A Florida escape on Kentucky Lake The Breakers Marina offers a beachinspired retreat By Patrick Smith
D
uring the cold of last winter, Robert “Rookie” Edwards embraced an entertaining responsibility and hit the road. His mission? Find musical talent, the type of artists typically performing in St. Louis, Nashville or Memphis. Thanks to his efforts, this year’s guests at The Breakers Marina have enjoyed a new level of musicians. “The quality of entertainment has grown a lot,” says Edwards, the manager and part owner of the marina. “We started with, and still feature, some very talented locals, but now we also bring in big talent from all over the U.S.” In addition to being a musical bright spot, The Breakers Marina is home to about 100 boat slips, a restaurant-bar combination, and more than 70 residences on Kentucky Lake. It’s all part of a large development on Shamrock Road in Buchanan, Tennessee. But walking the path from the parking lot to the marina is where the land-
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locked Volunteer State vibe stops and the Florida-style beach life starts. “You can look outside and see a little bit of the Key West look,” says Edwards. “We try to provide the food and entertainment to give somebody a place to come so they can relax, enjoy themselves and live part of the beach life.” A retired Tennessee State Trooper, Edwards never really stopped working. After going to bed the first night of retirement, he woke up as a bar and restaurant manager. “It was a big change for me after being a state trooper,” says Edwards. “I’d never run a marina, and I started from scratch here. Things have changed a lot.”
Robert “Rookie” Edwards, a retired Tennessee state trooper, manages The Breakers Marina.
CREATING THE BREAKERS MARINA After original owner Bob Crocker’s health started to decline, he looked to sell the property, which was then called Shamrock Resort. For Edwards and longtime friend Barry “Boo” McIntosh Jr., the mental WK&T Telecommunications Cooperative