To fast forward for a moment to our current stay in Green Cove Springs, FL, a few more reasons why I won't be ready to be land based anytime soon.

First, another cruising couple who are friends of ours arrived yesterday before noon, having sailed all the way from the southern Caribbean as we had done last year. Unlike us, though, it looks like they're going to sell their boat and move back to terra firma. For now we have 2 boats here with friends on them and a third scheduled to arrive next month.

Second , the shuttle launch. Last night while watching TV a small picture of the shuttle suddenly appeared in the lower left of the screen, and we rushed out into the cockpit. Looking a bit to the southeast we saw the huge, incredibly bright flame of the booster rocket as it pushed the shuttle upward at an amazing rate.

I then remembered the binoculars and used them to follow the shuttle for almost a half hour as it appeared to arc over to the northwest. Because the St. Johns River is about a mile wide here, we have a great view of the sky in almost every direction, making it easy to follow the shuttle's path.

I'd seen one other launch last year but the shuttle disappeared behind clouds shortly after liftoff. This time I could see it clearly for a long time. I don't know why these launches mesmerize me so, but I'm completely fascinated with them. I think it's one event that's better witnessed in person than viewed on TV. I hope they do a night launch before we leave here. Also, if you get the chance, the Kennedy Space Center is a must do. We went there last year, and I was astonished at how much there was to see.

Finally, today we had speedboat races on the river. All types of racing powerboats participated, but I'm drawn to the larger, exceptionally fast ones powered by very loud inboard engines and sporting very fancy paint jobs. Apparently there was a mandatory checkpoint at the town dock because all the boats had to slow down and check in here. They waited a few minutes then took off again at high speed.

Our boat is pretty well insulated for noise but when these puppies started coming into the checkpoint, I definitely knew they were there as the roar of their engines vibrated our boat. These boats were worth my leaving the air-conditioned salon and going out into the midday heat to observe them through binoculars. Since the town dock isn't far from our pier, I was able to get a good look at the boats as they zoomed past, rooster tails and all. If I'd gone down to the end of the pier, I would have had a closer look, but it was just too hot for that.

If I lived on land I would probably have missed all of the above. It never ceases to amaze me how much the scene from our boat changes day to day. If we need a break, we just walk the pier and the floating docks, as we did today, and see what new boats have come in. I consider myself lucky indeed to live this crazy lifestyle.