural prison camp . They faced potential sentences of up to 16 years if convicted on the weapons smuggling charges . Hoping to rid themselves of the bad fortune their weapons brought them on their latest adventure , the crew voted to `` bury them as sea , '' according to Stephen Mayne , once they entered U.S. waters , tossing the firearms overboard . `` They said goodbye to their little friends , '' said Mayne laughing . `` We decided to just turn them over to King Neptune . '' Despite the run-in with authorities , Mayne said his company would continue to work with Honduras on the log retrieval project , though they would likely not return by sea . `` We are going to go forward with this project , '' said Mayne . `` We made a commitment to he community of Ahuas . `` We wo n't let this incident stop us . '' Dangerous detention for six Americans in Honduras after weapons charge . More on detained Americans .
The crew of the Aqua Quest arrives in Tarpon Springs , Florida , on Wednesday . Contracted to do salvage work , they were imprisoned on weapons smuggling charges . They are released after a few days and return home with their ship.