Our aisle at Ft Pierce. Star Gazer is 4th from front on Left.

After leaving New Smyrna Beach on November 10 we spent one night in Melbourne, FL at Melbourne Harbor Marina. We stayed there on the way north and had a great dinner at the nearby Mansion restaurant, so we went there again with similar results.

The weather was great for trip from Melbourne to Fort Pierce. We had an unusual amount of porpoise accompaniment. It seemed like they were with us about half the time. There were a few side scratchers, and twice Sue counted 9 on one side. I was busy making turns and staying in the channel, but snapped a few pictures when I could.

I can see six here, one is a bit under and right by the boat. Babies always to the outside.

The weather was great between New Smyrna and Melbourne as well, and for both trips we liked looking at all the beautiful homes and yards on the ICW. There is very little tide in some of the Florida ICW areas, so people have yards and lawns just a couple of feet above the water level.

It seems like Florida has as many boats as all the rest of the US put together. We passed so many marinas coming to Fort Pierce City Marina. Most boats in this marina are about the size of ours and we’re all really packed in here. It may be the largest we’ve been in except for Charleston and there is construction now to double it’s size and to dock much larger boats.