As we spent the last month at anchor at Bonefish Bay, indulging ourselves at Snoozer's expense and the two weeks prior to that at Duane and Diane's mooching shamelessly in similar fashion, we have become spoilt. Likewise we feel that we have saved enough money to be able to splurge in another night at a marina so here we are at the Melbourne Harbor Marina, a very nice place with great facilities just a ten minute walk from the centre of town. Add to that the fact that they have a very nice welcome package that they make available to folks then they arrive at the dock, such as $5 off at the local pub, maps of the downtown and a free newspaper, well then you tend to overlook the fact that you have just shelled out $1.75/ft to sleep in your own bed. For us the best advantage is that it was right as the culminating point of a day's steaming up the ICW, plus it will give us a chance to quickly walk Peri and get away in the morning. Tomorrow we had planned go on the hook at the Titusville Marina, the spot where we stayed for a couple of days on the way down while we visited the Kennedy Space Centre, but it looks as though we might be able to get almost to Ponce de Leon Inlet. If we do then we will have options the next day - offshore for the following leg or remain in the ICW. I much prefer choices.

Today was a funny trip. Add a snowstorm a hurricane and a tornado and we would have had all the weather patterns possible. We started off in a downpour, motored through, bright sunshine, high winds and plummeting temperatures to end up in Melbourne in typical hot Florida sunshine.

We saw several of the places that we stopped at on the way down and made a note of the better ones in both our log and in the margins of the Skipper Bob books. There were a wide variety of sights on the shore ranging from huge modern mansions to trailer parks and fishing camps. This time of year is spring break so there are thousands of young men and women renting camps, trailers, or condos for the two weeks to party and have a good time. We watch one poor fellow try and try again to get up on a boogie board behind a power boat. He never did make it. If only we could have stopped, both Barb and I saw his problem and could have coached him to immediate success, but by that time his friends had dragged him a half mile astern of us and I wasn't about to turn around to give chase.

By one o'clock in the afternoon we had arrived at Pelican Island where we and anchored one night with Ken and Lynn aboard Silverheels III. Since it was still early we decided to press onward and continue for another 25 miles to Melbourne which we were able to achieve easily. Paula Perkins our engine performed beautifully but I am going to have to get Don Webster and his crew to chance the cutlass bearing, replace the engine mounts, and realign the shaft when we get home before we make another trip. We have a small vibration that I know is due to a slight misalignment plus an old bearing.

Tonight we made use of the $5 off coupon at Ichabod's, the pub on the premises, and, combined with happy hour, we got away with drinks and an appetizer for two for only $12! You know, some of these marinas are a real gouge into your pocketbook - $70/night + to sleep in your own bed, but others, if you take advantage of everything else that they have to offer, makes that amount not too bad. Even Shelburne Harbour Yacht Club, if you anchor out charges $5/person for a shower so that's $10 for us; the $5 coupon at Ichobod's and the free appetizer or desert from the Chart Room which could be another $5 brings the $70/night down to $50 which, on the surface is a lot more acceptable. On the other hand to take full advantage that does mean that you are bleeding more money into the local economy at the restaurants, and this, of course, is the aim. For us, if we didn't have Peri with us, that would have been much less of a consideration as we would have been stopping simply to rest and eat. The advantage of being able to simply step ashore and walk the dog without having to launch and recover the dingy before being able to get underway the next day is a major factor. Don't get me wrong. I wouldn't give up having Peri with us for anything. He is great company and definitely adds to the trip if for not other reason than as a conversation starter with fellow boaters or with locals along the way.