By A Treasure Coast essay by Paul Janensch
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wqcs/local-wqcs-907177.mp3
Fort Pierce, FL – Hooray! Once again we can go to Bathtub Beach - one of my favorite spots on the Treasure Coast. Bathtub Beach is a short stretch of sand in Martin County near the south end of Hutchinson Island. It is so named because at low tide a tranquil pool is formed by the shore on one side and a reef on the other. The ocean may be choppy beyond the reef, but inside the reef it's like, well, a big bathtub. Our three children are now in their mid to late thirties. When they were tots, my wife Gail and I took them to Bathtub Beach, where we all had a great time. The beach was re-opened Memorial Day weekend after being closed to the public since October because extensive erosion had exposed tree stumps and large chunks of concrete. About 35-thousand cubic yards of new sand was brought in. To get to Bathtub Beach, take highway A-1-A to the Marriott resort. Turn on MacArthur Boulevard and drive past the Gilbert's Bar House of Refuge to the last public parking area. The bath house at Bathtub Beach has yet to be rebuilt, but you can use the facilities just north at Chastain Beach. Please stay off the reef and the dunes. I can't wait to take my two grandsons - ages 4 and 2 - to Bathtub Beach. They will love the calm water. Frankly, at my age, so will I. For 88.9 FM, this is Paul Janensch.
Treasure Coast essayist Paul Janensch was a newspaper editor and taught journalism at Quinnipiac University in Connecticut.