John Carbona
Mike Novik was a visionary a Renaissance man in a convertible with sunglasses. a brother, a son an animal lover and my good friend.
I met Mike 25 years ago racing boats and kept a loving friendship with him until he left us on my birthday April 12.
Mike was 15 years older than me, and a close friend, almost like a big brother to me and unlike so many others, Mike was there for me when chips were down, and genuinely happy and proud of all my successes.
Mike showed up on my radar when he arrived at the first offshore boat race in 1987, with four engines on the back of his boat and a logo on it with an elephant squashing a hunter, the First A Fence racing team was born. Now this is 1987, no one put 4 engines on a boat until 20 years later, Mike was a visionary.
Mike and I happily raced against each other for years, traveling the country doing one stupid thing after another, along the way we collected memories like sea shells, and years later we would sit and recount them, over and over again....
That was Mike.... he loved telling those old stories.
Little did I know that years after racing against Michael and forced into retirement because of work responsibilities, Mike asked me to race in the coveted World Championships in Key West as a pilot in his boat.
The seas that year were especially rough, and Mike's back took a real pounding, but we finished 3rd and were both overjoyed to get that huge trophy for Mike's collection, it was a memory we both coveted.
Mike, Bentley and I got together in Florida all the time, Bentley was great bait to attract girls on the Miami Beach pool deck scene.
Mike and I shared a love for business, cars, planes, motorcycles, boats, along with woman and good food.....more good food than woman most of the time.
Mike didn't drink, but once or twice we broke that rule and all hell would break loose. Key West, and Lake Pontchartrain come to mind immediately. I think the final damage tally was, two broken rental Lincoln continentals from a poor sponsor and a broken bar in the keys.....yes the whole bar fell down after we a got up on it fighting.
Mike the visionary, had a Ford GT before anyone, years before the movie that made the car famous. Mike's in the Ford registry as one of the first owners of a GT.
Mike lived with diabetes, retinopathy in his feet, a horrible back from years of punishment in the boats, but nothing prepared him for leukemia.
We talked often after his diagnosis, his winter in Michigan may not have helped, and after he sold the yacht which he loved he slowed down a lot.
He was always up for a trip, but the winter of his pasding was different, I thought it was covid isolation getting to him, but it was something else.
He wasn't in agonizing pain, but that last week I invited him to Beverly Hills for my birthday, and he finally confessed, John, I can't move too good, my back is really bad.....I can't make it.
The last exchange I had with my buddy Mike was before he passed, we talked about our regular hate of the new government, what a good job his son in law was doing, how Natalie had turned out to be a great mom, and how lonely he was in the big house.
He missed Larry and Sharon alot too.
I told him to chill out, kiss Marina and turn on the TV, I promised to visit him after my trip to LA....
I hate breaking that promise.....
I miss you very much buddy....
Good Speed to heaven and say hello to your Mom and Dad for me.
Oh and Mike, I listened to you finally, I have a daughter of my own, Blake and a son on the way....waited a long time but I finally did it....you were right all along...thanks for putting that bug in my ear.... you'd love my little girl Blake, she's a doll....my son is coming soon....
See you noot to soon...
John Carbona