Mrs. Horne joined a Ryder Cup style golf event last week with women from the Bay Club and the Mid Ocean Club of Bermuda. It involved women from MCO staying at our house for the week and, of course, playing golf.
I was given the option of staying at the house, keeping a low profile, and serving as their private chef. I said, “Thanks, but I think I’m going grab Peter and Rudy for a Boy’s Week on the boat.”
But before Boy’s Week began came Girl’s Weekend.
Girl’s Weekend
If you are a regular follower of My Buzzards Bay, you probably know that Mrs. Horne cherishes her childhood friendships with girls from her hometown, Fitchburg. And at least once a year, they visit us in Mattapoisett for a weekend.
We. were going to take Amazing Grace to Oak Bluffs for the weekend, but Hurricane Lee had other plans. Sunday turned out to be a picture-perfect Bluebird Day, so we did the canal cruise to Fisherman’s View in Sandwich.
We had perfect timing for the run down the canal with a 4-knot favorable current out and almost the same coming home.
I couldn’t get a reservation at Fisherman’s View, and there were seven of us, so we arrived as “walk-ins” at 11:30.
The service was unusually slow despite some empty tables in the dining room, which leads me to believe they have a labor shortage in the kitchen.
Despite that, the food was excellent!
Two Maritimos In The House
As we walked back to the boat, I spotted another Maritimo entering the marina.
It was Sarah and Paul upon Morning Dew, a Maritimo M51.
We actually met in Newport at the Maritimo Migration a year ago. They have sold their houses and live aboard their M51 full-time. They have a summer slip in Charlestown, and they were just beginning their trek to Florida for the winter.
After our chance encounter, the crew boarded Amazing Grace for a splendid ride home.
Impeller Down 😩
Before we shoved off, our generator died. It was okay Sunday because the weather was perfect for running with open windows. But on Monday, the boys were taking off in the rain, and we needed our generator.
After exchanging texts with Captain Tom at Maritimo and Ned at MBY, we zeroed in on the impeller. Peter was confident he could follow Tom’s instructions for removing the impeller.
Peter successfully removed the impeller, and it had separated from the hub.
Ned told me our home generator company – R.A. Mitchell in New Bedford, was a Kohler Marine dealer, so we packed up and planned to be there at 7:30 Monday morning when they opened for business.
They only had one left. They told us Bayline was now the local Kohler Marine dealer (good to know.)
When we got back to Onset Bay Marina, I told Peter that I wanted to check with Freddy (OBM service manager) before we started. Fred quickly spewed out some things to be careful about, and I said, “Can you do it?”
Fred said, “Sure,” and we were underway around 10:00.
Boys Week Finally Begins!
With the generator humming, we headed down the Cape Cod Canal in the rain, with Marina Bay as our destination.
None of us had ever been there, and after a brief discussion, we agreed to try and stay in Plymouth on a rainy Monday and hit Marina Bay later in the week when the sun would be shining.
Day One – Plymouth
Safe Harbor Plymouth had pulled a ton of boats in anticipation of Hurricane Lee’s arrival. The weren’t taking any reservations on dockwa, so I called. The dockmaster’s office told me everyone was busy launching boats. After some discussion with the team, she said we could tie up for the night on the front dock.
Dave suggested we put out the 18” fenders to protect us from the Southeast wind, so we did.
It was raining hard when we headed to town looking for lunch. Surfside Smokehouse was closed, as well as most of the restaurants on Main Street. As we approached the Artisan Pig, my heart skipped a beat when I saw the big OPEN flag hanging out front.
Our rainy Monday got even better when we discovered Jillian would be taking care of us.
I quaffed my cleansing ale and studied the menu.
I love the menu, but the Daily Specials caught everyone’s eye!
We literally ordered all three.
With nowhere to go, we spent several hours picking at our food and discussing the ways of the world at our street-side table at The Artisan Pig.
Back on Amazing Grace, we settled into the salon. One of the nice things about Boys Week is controlling what we watch on TV, free of the pressure to watch “Chick Flicks.”
With complete control of the remote, I fired up The History of The Eagles and settled into my seat.
KKatie’s – More Than A Burger Bar
Due to the leisurely lunch, no one was hungry for several hours. Around 7:00, we decided to venture out into the rain and head for the nearest decent restaurant, which turned out to be KKatie’s Burger Bar.
I’ve walked by KKatie’s for over a decade but never ate there because I figured all they served were burgers. Turns out I was wrong. I’m sure their burgers are great, but if you flip the menu over, you’ll see there’s much more to KKatie’s than burgers.
Of course, we sat at the bar, where we met Luke and Ruth.
We got excellent service and conversation. Both spoke with a wonderful Irish Brogue. Ruth was charming, but Luke was far more fun.
Rudy teed him up a political question, and Luke immediately revealed his true colors: “They all take millions from America’s enemies in exchange for favors; Biden was just the latest.”
Needless to say, we disagreed about everything, but I thoroughly enjoyed the spirited back and forth.
Meanwhile, we were served an incredible dinner that didn’t involve a single Burger.
Garlic Parmesan
10 PIECE – $16.49
Golden fried chicken dumplings with teriyaki sauce $10.49
ONION RINGS
Our own – lightly crumbed and deep-fried for crispy goodness $9.99
Day Two – Salem
Despite Small Craft Warnings, we shoved off around 8:30 for the 45-mile offshore run to Salem. We took constant spray over the bridge but ran comfortably all the way at a nearly 30 MPH cruise.
Safe Harbor Hawthorne Cove is located right behind Salem’s notorious House of The Seven Gables.
Not surprisingly, it’s a very quaint England seaside village.
But there was a ton of construction and renovation happening everywhere you looked.
My guess is that within a year or two, these projects will be done, and Salem will become a premier North Shore destination.
Here’s an alert for all the ladies out there. Peter is considering rejuvenating his social life, but so far, he just seems to be looking for love in all the wrong places!
Fortunately, Rudy was Peter’s wingman.
We hoped to try FINZ for lunch, but they were closed for Employee Appreciation Day, so we ended up at the Sea Level Oyster Bar.
Although the outdoor bar was very popular, we sat at the inside bar, which gave us an excellent view.
Rudy started with Littlenecks on the Half-shell with a Bent Water “Get on Our Level” New England-style IPA.
I went with Baked Oysters and O-Rings (for the table.)
The secret ingredient in the Baked Oysters is Chipotle Bacon Butter.
The Onion Rings were homemade and featured a tangy Chipotle Ranch Aioli.
Peter went for the Sweet and Sticky Wings.
These were really unique. The sauce was raspberry, sriracha, and hoisin, but it tasted to me more like strawberry.
Rudy went Old School with a Fried Fish Sandwich.
Despite the stiff west breeze, the sun was shining, and the sky deck was facing south, so we decided to take in everything that late September day had to offer and headed outside for the afternoon.
We started with a bit of music – I played guitar and Rudy played harp. After a beer or two, the conversation shifted to religion, and we debated the pros and cons of the major theologies for over an hour. That probably wouldn’t have happened with the women around.
We wrapped up Salem with dinner at a new restaurant – The Tavern at The Hawthorne Hotel.
Although hotels usually offer a good breakfast, my experience is that dinner can be hit or miss. But the reviews on The Tavern were quite good, so why not?
Peter ordered the Flatbread, which was a total flavor bomb: goat cheese, pickled red onions, and Arugula.
Basil butter, strawberry jam, shaved red onion, crumbled goat cheese, rocket arugula $18
Peter went with the Baked Haddock
Sherry-seasoned Ritz, garlic spinach, whipped potato $32
Rudy had some chowder and the Tuna Stack appetizer.
Marinated tuna, fresh avocado, pineapple, seaweed salad, toasted sesame seeds, spicy mayo, wonton chips $21
The Marinated Steak Tips caught my eye because the dish looked quite different than the traditional preparation.
Marinated Steak Tips
Herb roasted fingerling potatoes, charred peppers, pickled red onion, house-made chimichurri $42
I was right. It looked more like a hash, but the flavors were deep yet surprisingly complimentary. And the beef was as tender as Prime Ribeye.
Salem is a nice little seaside town and makes a perfect layover port on the way you New Hampshire and Maine.