Friday looked like a perfect day as we loaded 375 gallons of diesel in Pilots Point.
The end of our seventeen-day voyage was drawing near as we headed to Block Island and our fifth and final state visited on the trip.
It’s 52 miles from Westbrook to Block Island and although the seas were calm, we faced a fairly strong head current most of the way home holding us to 26 MPH.
It was a clear day and we could make out Block Island about 20 miles away.
We were staying at Ballard’s Marina. It’s located in the heart of Old Harbor. It offers a floating dock, but the boats are packed in like sardines.
Sadly, there aren’t a lot of great marina options on BI. The Town Marina is also in Old Harbor, but there are no reservations, and there is a lot of rafting.
The other three are in New Harbor. Payne’s is a notorious shitshow with lots of rafting. Champlin’s is decent, but very expensive, and it’s the most remote. My pick would probably be the New Harbor Boat Basin, but it wasn’t available when I booked months ago.
The was a lot of drama docking Amazing Grace in this tiny Marina, but thanks to Mrs. Horne and Peter, we managed.
Since we were planning to be here til Sunday, we gave the boat a good cleaning before heading to town for lunch.
The Mohegan
We enjoyed a great dinner at the Mohegan last September, so we decided to try it again.
They underwent a significant renovation a few years back and the vibe is beachy, yet modern.
Half rack of house smoked baby
back ribs with hoisin sauce
Topped with cheddar / mozzarella blend, caramelized onions
Lettuce, tomato, red onion, avocado, bacon,
blue cheese, grilled chicken and boiled egg
I love the Mohegan. The menu is full of unique dishes and it’s always prepared perfectly.
After lunch, we walked through Old Harbor and did a little shopping.
We ended up on the Skydeck and I’m sad to say there was a definite feeling of autumn in the air. Hard to believe we had to spend the afternoon in a pool in Essex Connecticut ten days ago because it was so hot!
The 212
Earlier this year a major new property called The 212 opened in Old Harbor. It replaced Ernies and Finns and instantly became the premier destination in Old Harbor.
As soon as I learned about it I made a dinner reservation for Friday night, but before I get to our dinner, a few words about The 212…
- It offers a complex of food and lodging options.
- In addition to a high-end King Room (The Captain’s Quarters), they also offer an innovative room called The Bunkhouse.
- I’m not sure who the target customer is for this room. It features four queen beds in a massive bunk bed configuration.
- In addition to the One BI Steak and Oyster House, the property also features a Clam Cake Shack and a Pasta Deli.
- Finally, Ernies is still serving breakfast up on the street level.
One BI Steak and Oyster House
The 212’s steakhouse could not be closer to the two marinas in Old Harbor.
The decor is striking…
Very hip yet still bringing that seaside vibe.
We started with the Bread Service…
Garlic compound butter
The soft garlic butter was perfect, but to me, only serving Olive Bread was a bit of a miss.
Mrs. Horne was planning on sharing her steak, so I ordered Oyster Rockefeller.
Pernod-sautéed spinach, champagne
herb breadcrumb, parmesan gratin
They were excellent – but I would have preferred six 😂
I also ordered a side of Fingerlings (extra crispy).
They were excellent!
Peter ordered the special without Shrimp.
fried rice and pickled red onions
It was also excellent!
Mrs. Horne ordered the 10 ounce filet.
It was perfectly cooked.
The mystery sauce was killer!
Overall I loved the place. My only complaints are more suggestions than criticisms.
- There are only five entrees on the menu, I would have preferred a few more.
- The Olive Bread was fine, but cold. I would like to see a warm crusty roll added to the service.
- At $65, I would like to see something else on the plate with the filet. If not for the substance, some sauteed green, or arugala salad, would have dramatically enhanced the presentation.
Bummer Saturday
We had a big day planned for Saturday. My new friend Russell was coming by for a tour of Amazing Grace (he’s shopping for a Maritimo), we were heading to Ballard’s Resort for the Blushing Brides concert at 2:00, and we were meeting my cousin Sharon at Aldo’s for dinner.
Avoid Ballard’s Marina!
On Friday, the owner of Ballard’s Marina – Paul Filippi mentioned something about moving on Saturday, but I didn’t pay much attention.
Mrs. Horne did!
She woke up Saturday morning convinced we could not fit where Paul wanted us to go. Moreover, we would not be securely docked (we’d only be tied at the stern and to a single piling just ahead of the port cockpit.)
I used my new favorite app – Savvy Navy, to measure the distance between the piling we’d be tying to and ferry dock to confirm her suspicion.
It measured 117’. Amazing Grace is 63’ overall, but we needed to place an 18” fender at the aft to keep us from hitting the floating dock, making us 65’ and leaving 52’ for the Jessica W. – the high-speed trimaran that docks across from Ballard’s.
The Jessica W. was commissioned as Condor 9 and according to Wikipedia, she has a beam of 59’.
This means we could not get into or out of the slip when the Jessica W. was docked. Further, the passage for other boats to enter or leave the marina would only be about 15’.
I just completed a review at marinas.com with more details.
Needless to say, we left and we have contacted Dockwa for assistance with our refund.
UPDATE: Dockwa doesn’t help in disputed charges. Paul said he did replace my booking with another paying customer, but he won’t refund my $600 unless I delete this post and my review.
I told him “I guess I won’t be getting a refund…”
While there are many people who like Ballard’s, they are likely in smaller boats (when docked there in our 41’ Back Cove we were one of the biggest boats in the marina.)
By the way, here is a video I shot from Back Cove 41 trying to get out of the same slip in 2018 when the ferry was tied up. Notice I couldn’t pull straight out and had turn toward the rocks and back out!
At the time Breezy told me she put 60’ boats at the end of the dock, just like Paul did in 2024.
Why Paul would think he could switch us to an undersized slip at the last minute is beyond me – money I guess!
Finally, the whole business with the crazy dockhand impersonator gives us the creeps.
If you care about your boat or your safety, avoid Ballard’s Marina!
Smooth Ride Home
We left at 10:30 and could not have had a better ride home.
As we entered Buzzards Bay, we passed Javelin, our friend Tom, Dan, and Leesel’s 49’ Viking.
Of course, we took pictures of each other 😂
Finally, thanks to Bill Randall (admin for the Block Island Nation Facebook page), I got a few clips of the Blushing Brides concert.
Next Up: NYC Hits and Misses
Mrs. Horne here … As someone who thinks of safety first, I told Paul (marina dock master) that I was not comfortable moving to a slip that was way too small and that being able to tie up to only one piling (our boat weighs 100,000 lbs) that didn’t even meet halfway the length of our boat was uncomfortable … he said “either move or leave.” I said “okay, but I want a refund because it’s unsafe”. He replied “no refund”. Then he turned and walked away. Not a very nice guy.
I was also concerned because our boat would have stuck out way beyond other boats docked and boats coming and going (many partying to come watch Blushing Brides) would have to zip zag around the ferry (that was also close by) and our boat.
We left with no guarantee that we would get our dockage fee back ($600) but as I always say, safety first when boating.
PS – when we were leaving our boat to go out to lunch/dinner other boaters were yelling at us to make sure we lock our boat and not to hide the key because there is a guy (who they identified as one of the dock hands that helped us tie up) that watches the boats and looks for an opportunity. Not sure how much of this is true, but it did creep me out. Maybe it’s because we’ve just been spoiled so much by docking at Safe Harbor marinas. They not only give you the right size slip for your boat but they also have locked marina gates, maintained docks, and good security which shows they appreciate your business.
Safe Harbor Marinas
Always avoid Ballards. Check out Boston Globe articles on stabbings, underage drinking, alcohol license revocation, etc. It was fortunate that the Blushing Brides show did not become Altamont East! We usually catch them at Nicks, which is a dive, but a mellow dive! My preference is the Boat Basin, but I don’t like it as quite much since the buyout. More corporate, miss the old crew, Justin, Rally, Tony, etc. RIP to the last two. Champlins would have been a better option. They no longer raft, and can handle a boat that size easily. They do have a shuttle to town, and you can always cab. Paynes are good people, but I am not a fan of the shoehorn docking. Great place for drinks, breakfast, ice cream, etc.We are on a mooring at present, the downside being no advance booking. We looked for Amazing Grace in the Salt Pond in the dinghy, not knowing you were in Old Harbor.
Ballard’s Marina isn’t part of Ballard’s Resort. We had several nice visits in our 41 and one in the M60, but yiu can’t trust Paul, so never again!