Log 119; Day 330; April 16, 2009; The Floridian, Palm City, FL.

Palm Beach is known for it's beautiful hedges...and they have the coolest shapes

This is one of several hedges that look like trees

If you look closely you can see Debbie in the lower right of this tree. The roots are taller than she is.

Here are our friends Bill and Susie

If you were ever wondering what Deb does while we are cruising down the waterways

One of the many mega yachts we traveled with...check out the size of the fenders

A shot as we enter the harbor at The Floridian...only a few of boats here

The clubhouse at The Floridian...built by Wayne Huizenga for he and a few of his friends to use

Our friends Jack and Char

Log 119
Day 330
Thursday, April 16, 2009

7:00 AM EDT
Location: The Floridian, Palm City, FL.
Weather: 58, with calm winds...going to be 81 and sunny today.

Tuesday...up early, and walked into town for breakfast at a place called Hamburger Heaven. The downtown area of Palm Beach is what you would expect it to be. Very quaint, with lots of shops selling things that are different from most main streets in America. The restaurant did not open until 7:30, so I had to wait a while, and as I walked the streets here I wondered...who buys this stuff? Back at the boat I went in the engine room for some normal engine checks, and also checked on the thru-hull strainer for the generator. It seems to me, that there does not seem to be as much water coming out of the discharge as there used to be, but the strainer was clean. I did not take the time to check the impellor on the generator...but that is next. Debbie, in the mean time, was having trouble staying awake. She had taken a Dramamine the night before because the boat was rocking so much, and was really feeling the effects of it. Actually, the boat was rocking so much early in the morning, that I, too, felt sea sick. Something that has not happened in a long time. We decided we needed to get off the boat, and got the bikes out, and rode into West Palm Beach (across the Intracoastal from Palm Beach) and had lunch at a place called ER Bradley’s Saloon...great spot with a large outdoor area looking out at the ICW, and good food. After lunch, we decided to take a much longer bike ride and go to Publix for a few things. As we headed back to the boat we took a great bike path which runs along the ICW, but Deb and I had to split up. When I ride, I ride to where I am going. When Deb rides, she is sight seeing, and always looking for her next picture. She finally told me to go ahead because “this is such a beautiful ride I just want to enjoy it”...which she did. In fact she ended up riding all the way to the other side of the island, and out to the Ocean. The only thing that made her come back to the boat, was a lot of thunder storms in the area. It was a good thing, because it ended up raining pretty hard for a while in the afternoon. For dinner we were picked up by Bill and Susie Donovan. As I mentioned before, Bill was the former CEO of the holding company of TLC. He was actually my bosses, boss. He and Susie have a home in North Palm Beach, and also one in Milwaukee. They spend the summers in Wisconsin, and the winters in Florida. We went to a very interesting place in West Palm for dinner. We went to a place called Jade, a place Bill and Susie heard about, but had not been to. It was fairly small, not very elegant, but with a family kind of feel. The service was ok, but the food was very good. And, as always, it’s not about where you go, it’s who you’re with, and we had great time. It’s always interesting to be with Bill and Susie. Our upbringing, our back rounds, and our lives could not be more different, but we always enjoy getting together.

Yesterday (Wednesday)...beautiful morning with calm winds. We left the marina at 9:20 in order to get a 9:45 bridge opening just 1.5 miles up the ICW. This was the only bridge they we would have to open for us all day. The 40+ miles up the ICW from Palm Beach to Stuart is easy to navigate, and very pretty. Everywhere you look there are large boats, to mega yachts, and beautiful homes to mansions. At 2 pm we arrived at what they call in this area “the crossroads”. This is where the ICW meets the Stuart inlet (from the ocean) and the St. Lucie River heads SW to Lake Okeechobee. At this point we turned left (west) and headed down the St. Lucie River to where it splits, and took the north fork (the south fork goes to Lake Okeechobee). From that point it’s only a mile or so to The Floridian. When we arrived, we were greeted by our friend Jack, and Patrick, the general manager of The Floridian. Patrick said to treat this place like our own, stay as long as we like, and enjoy the area.

Side note: The Floridian is a very exclusive Golf Club (that has a marina) built, and owned by Wayne Huizenga. They don’t except members...you have to be invited to join by Wayne. There are about 150 honorary members at this point, all described as Wayne’s friends. There are no membership fees, or annual dues...you only pay if you bring guests. Wayne owns hundreds and hundreds of acres of land around here, and at one point was going to sell land on this beautiful golf course for folks to build homes. Then one day at lunch (which our friends Jack and Char were at) Wayne and Marty (his wife) we talking how all these homes would change the looks of the area...so they decide not to sell any lots. Done...no homes on the course. This is just a beautiful place, that very few use (or can use)

Once we tied up, and washed down the boat, Jack came back to the marina (he has a home a couple minutes away) and picked us up to head to his house for a drink. We had a great time catching up (these are great people), and then headed out to dinner. We drove a few miles and Jack told us Wayne owned the ground on both sides of the road. We ended up eating at a nice outdoor restaurant called Bonefish Mac’s, in a plaza...you guessed it...that Wayne owns. During dinner, we shared a lot of stories about our trip, and what Jack and Char were up to, and a few stories were told about Wayne and this area. I’ll tell just one Wayne story, because it has to do with a boat. Jack and Char have had a home in this area for several years. When Wayne was building the Floridian, Jack helped design the marina, by giving them ideas on the slips, power required, etc. His involvement lead to meeting Wayne, and as Char puts it...”it came with a few perks”. Of course, we had to ask her to share one, and she did. A few years back, Wayne bought Greg Normans boat...a 238 footer...the largest aluminum boat ever built. He asked Jack and Char if they would like to go on it for a few days, and of course, they said yes. He told them to be at the Floridian at 8 am on a certain day, and they would be joined by another couple. At that point they were taken, by helicopter, to Miami, where they were joined by Wayne and his wife. They got on Wayne’s 737, and were taken to the Caribbean, where the boat was. The boat is so large, they can’t dock at marinas, so it was anchored off shore. They went from the 737 to another helicopter and then flew out and landed on the boat. Some boats carry a dinghy...Wayne’s boat carries a helicopter. They spent 4 days on the boat, had a great time, and returned in the same style as they left. Not a bad “perk”.

Today...we are going to spend another day here. Jack is coming to the marina at 10 this morning and we are going to jump in his son’s 29 foot runabout, and go see the new marina that Wayne is building. From there we are going to lunch. Not sure what else...but we’re looking forward to a great day.

I’ll keep you posted.

Bob