HELLO ALL STATIONS HELLO ALL STATIONS Today is our 153rd day out ( five months ), 3141 miles from home. Many have asked ,"What is the cost of cruising? The simple answer is about as much as you want to spend. I'll elaborate. The single largest expense can be marinas. 77% of the time we are at anchor so that leaves 13% in marinas. That is 3% over our goal. But, even with the high cost of marinas on the East coast we are a few bucks under budget on that one!!! Pat had estimated 4 nts. per month , average, in a marina and that is what we have done. I hasten to add that we did not know that we were on target until today. We have NOT limited marina stays based on allotted time as we use them when we want. We have used marinas more this month due to the oppressive heat and that is what ran up the percentage. We know of one couple who made the whole Grt. Circle Cruise with out anchoring at all. I would not want the bill for that one nor the experience. We can stay in a marina at home!! Marinas are flat expensive on this coast , $2.25 per foot per nt. PLUS ADDITIONAL FOR ELECTRICITY is not unusual and not top cost. Some even charge for the swim step and anchor pulpit. Can you spell rape. Needless to say we have avoided such places. The next expenditure is fuel. We are using the amount that I guestimated before leaving and that is an AVERAGE of 265 gallons per month. Unfortunately the cost started up the month that we left!!!! We travel many days only a few miles and then stay for 2 or 3 and then move on. For instance, 91 days in Fla. and a whole month hanging around North Carolina. A note on fuel usage. At 1500 rpm my twin Perkins 6.354's total usage is 3 gph total for both engines, this equates to 8mph so the AVERAGE burn is somewhat less and has been consistent 2.80-2.95per hr. If we are running against the current, so be it. Unless it is vitally important we do not increase the fuel burn. I have a placard on the throttles with the RPM settings and the attendant fuel burn!!! The third area of expense is dining out. Of course we do that more than at home so this counts. One has total control over this one, spend what you want. Your actual cruising expenses are the costs incurred ONLY due to cruising ,not any expense that you have if at home such as: by way of example: groceries, insurance of all types, meds, toiletries, clothes ( for the most part), etc. What it boils down to is: fuel, marinas, eating out over what you would do at home, extra telephone and computer connection charges, Laundromat, rental cars, ( our first of this trip will be later this week), repairs, additional equipment dictated by the cruise. CCC and THE WIFE Lying Baltimore, Md. M/V CC RIDER SUPPORT OUR TROOPS CHARLES C. JR. and PAT CULOTTA PATTERSON, LA. http://www.geocities.com/charlesculotta/