Canceling a flight in the face of social pressure is one of the most
difficult lessons for a newly certified airmen to appreciate. It's
difficult for a CFI to teach this. It is part of the "license to
learn."

I'm sure your passengers were a bit disappointed, but now have
considerable appreciation for your prudence and respect for their
safety. Well done.

Some years back I took two friends for a 4 AM flight to Montauk Point
for them to catch another friend who flew in in a twin, so they could
all catch a tuna charter and go fishing. I was concerned about fog, but
that turned out to be a non-issue. The winds easily kept the fog at
bay. In fact, they were so strong that I did not have enough rudder
authority to keep on course in a slipping approach to the runway (I
figured we'd continue and see if the wind died down closer in), and as I
came over the sand dunes hit up and down drafts strong enough for me go
go around and try again. This was no better, up down up down go around.
The twin was on the ground and reported twenty knots of direct
crosswind (which he handled just fine). I simply said that it exceeded
the capability of this aircraft, and we diverted to Nantucket, where we
had a nice day of walking around and standing in line for shark at a BBQ.

My friends in the airplane said later that my decision greatly increased
their respect for me as a pilot, as there was a lot of pressure on me to
try again and just get the thing down but I did not succumb.

Do what's right for the safety of the flight. Your friends depend on
you for that, and when you say "no" it makes it quite clear to them that
you are in fact making the right command decisions, and not just
following along.

Jose
--
Nothing takes longer than a shortcut.
for Email, make the obvious change in the address.