Final Cruise of September 2024

The 2024 boating season is entering bonus time. Meaning we all know that every day at sea could be our final cruise of the year.

Late-season boating is even more precious on Amazing Grace with Mrs. Horne’s broken ankle. But being a trooper (and tired of doing jigsaw puzzles), she was ready to get back on the water once her doctor cleared her to hobble on her walking boot.

Knowing her mobility would be limited, we chose Marina Bay since it offers several great restaurants within a few thousand feet of the marina.

With a major hurricane (Helene) screaming up the southeast, I knew I couldn’t trust the serene weather forecasts, so I booked Safe Harbor Plymouth as a safe haven layover on the 65-mile run from Onset to Boston Harbor.

By Thursday, it was safe to expect calm seas all weekend, but we decided spending Friday night in Plymouth would be fun.

I mentioned it to Lauren (GM Safe Harbor Plymouth) and said: “We are having a final member party on the deck at 4:30, come join us for a drink!”

We love a dockside party, especially when Safe Harbor is paying. We were all in.

The ride from Onset to Plymouth was as smooth as Cape Cod Bay can be.

Surfside Smokehouse was still operating in the open-air bar downstairs so I booked an Uber to take us to The Artisan Pig. But as we waited for our ride, we looked into the Surfside and decided it looked warm and inviting.

I canceled Uber (which cost more than the ride) and we grabbed a table by the water.

As soon as we sat down, Doug (Safe Harbor Plymouth Dockmaster) came by to get the lowdown on Mrs. Horne’s ankle.

We spent a lot of time in Plymouth at the beginning of the season, but haven’t returned since early July. I mention this because we ordered “The Usual.”

End Of The Season Party – Safe Harbor Plymouth

I can’t say enough about being a Safe Harbor member, but one of the most pleasant benefits has been enjoying Plymouth and Marina Bay as our homes away from home.

As soon as we entered the party we recognized people we knew and immediately started making new friends.

In addition to food and drinks, Lauren and Dave hired a very good band.

We missed the sandwiches, but might have absconded with a few cookies!

We finally ate around 9:00 courtesy of Asia Tasty. They offered very respectable Chinese and Japanese food and delivered to the marina.

The best part is they don’t use a service to deliver food; its delivered by an employee. Our meal was $70 versus an almost identical meal from Sweet Ginger in Fairhaven via DoorDash that cost me $110!

Marina Bay Bound

Saturday morning was another beautiful September day.

We encountered barely a ripple on the 45-mile run to Boston.

As we tied up we were greeted by old friends Dave Hogan (Plymouth) and John Kelly (Boston). I told the crew to tidy up in case we had guests and Mrs. Horne took the opportunity to show off her walking boot skills by polishing the stainless steel.

Sunset Pier

Marina Bay was our first destination on May 3rd and Mitchell (the marina manager) introduced us to Nate, the manager of Marina Bay’s newest restaurant – Sunset Pier, and Kyle.

I gave him my card and promised to try his restaurant, but it never got out of the fifties that weekend and Sunset Pier is an alfresco dining venue, so we never ate there. 

We arrived Saturday morning and the temperature was just under 70°. We decided it was time to give the restaurant a try.

On Monday I published a full review of this great new Dock and Dine. You can click here to read.

Here are a few photos of the delicious food they offer!

There are cheeses at play here beyond the Blue. Likely mozzarella for texture and a hint of Asiago or Parmesan.

There are no French Fries at Sunset Pier, but that’s fine; instead, they offer an obscenely good smashed potato dish.

After lunch, we visited the new memorial to the Navy and the old Quincy Navy Shipyard.

Quincy Navy Park is really well done and a great way to catch up on important history and say a prayer for all the brave sailors who served our nation.

And Peter helped four bachelorettes take an epic photo!

Although the temperature was stuck in the 60s, Peter and I enjoyed one of the last Skydeck days of the year until the sun started to go down.

The Chantey

When you spend two or three nights in Marina Bay, you need a restaurant plan. There are eight options and of course, you cannot repeat.

We couldn’t go back to Sunset Pier and knowing it was getting cold, WaterClub was out, leaving us six options.

In May we had lunch at The Chantey, and it was time to try it for dinner.

There were a few brave souls eating outside under the tent, but most everyone was inside and it was totally packed. We managed to nab one of the two remaining tables around 6:45.

Unlike most of Marina Bay, The Chantey was overloaded with action and the live music didn’t begin until 8:00.

All that action led to a near-deafening din of loud background noise. I should have grabbed my decibel app, but I’m fairly certain it was around 90 dB.

We immediately went into shout (scream) mode and ordered beers and pub food.

The Chantey is a very solid restaurant, almost like your hometown restaurant that evolved over the years.

Peter ordered the Meatloaf.

I’m not a big meatloaf fan, but it’s clearly one of the top five comfort foods in America. It tasted like a classic and the portion was enormous. Peter left more than half his plate.

I always find steak to be the best way to judge a restaurant. It starts with the quality of the cut, the seasoning, the sear, and was it cooked to the temperature you actually ordered ?

Technically, there is no standard definition of a “Steak Tip,” although it’s usually 3-4 small pieces. It’s often a Skirt Steak or Flat Iron, but sometimes it’s a Sirloin Strip. Coop deVille uses Filet.

I’d say The Chantey used a Skirt Steak. Its was perfectly carmelized, seasoned, and cooked to right around the medium rare I ordered.

They offer two dudes and if you paired this with fries and a salad, you’d have a wonderful Steak Frites for $29.

The Incredible Meridith

The crew at Sunset Pier invited us to their closing party. It was a DJ, rather than live music and I said “I doubt they’ll play songs I know.”

As we walked by I heard an updated version of the 1989 hit Bust a Move. And to my amazement, I young woman was killing it on the boardwalk.

Her name is Meredith and she was a fitness instructor earlier in life. That explains her cool delivery of over a minute of high impact aerobics.

On the way back to the boat I captured a great shot that immediately became my new cover photo.

Gray Sunday

We woke up Sunday to a typical late September morning. Gray and cool (55°).

With nothing much on the morning agenda, Peter and I watch the All-In Podcast on YouTube.

My son-in-law is a successful investor and he introduced me to these guys last year. They are all Silicon Valley self-made billionaires and they debate everything from technology to politics.

By the way, they represent both liberal and conservative ideologies yet manage to debate in a very civil manner. I highly recommend their podcast or YouTube channel.

Lunch with John and KrisAnn

As much as I love all the great Dock and Dines we visit, the best part of living The My Buzzards Bay life is all the great new friends we meet along the way.

We met John and KrisAnn in June of 2021. They had made the crazy decision to spend the summer living and working on their Island Packet 31 sailboat on a mooring in Provincetown.

They live in Boston and keep their sailboat – KrissAnnGria across the harbor from Marina Bay.

We spotted John when we first arrived and asked them to join us for lunch at Victory Point.

This was our second visit to Victory Point for lunch. It offers a bright interior dining room with a huge horseshoe bar as well as an incredible outdoor bar – Willies, that literally hangs over the water.

Although they definitely lean Italian, they serve up a full menu well-suited for everyone.

The next time we’re in town I think I’ll try dinner and one of their Italian dishes.

Clear and Present Danger

It was still cool and gray when we got back to the boat – perfect time for a movie. We recently replaced the blinds in the boat with ones that look great on the outside, but completely blackout the light inside. This enables us to convert the salon into a media room.

Lately, we’ve been going back and watching great movies from ten years ago. One of the benefits of getting older is that you forget most of the movie and only remember that you liked it.

Clear and Present Danger is actually twenty years old (1994), but still a great action movie.

After the movie, we also watched a little of the Patriots game, but it proved too depressing.

Port 305

We returned to Port 305 for our final dinner mostly due to the shorter walk for Mrs. Horne.

Much like The Chantey, solid menu and great execution.

On the way home I caught one more photo of the Sailor Monument at the Navy Yard Memorial.

Monday Departure

Monday brought a gorgeous morning and a return to warm air. I did wake up Sunday night with the realization that the only way to exit this slip was a long reverse through a tight fairway.

Fortunately, there was no wind and I did have 10-15 feet on either side.

Here are a few final shots of the spectacular final day of September 2024.

Next Up: Newport in October