Old-boy network is alive and well ?and very exclusive ?in Nasugbu, Batangas
IT HAS BEEN 30 YEARS since its first publication, and ?The Official Preppy Handbook,? edited by Lisa Birnbach from Jonathan Roberts? concept, has become a landmark guidebook to observing the upper crust. It has also become a barometer to the elusiveness of defining the rich.

Erich Segal, whose signature work, the best-selling 1970 novel, ?Love Story,? was translated into 33 languages, defined a preppy as a guy who dresses perfectly without trying to and appears to do everything well with ease, just like Oliver Barrett IV, the protagonist of his novel.

But, of course, the etymology of ?preppy?? It?s a derivative of the word ?preposterous.?

The de rigueur crocodile and polo player logo honeycombed shirts as well as the Ivy League schools are just icing on the cake. If there is a single thing the preppy is born to do, it is the pursuit of leisure.

Being born to wealth, preppies have ways to pass their sweet time, even beyond the usual tennis games and country club perks. Adults may go for the most challenging activities of all?the maintenance hobbies that include maintaining a gravel driveway; the vintage Benz or Volvo; a squash or tennis court (a grass lawn is much preferred); a sailboat (wooden!); a horse or a herd of big dogs; and a waistline despite all the liquor available at the country club or in one?s manor.

Right summer club

Nestled in Nasugbu, Batangas, is a preppy-inspired hideaway, the 88-hectare development between Don Pedro Roxas? Roxaco Land Corp. and Xerez-Burgos? Landco Pacific Corp. dubbed as Club Punta Fuego.

Launched in 1995, the two entities aimed for a luxury seaside community that recalls the likes of Hyannis Port or Martha?s Vineyard, a place kept pristine and tranquil through quiet exclusivity. It is divided into Peninsula de Punta Fuego Main Club and Terrazas de Punta Fuego, plus the spanking high-rise condominium residences dubbed as Amara en Terrazas.

The development has a total of 12 beach coves facing the South China Sea. Big summer homes dot the landscape of Punta Fuego and adapt to the natural terrain and contour of this marine and nature sanctuary.

Facilities in Punta Fuego Main Club include a Nelson & Haworth-designed nine-hole executive golf course, mini- theater, ballroom, squash court, tennis court, spa and gym, WiFi-enabled Member?s Lounge and three infinity pools.

Café San Diego Restaurant serves as resident chef Mikel Arriet?s culinary playground. One must try his lechon kawali served with risotto inasal rice, and, for dessert, the sinful Chocolate Addiction.

For Italian food lovers, il Jardineto is at the Lower Beach. Café Sol and Juice Bar, meanwhile, at Terrazas Beach Club, serves classic comfort food in a breezy ambiance.

The Punta Fuego Yacht Club offers a full range of boat facilities such as trailer parking, floating berths and a fuel station plus a Marina clubhouse that has a view deck, chart room, locker rooms and a bar.

The hotel at the Main Club offers Mediterranean charm and style with its 33 casitas and 16 brand-new hotel villa rooms, each offering a view of the sea.

And for those thinking of getting married in style, the Our Lady of Guadalupe Chapel inside Punta Fuego is both rustic and charming. Banquets and functions with up to 300 guests can be accommodated exclusively for members. Corporate functions are possible through endorsements from members.

According to Club Punta Fuego general manager, the lawyer-turned-hotelier Mikel Villaverde, ?We want Punta Fuego to be our members? and their guests? home away from home. And we make sure that our facilities are at par with their needs.?

Sailing

Sailing is, of all sports, perhaps the most suited to the norms of preppy culture, apart from lawn tennis or squash.

Preppies enjoy the novelty of experiencing what are usually considered blue-collar pursuits: mechanics, engineering and hard labor.

Sweat is washed away by clean salt air and occasional splashes of water, plus sailing all day can save a boat owner from a regular trip to the salon since it can beat cellophane treatments or artificial tanning beds in getting that perfect tan and golden blonde hair.

Punta Fuego recently hosted a sailing fiesta. An annual regatta, the 8th Punta Fuego Sailing Fiesta was a three-day affair with sailing enthusiasts converging in Nasugbu.

As early as 8 a.m., the marina was all abuzz as boat owners, sailors, skippers and deckmen prepared for the race from Punta Fuego Yacht Club all the way to Fortune Island.

Sailors as young as 12 participated with their Hobie Bravo; experienced sailors such as Olympian Maria Vidoeira of Portugal sailed in the regatta. Good thing the weather cooperated?it was both sunny and windy for the entire stretch of the competition.

Eat, drink and be exclusive

According to 8th Punta Fuego Sailing Fiesta organizer Gerry Rollins, this year?s contest was the most attended. They? re already looking forward to next year?s regatta.

Club Punta Fuego?s resident chef, the amiable Spaniard Mikel Arriet, tried to satisfy the big appetite of the sailing participants. Sausages, fowl, poultry, pasta, pork loin topped with lechon strips and callos, among others, were served from sunrise to sunset.

The Eduardo Roxas Cup was eventually won by Jun Avecilla and Maria Vidoeira. The other winners: Hobie 16 Category, Maria Vidoeira, first place; Mike Ngu, second place; Monchu Garcia, third place. For the Hobie Bravo Category, Noel Lim won first place, Mikel Garcia, second place; Alannah Symes, third place; and for Hobie Getaway, Category Phillip Hagedorn.

Keelboat winners include PY Class-Alan Chua, IRC Class: Sailing Yacht Selma manned by Jun Avecilla, first place; S/Y Joyride manned by Allan Chua, second place; and S/Y Raparre XXX manned by David McKenna; third place.