The wind was kicking up as we entered Plymouth’s outer harbor on Wednesday. We probably could have made it to Onset (145 miles from Portland) if we’d planned it, but we weren’t quite ready to end our two-week cruise.
The ride from Portland was simultaneously frightening and exhilarating. After running south more than 200 Miles in 27 hours, we just needed a little time to chill.
This is the busy season at Safe Harbor Plymouth, but fortunately, the big Viking at the end of the face dock was gone, and Doug let us tie up there until the storm passed.
We tied up and headed for our go-to lunch spot in Plymouth – Surfside Smokehouse.
Boothbay and Rockland were cool and comfortable, but as soon as we got to Portland, we encountered the heat wave plaguing New England.
The breeze was blowing close to 20 mph, but it was coming out of the west and not doing much to cool down Surfside from a muggy day in the high 80s.
As you may know, we eat here a lot and have our favorites, but after two weeks of eating in restaurants, we all wanted to venture into other dishes.
With one exception – Peter needed his Cornbread!
He also tried the Pulled Pork Quesadilla.
cheddar jack, jalapeño, salsa verde, sour cream
It was stuffed with savory pork, but there was way too much food for one person. Each piece was a full appetizer portion for an adult, and two pieces were the perfect size for lunch.
Mrs. Horne went for the Tuna Tartare.
wonton chips, avocado, hawaiian marinated ahi tuna, sesame seeds, spicy aioli, spicy remoulade
The presentation was pure art and was a proper portion for one person.
I stayed in the BBQ Category but tried the Beef Rib for the first time.
The rib was perfectly cooked. The bark was crisp, and the beef inside was moist, flavorful, and shredded with a fork. The Elote served all the right street corn flavors but was served cold. I prefer my Elote hot.
When we returned to the boat, we washed the salt off and attempted to read on the Skydeck. It was simply too hot, so the salon became the library.
Ride Circuit
Last summer, I noticed little electric vans in Plymouth that seemed to be some sort of ride-share. When we returned in October, I downloaded the app and tried to get a ride, but they were closed for the sesson.
The service is called Ride Circuit and is indeed a ride-share service.
ridecircuit.com
All-electric since 2011
Our electric, tech-enabled shuttle services provide first/last-mile connections to mass transit, encourage visitors to park once, and get people out of their cars for short trips.
Working closely with innovative cities and advertisers, we’ve provided over 7 million rides without burning an ounce of gas. Our commitment to sustainability and community is at the core of everything we do, and we’re proud to offer an eco-friendly, on-demand option that creates local jobs and invigorates communities.
The app is somewhat like Uber, but you don’t get to choose who you’ll ride with – they just come to you. Also, it’s technically FREE, but the driver (Kevin) said it’s “Tip-Based.”
We gave him $15 for a ride from Safe Harbor to Salt, but I think he would have been happy with $10.
The website lists locations. Today, they only operate in Massachusetts, in Plymouth and Boston. They have two little vans in Plymouth—check it out.
Salt – Plymouth
We were looking for a unique, non-seaside eatery, and the best option in Plymouth was obvious – Salt.
We’d dined there twice. The first time, the food was great, but there was a table of cackling (drunken) women nearby, and it was too loud to have a conversation.
The second time was outside. It was quiet, but the menu was very limited.
Both times, the food was great!
The best way to think of Salt is as Nobu, with bigger portions at reasonable prices.
Before we ordered, we asked our server to take the Cruise Commemorative Crew Photograph.
What a good looking crew!
The menu was long, and the table was quiet. We each ordered our favorite item with an eye to share.
Szechuan pork, peanuts, Chinese chive,
Dandan chili sauce, scallion
Mrs. Horne ordered the Seafood Fried Rice.
Argentinian shrimp, blue crab, Chinese sausage, egg,
Chinese chives, Napa cabbage, carrots, sesame,
fresh herbs, aji Amarillo aioli
The shrimp were large and perfectly prepared, and the portion was huge. As a substantial side dish, it could have been shared by four people.
I’m a huge fan of Steamed Buns and Duck!
Soy braised duck, hoisin sauce, yuzu aioli, pickled cucumbers, cilantro
As we enjoyed this incredible meal, we started compiling a ranking of all the restaurants we visited on the cruise. Salt was the undisputed #1 (more in my wrap-up report).
Thursday – A Day of Recuperation
As I mentioned earlier, the winds kicked up at noon on Wednesday and just kept coming.
During our morning coffees, we were getting rattled by what felt like little earthquakes caused by Amazing Grace bouncing off the dock.
Mrs. Horne wanted a restful day after Wednesday’s surreal trip from Portland. Peter wanted to go out for breakfast, so we let her rest and headed out.
There are a lot of pastry and bagel spots for breakfast in Plymouth, but only four that offer the sort of savory feast we were looking for.
Water Street Cafe and Carmen’s Cafe Nicole offer full breakfast, but their savory dishes are rather pedestrian.
IN MY OPINION, the only two eateries serving great savory breakfast feasts are Dillons Local and CJ’s Bar & Grill.
Either would have been perfect, but since CJ’s was near the marina, we chose it.
Let me say at the outset that you’d easily miss this breakfast gem if I hadn’t told you about it. It’s physically part of the John Carver Hotel & Spa and well off the water.
It looks like a place I might have attended for a business conference back in the day.
Photo Courtesy of Wicked Local
Although it’s located in the hotel, it is independently operated by Chris and Jen Eori (CJ’s), who took it over a few years ago.
The breakfast food is delicious, but the decor could easily be called “Hokey Pilgrim.”
Several items on the menu scream savory breakfast:
- Six different takes on Eggs Benedict
- Both Short Rib and Sweet Potato Hash
- Biscuits and Gravy
- Three different Skillet Dishes
- Chicken and Waffles
Peter went with the Classic Eggs Benedict.
I ordered three sides to create a 100% savory dish.
The hash was crispy and moist at the same time; the sausage was clearly homemade, and the poached eggs had cooked whites with runny yokes.
Lazy Day Thursday
As much as we relaxed in a “Maine State of Mind” for eleven days, the conditions we faced running from Rockland to Plymouth in 27 hours had wiped out all of us.
And the windy, rainy day gave us all the incentive we needed to hang out in the salon and binge-watch Bar Rescue.
The sun came out, but it was still very windy and muggy. Neither Mrs. Horne nor Peter nor I was interested in leaving the boat. We’d accumulated a lot of leftovers in the freezer over the past two weeks, so I resurrected them for dinner.
As the sun set, things cooled down, and we retired to the Skydeck for a little Donavan Channel on Pandora.
When I woke up, I checked the weather app, and neither Friday nor Saturday looked great, although Friday looked a tick better.
I discussed the forecast with the crew, and we decided to head to Onset around 9:00.
I was down to 187 gallons of diesel and added 100 at the Safe Harbor Fuel dock. In the morning, it’s a bit of a free-for-all as boats looking for fuel cut each other off.
Contrary to the forecast, there was only a light west wind as we turned toward Sandwich.
The fog wasn’t quite done with us. We ran into a number of very strange banks of Sea Smoke. We could see all the way to the tower next to the F/V, but not the water 100’ in front of us.
We ended our fifteen-day trip around 11:00 AM Friday. We burned 1400 gallons of diesel and clocked around 525 miles. God knows how many calories we consumed, but that’s what vacation is all about.
Most importantly, we made many new friends along the way and got to know Vernon and Lynn better.
Next Up – Maine 2024 Recap