North Palm Beach, Florida
North Palm Beach Florida...what do you think of? Golf? Check. Boats and canals? Check. Lots of money? Check. Hot weather? Check. Yep North Palm is exactly as I pictured it except for the wind...wow this is a windy state! And Dollar Generals on every corner! Who knew? We spent one month here at the Safe Harbor North Palm Beach getting necessary repairs on our boat. Curandera has gone over 8000 miles since we started on this adventure, and she needed a little TLC. We spent many days with Nordhavn work crews coming and going. New batteries, new inverter, new ceiling panels, new logo (see pic) were some of the many things that were accomplished this past month.
Same name, new logo. Curandera means spiritual healer.
We spent time in the nearby towns of West Palm Beach, Palm Beach Gardens and Jupiter. We drove by Mara Lago(grand but tacky), drove around the Worth Ave. neighborhood (where all the wealthiest people live), and admired the beautiful golf courses. We just happened to be in town for the West Palm International Boat Show so we enjoyed touring many different brands and sizes of boats. There were many mega yachts there too! We met some fellow boaters in our marina, one couple from Afton, MN(Greg and Yvonne). We met another Nordhavn couple from Florida(Julie and Steve), they were christening their brand new Nordhavn 41. The last week we were there our friends Vicki and Chris from Rainbows End, a Nordhaven 63, also showed up in the marina. It was great to meet up with them again. Have not seen them since many many miles ago in Pacific Costa Rica!
A neat shot in the North Palm Beach Safe Harbor Marina
The West Palm Beach Boat Show. Honey Fitz was built in 1931 and served several US Presidents including John F. Kennedy Jr.
Banyan Trees are everywhere in Florida. They are huge, reaching a height up to 30 metres (100 feet).
Biking through the wealthy Worth neighborhood
The famous Jupiter Lighthouse
Typical groomed yard in the Worth Ave. neighborhood
The door to the Atlantic Ocean...
The highlight of our trip was Darryn's reunion with his middle/high school buddy Aaron. He just happens to live in Palm Beach Gardens which was 15 minutes from our marina. They haven't seen each other for over 20 years! And he just happened to be getting married while we were here. We spent a lot of time with Aaron, his wonderful new wife Editha, his brother Alex and a crew of other great family and friends. Darryn was the best man in a beautiful small backyard wedding on Friday the 14th. The big party was the 15th, again in the backyard. It was a beautiful, elegant and fun wedding!
The lovely couple on their wedding night
Darryn giving the toast at the wedding celebration (the night after the wedding)
Another highlight of our time here was a quick three day trip to St Petersburg/Tampa. We drove across Florida and stopped to see the destruction in Fort Myers from the hurricane. The beachfront was in shambles. There were a few food trucks, a few restaurants that survived, but not much else. It was a sad site, and the next day we drove up to Punta Gorda to meet our friends Dee and Kevin Mullen for lunch. They spend winters in Port Charlotte, FL. It was so fun reuniting with them, it had been over three years since I have seen my friend Dee! And I don't have a picture to prove it! :(
Next on the agenda was Tampa. We drove through the downtown and stopped at the beautiful University of Tampa campus. We walked through the grounds with Murphy, admiring the old historic buildings and the beautiful trees and foliage. Then we drove to St. Petersburg, for the next few nights. St. Petersburg is the 5th largest city in Florida and is named after St. Petersburg, Russia. Who knew? It has a different flavor than our previous FL destinations. It is a waterfront city with some very touristy spots with great beaches, but we hung out in the Old Bayside neighborhood. We ate at a wonderful restaurant called Birch and Vine, with a view of the waterfront. We biked the next day all along the extensive waterfront and pier. The shops and restaurants were very cute and the town had a charming atmosphere. 
Plant Hall, admin and academic bldg. at the University of Tampa. Built in 1888.
Brewery stop in Fort Myers, FL
University of Tampa grounds
The second night we went to a Rays baseball game in Tampa. They were on a nine game winning streak when we attended the game. (ended at 13-0!!) They won against the Oakland A's 9-5, but what was most exciting was the grand slam hit by Isaac Paredes! Always fun to see a grand slam. Their stadium was indoors which was strange since the weather in Tampa is so nice and hot. It is also an old stadium, not much to say other than they need a new one!
The Ray's won! Experienced a Grand Slam!
Some of my best memories of North Palm Beach were my walks with Murphy at Lakeside Park, about 1.8 km from our marina. It is a wonderful walk through a nice neighborhood, with the peaceful park at the end. It had a small beach area as well. The trees, especially the Florida Banyan trees, are so huge and beautiful! Their trunks are very complicated...looks like many trunks all intertwined. It was the idyllic park...beach, trees, jungle gym, basketball court, covered picnic area and lots of green grass :)
Lakeside Park near our marina. It was one of Murf's favorite places in North Palm Beach (mine too).
After a month of time spent in North Palm Beach, Curandera is ready for cruising the intercostal waterway! We are ready to explore the remaining east coast of Florida and North!