Its' now 2100 on Monday, November 09 and we just returned to the boat after spending most of the day with the Zajac's. We arrived in Melbourne on Saturday afternoon after having a great day on the water. The neatest thing about our arrival was that Bill and Jackie (Zajac) were on the dock waiting for us. How great it was to have friends greet and meet you as you pull into a new port. After taking on fuel and pumping out we moved into a slip just on the other side of the fuel dock - it couldn't have been easier to pull in.

Bill and Jackie were wonderful hosts in their new home. After we washed off the boat and got situated we all got in their truck and took off. We first stopped by a sailboat that was on a lift - something that we are thinking about for our boat. Although Tom was unable to speak to the owner, he took pictures and got the phone number of the maker. Next we drove through Cocoa Village, a cute little area with great shops and restaurants. Since none of us had had lunch to this point and it was already 1600, we decided to go to a restaurant at Port Canaveral. Lots of great restaurants to choose from but we opted for one on the water (of course) and had a great meal which actually turned into an early dinner. We watched two cruise ships leave port with dolphins jumping out of the water in their bow wake - what a treat.

After lunch, I mean dinner, we stopped by the Port Canaveral Yacht Club and met some friends of Jackie and Bill - two fun couples with whom we enjoyed spending time. The Zajac's had offered their home to us for the night where we could also do some laundry. After stopping back to the boat to check lines, etc. we went to their home, and over some wine and conversation I did the laundry.

In the morning after a great breakfast Jackie and Bill drove Tom and I to Kennedy Space Center where we spent the entire day touring. What an awesome experience to relive some of the launches, watch film of the first men on the moon, see the next space shuttle on the launch pad (next launch is scheduled in 8 days), watch an IMAX 3D movie on the moon landing and ride in a simulated shuttle where you feel what the astronauts feel on takeoff. If you have never been to this attraction I would highly recommend it. One of the most somber moments was when we visited the Astronauts Memorial - a tribute to those men and women who have died during their missions.

We were not sure whether or not we would stay one more day or leave in the morning, so after our great day at NASA we went for dinner and then they took us back to the boat.

Well based on the opening paragraph of this blog you already know we stayed another day. The winds were really kicking up, but the real reason we stayed is that we'd had such a great time with the Zajac's we wanted to spend some more time with them and see some more of Melbourne.

Tom and I spent the morning on the boat and then around 1215 we got on our bikes and rode over to Bill and Jackie's home 9 miles away. It was warm and humid today but with the stiff breeze it kept it bearable. When we arrived, Jackie had fixed some lunch we all had before Jackie and I took off for a manicure/pedicure then shopping and Bill and Tom took off for their kind of shopping - tools, tools, and marine parts.

We met back for dinner and again enjoyed each others company. After dinner we went back to their house to pick up our bikes and then back to the boat. We said our goodbyes and thanked them for a great time in Melbourne. Once we get settled we hope to see them in N. Palm to join us for a sail. We are hoping the weather/winds are better tomorrow and if so, we will travel to Ft. Pierce to meet up with some more friends, Gary and Sharon Simmer.