Memorial Day 2024

This is the final report on our seven day cruise in the month of May 2024.

Here are the first five:

Seven Days in May – Day One

Seven Days in May – Day Two

Seven Days in May – Day Three

Seven Days in May – Day Four

Seven Days in May – Day Five

Thanks to figuring out how to lock up our bikes next to the boat, we could head out at 10:00 AM for Vineyard Haven.

I planned to take the southern route down County Road to Edgartown – Vinyard Haven Road and enter town the back way. Inaugurating the outdoor kitchen grill on Amazing Grace was on the agenda for lunch, and I’d be picking up food at Stop & Shop in Vineyard Haven on the way home.

Private Roads and Biking

As we motored down County Road, I noticed several neighborhoods on the side of the bike path. On a whim, I led the crew into one. Mrs. Horne got nervous because the sign at the entrance said PRIVATE ROAD.

A Private Road sign is often construed to mean NO TRESPASSING, but that’s not true. It simply means the road was not created or maintained by the municipality it is located in.

This is great news if you’re a biker like me. Private Roads are usually loops or cul de sacs with very little traffic. Since most drivers live there, nobody speeds.

Here are some photos I took as we cruised through these beautiful neighborhoods.

Grill Time!

As you may have noticed, we eat out a lot. You may not know it, but I fancy myself a decent home chef. I even have a few original dishes that have an award or two.

But I seldom cook on the boat. I’m not sure why, but I think it’s because operating and maintaining the boat takes a lot of my time, so when it’s time to eat, I prefer to let someone else do the work.

That said, Amazing Grace has a splendid little outdoor kitchen on the aft deck, and I plan to use it this summer. With our Ship’s Engineer, Peter, on board, it seemed the perfect time to season and break it in.

Just in case it failed, I started with hot dogs!

We added a basket of fries from Coop deVille and ended up with a perfect lunch. More importantly, the grill looked cleaner after we used it than it did before (Barvo Maritimo!)

Sunday Afternoon

As usual, we retreated to the Skydeck to a warm afternoon of people-watching. After a while, a nice-looking Viking backed into a tight spot behind us.

I started filming the landing in case something went wrong, but nothing happened.

But, while the Captain wasn’t looking, three girls went up to the tuna tower and…

Rather frightening. Everyone else on board was oblivious, and I toyed with the idea of calling the Captain over and showing him the video. But the girls stopped jumping and figured they learned their lesson!

Mikado Oak Bluffs

Before we left for OB, I planned to eat dinner at the wonderful new Asian Bistro in Oak Bluffs – Mikado.

After an extensive internet search, I couldn’t find any evidence it still existed, so we went to The Red Cat Kitchen instead. After dinner, we discovered it was still open and planned it for our final Memorial Day Weekend dinner.

We spend a lot of time in OB, and while I love wings and lobster rolls, it was nice to have a sophisticated option without taking a cab elsewhere.

We’ve been to Mikado three or four times, and sadly, it’s never been very crowded – unlike virtually every other eatery in Oak Bluffs.

In an effort to boost attendance, I created a Yelp page for Mikado OB, and when we sat at the bar on Sunday night, I showed it to the owner, Kevin, and immediately said, “I’ll claim it.”

We had a great meal, and the following day, I noticed that Kevin had not only claimed the page but had also dropped a few bucks to sponsor it, coming to the top of the list.

I also created a review here and published it Wednesday morning.

Mikado – Oak Bluffs

If you love great Sushi or Chinese food, this is your MV must-try. And if you’ve eaten there, please spread the good news, visit their newly created Yelp page, and leave a review.

Memorial Day 2024

I woke to fog and started checking my weather services and the Woods Hole Webcam.

NOAA said the fog warning would end at 8:00, so Peter and I ran up to Linda Jeans for breakfast.

When I returned to the boat, I went to the flybridge to check on the fog. Woods Hole was clear, and I could see all the way across Vineyard Sound to Cape Cod.

Of course, no sooner did we commit to a departure than the fog rolled back in, and we were surrounded by 500’ visibility.

I had my iPhone on the dash open to the Woods Hole Webcam, hoping for some clearing. I wouldn’t say I like fog, but I’m fine dealing with it almost everywhere – except Woods Hole. There are just too many tall metal cans and nuns to figure out what’s a buoy and what’s another boat!

About a half mile out, I made the call and told the crew, “We are not on a schedule, I’m heading down to Quick’s Hole,”

Within a minute, we spotted Martha’s Vineyard off the port side.

We were running along the edge of the fog bank with 500’ visibility to starboard and 3-5 miles to port.

By the time we reached Quick’s, we had 360° visibility.

We dropped Peter off in Onset, added 550 gallons of diesel, pumped out the holding tank, and headed up to Plymouth for the next two weeks, where Amazing Grace will be detailed for the season.

It was great to have such a wonderful week at sea so early in the season.

Next up – Hull, Gloucster, and perhaps some Wicked Tuna!