Mystic, Connecticut

We’ve never been to Mystic before and Mrs. Horne really wanted us to check it out. This cruise will ultimately end up in Long Island, but Mystic made a great stepping-off point before we get into the Sound.

I was a little taken aback when I loaded Mystic into the nav system and saw it was only 9.8 miles from Watch Hill.

Once again, I started thinking about a little float plan in windy conditions that would offer guests a change of scenery without being exposed to the open ocean.

Getting To Mystic

Despite the short distance to Mystic, there is a slow, lengthy 5-knot trek up the Mystic River.

It is well-marked and never less than 15’ deep. It offers a lot of great views of the New England Coast.

We docked at the Fort Rachel Marina which is just north of the Swing Bridge.

The Swing Bridge is a railroad bridge that is always open unless a train is coming.

Just as we cleared the north end a siren blasted indicating the bridge was about to close for a passing train.

Yes, it’s a little loud and annoying, but the soundproofing in Amazing Grace completely filters it out inside.

Texas Smash Burgers

Mrs. Horne requested lunch on the boat one day and thanks to Tanya finding us one, we had provisions to make burgers and roasted potatoes.

Jake had been talking about his smash burgers for years and of course, I told him: “Okay big boy, you’re making your smash burgers…”

And man did he deliver!

I roasted potatoes to accompany the burgers.

Seeing Mystic

This trip is a little unusual in that we are changing ports every day – sort of a cruising smorgasbord. Undoubtedly, we’ll return to many of these venues for 2-3 days in the future.

But these short visits mean we need to spend our afternoons exploring each town.

Mrs. Horne has been wanting to bike since Jamestown, so once we got a convenient dock for offloading, we decided to try biking in Mystic.

Julie at Fort Rachel had suggested taking a left out of the marina and following the water toward Noank.

There were plenty of signs saying BIKE TRAIL, but that was about it – there was no bike trail and barely an 18” bike lane. After four miles of getting buzzed by cars going 35 MPH, we bailed out to a side road and headed back to the boat.

We used Google Maps to guide us and actually followed a very tranquil route through Connecticut country neighborhoods.

After stowing the bikes, we walked to town to get a better feel for Mystic.

The first thing that caugh my eye was the bookstore.

Thanks to Amazon, there aren’t many bookstores left, but Mystic not only has one, it has two side-by-side.

I started browsing for murder mysteries set in New England and this book caught my eye.

I studied the cover closely and realized it was a painting of the Ocean House in Watch Hill.

I turned it over and read the teaser:

“A fierce blizzard is burying the eastern seaboard, but on the icy Rhode Island shore renowned artist Maddie Morrison finds warm sanctuary from a contentious divorce at the legendary Ocean House. Hours later, her body is found buried under a blanket of snow and her little daughter, CeCe, has disappeared without a trace.

For Detective Conor Reid; his brother, Tom, a coast guard commander; and Maddie’s grieving sister, Hadley, the posh hotel becomes ground zero for an investigation. Trapped by the blizzard, they must hunker down and determine who in the young mother’s life could have possibly wanted her dead. There are stories of a twisted romantic past. Of old jealousies and resentments that still cut to the bone. And a history of greed, rage, and revenge that created the perfect storm for murder. A storm that has just begun.”

Luanne Rice

Imagine that, a murder mystery set at the Ocean House. I’ll definitely be reading this book at some point down the road.

Another interesting store in town is the Army Navy.

I’ve been a huge fan of Army Navy stores since I was a kid. This one is especially cool because they sell authentic original metals, ribbons, and arm patches.

It was almost 5:00 and one building caught my eye!

Jake and I were on the same page and we headed in for a cleansing ale.

It’s really a cool brewery, but the New England IPA was a little disappointing; not very hazy, weak on hops, and a little warmer than the ice-cold IPAs I prefer.

The Daniel Parker Inne

Julie (Fort Rachel Marina) had enthusiastically recommended the Oyster Club, but knowing that we were dining in hip seafood eateries on Long Island, I thought it might be nice to show our Texan guests some really Colonial Americana.

The restaurant is a mere 40 years old, but the building is the original home to Captain Daniel Parker.

The Captain Daniel Packer Inne was built on the Mystic River over 250 years ago. Square-rigger Captain Daniel Packer completed construction of the building bordering Water Street in 1756. From that time to the late 1900’s the property remained in the Packer family and their descendants, The Keelers. The Inne was restored in the 1980’s by Richard and Lulu Kiley, and remains in the family today.

The Daniel Parker Inne

By the way, the locals call it the “DPI”.

I knew we’d come to the right spot as soon as our server, Gerardina approached our table and asked each of us our names.

I’ve dined in hundreds of restaurants and never had a server ask me my name.

The Food

Jake started us with a dozen local oysters and their signature Baguette and Roasted Garlic bread service.

Jake and I ordered martinis. I asked Gerardina if she had blue cheese olives and she said: “No, but I can hand stuff some if you want.”

How good is that?

Everyone was thinking about the Baked Cod…

Knowing that it would be wrong for a self-respecting food blogger to have everyone at the table order the same dish, I asked Gerardina about the Chicken Special.

“It’s a chicken breast, stuffed with Ailoitte Cheese, grilled and topped with the citrus beurre blanc, along with a side of roasted potatoes and spinach.”

I asked her how it was and she said “It’s chicken for $34. I’d never pay $34 for chicken!”

I said, “I know but I think Jake’s buying, give me the Chicken Special.”

It may have been expensive for chicken, but I think it was the best $34 entree I have ever eaten.

Peggy also broke away from the pack and ordered the crab cakes.

The DPI is only about 1000 feet from Fort Rachel, so the stroll back to the boat was brief.

Mystic is a very nice and unique stopover on the way to Long Island. And Fort Rachel is an excellent Marina in that it’s close to downtown, but comfortably removed.

Here is the morning view from our salon.

Next Up – Greenport, Long Island