Leaving Lantana

We will be pulling up the anchor tomorrow after a lovely brief stay in Lantana. We enjoyed a little happy hour and hors d'oeuvres at the Old Key Lime House last night (where we also tie up our dinghy). This historic building suffered terribly in a hurricane in the 1930's, and it's roof was completely rebuilt using the Seminole chickee hut method. The gentleman who directed the entire proceeding was a Seminole chief, and was meticulous about the selection of materials. It has lasted in good stead until this day, and is capable of withstanding winds of up to 130 mph. It's also a lovely place to watch the sunset and enjoy some outstanding corn bread. This morning we walked over to the beach and had a nice run. The mansions were incredible, as well as the Palm Beach Ritz Carlton. I just could not resist going into the lobby to take a look. Even in our shorts and T-shirts, the staff greeted us as if we were guests and treated us marvelously. This is probably due to the fact that we pretty much looked like the actual guests, and our suntans are browning up nicely. The lobby was exquisite, in pale creams and marble. There were some very modern, abstract paintings which echoed the shades of cream, along with flashes of red in just the right places. Very old "period" paintings and furnishings were mixed in with the modern marble and gleaming gold highlights, and cleverly placed mirrors added to the overall effect of chic but not overdone. It was so lovely, but we really couldn't stay for more than a peek as I am sure we would have been found out soon enough and probably couldn't afford a glass of sparkling water even...Interesting to note that this is in fact ground zero for the Madoff money scheme which is so much in the news ( the "Ponzi" type scheme ). Apparently the number of mansions for sale has risen, and they are up for grabs all over this place for just a few millions. We have not put an offer in yet, so go ahead and buy 'em up, guys.

We did find this anchorage more friendly last year, and the waterway in general is relatively deserted. We have been given a good steer by our friend Wayne Tepper, and will be tying up to a public wall (hopefully) in Delray tomorrow as the anchoring is not great in Boca Raton. Then a couple of days puts us back at the beloved Coconut Grove Sailing Club, from where we will undoubtably be able to post up some photos and discuss the whole Gulf Stream Crossing.