Nantucket 2024

A few days ago, I reported on how we got to Nantucket and some of my strategies for booking Nantucket Boat Basin.

We are now settled in, enjoying Nantucket, meeting people, and catching up with old friends.

Mrs. Horne likes to visit new and different spots. We’ve eaten at The Charlie Noble a few times, but not recently, so that was the choice for Tuesday night dinner.

As usual, we sat at the bar and enjoyed conversation with the bartender, Chad.

For dinner, we opted for sharing oysters and appetizers.

All were great – lots of flavor in the Shishitos. The wings gave us a unique preparation. The Crab Dip was cheesy and a large portion – too big for us to finish.

Wednesday Bike Day

The only negative at the Nantucket Boat Basin is the combination of fixed docks and the four-foot tidal range. NBB will move ladders to help getting on and off your boat, but moving 50 lb. e-bikes from the lazarette to the dock is quite challenging.

I actually woke up Tuesday night thinking, “I wonder when high tide is?” It was at 5:30 AM, so as soon as Mrs. Horne woke up, we climbed in the Lazarette and got all the bikes on the dock.

Biking South Beach

One of my golf buddies in California lives on the south coast of Nantucket, so I thought it would be fun to ride to Madekat and check out his neighborhood.

As is always the case, getting out of downtown Nantucket is challenging. But with e-bikes, we can keep up with car traffic for the mile or so it takes to get to the Madaket bike path.

As reported earlier on this site, Nantucket has some of the best bike trails in New England. Here’s a 35-second video I shot along the way.

We ended up driving on dirt roads to reach my friend’s neighborhood, but it was worth the ride. This is a beautiful area.

Unfortunately, it’s eroding fast. My friend has already lost half his lot and expects the beach to reach his home in the next decade.

Here’s a link to the continued erosion of Nantucket’s southern shoreline.

We ended up at Madekat Beach. I was happy to see that looked like it did in 2021 – very little erosion.

I shot a video of the beach when we were here in 2021 and took almost the same video Wednesday.

Around noon, Mrs. Horne suggested we try some new places for lunch. I recalled biking by the Galley Beach a few years back and entered it into my Apple Maps app.

As a side note, Apple has enhanced this app over the years, and not only can you enter “Cycling,” but you can also select “Less Busy Roads.” It knows all the bike trails on Nantucket, so I’m guessing it knows them everywhere.

Galley Beach Restaurant

We walked in without reservations around noon. As soon as we entered the restaurant, we were transported to Maui.

This may be the purest form Beach Bar in New England. You’d swear you were at a Ritz Carlton in The Islands if it were ten degrees warmer.

The menu is expectedly eclectic…

I was going to order Shwarma Chicken, but I switched when the server described the Panni of the Day.

It was a delicious sandwich, but the homemade sausage was a little mild for me.

On the other hand, Mrs. Horne declared her $49 Lobster Roll to be “The best lobster roll I’ve ever tasted.”

It was 99% prime lobster meat with just enough aioli to moisten it and a few light herbs.

Somehow, Galley Beach is simultaneously nothing like Nantucket and pure Nantucket at the same time.

The ride back to town was very easy, and the ladders at NBB make perfect anchors for bike locks.

With twenty miles of biking under our belts, we spent the afternoon reading and people-watching from the Skydeck.

Dinner with JT

A few years ago, we met JT, dining at the bar at Queequegs or “The Q’s” to locals.

JT is a former defense attorney in Jersey on an excellent career track when he crossed the wrong DA. He retired his law practice and enjoys a much more peaceful like “Holding Court” behind the bar.

I texted JT to tell him we were coming. He set two places at the bar and introduced us to another couple he thought we like.

They, too, are boat owners and also the proprietors of ROASTD in Nantucket.

Welcome to Roastd General Store, Nantucket’s premier spot for wellness and specialty food products.  In addition to Roastd’s extensive and creative coffee and tea menu, we also offer a carefully researched and curated wellness marketplace. These products are meant to spark joy and wellbeing in the lives of our customers.  Our marketplace supports makers whose products are created with integrity and transparency.

ROASTD, Nantucket

We enjoyed a great conversation about boating and life in general, along with tasty food and drink.

JT crafted a new drink for Mrs. Horne consisting of Grapefruit Seltzer, Cucumber, and Mint

Wednesday ended up a near-perfect day. We discovered a new restaurant, met new friends, and burned 16,000 steps.

Next up – Guest Arrive