 The
wind and waves became less threatening as dawn approached. Ann
got a bit sea sick during the night but perked up at daybreak.
Port Canaveral is an excellent all weather inlet. It is filled
with submarines, naval ships, freighters, casino ships, tugs, and
all aspects of sport fishing boats. Sailboats are a definite
minority. We tied up at Cape Marina for a two month stay. We had
to return home for several business engagements. Also, there was
much to do on the boat. Lastly, it was cold and windy for much of
the two month period.
 Cape
Marina is a very clean, friendly port of call. Though it
dominated by sport fishing interests, they are actually kind to
the cruising sailor. We made many friends during our stay.
Pelicans are very common at the marina, in large part due to the
fish scraps from the fisherman. Did you know that pelican 'poop'
is impossible to remove from sail covers after it dries. We know
from personal experience. We believe that the Central Florida
pelican community had a party on our mizzen mast while we were
home. The aft portion of the boat was white (it is supposed to be
teak in color).
 Port
Canaveral is a convenient place for us. We have friends and
god-kids that live in the Melbourne area (which is about 45
minutes away). There is plenty of room for the kids to play;
there are picnic tables and charcoal grills for cooking, and of
course beer at the Ships Store. The ICW is about an hour away
while the Atlantic is a mere 15 minutes. It is certainly a
welcome site when we arrived after an offshore passage.
 Cape
Marina is one of the few marinas in the area that has a
do-it-yourself boat yard. They also have a very capable technical
staff and parts department that can satisfy most any requirement.
Many sailors use Cape Marina as a point of departure for the
Abacos and Bermuda. Several of the larger cruise ships use Port
Canaveral as homeport for the Bahamas cruises. Ann loves the slot
machines (which are illegal in Florida). However, there are two
small cruise ships that travel past the three mile limit where it
is legal. They have hundreds of 'slots'' on board. Ann won $60,
Bob lost his entire bankroll ($ 0.50), and Toby lost $10 in less
than two minutes!
 We
went back home for a few days before Christmas to catch up on
family and work that required Bob's attention at our customer
sites. We were greeted with a fairly nasty ice storm. Though it
was beautiful looking down our driveway, it was no pleasure
driving in it. We enjoy snow but have a decided disgust for ice
(except in drinks). We drove back to Port Canaveral with our
furry kids. We arrived at Cape Marina at 2330 with a problem: how
do we get the dogs on the boat due to the high tide? We
struggled, we succeeded, we need to find a better way!
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