The Bonus Boating Season Begins!

I consider any boating after October 1st Bonus Time. While there are usually some decent days in autumn, it’s hard to count on them and of course, a lot of fellow boaters are making plans to haul for the winter.

We visited friends in Texas last week and got home late Thursday, just as an epic Indian Summer kicked off in New England (can we still call it Indian Summer?}

October boating is tricky. As we discovered last September on Block Island, most of the Islands turn into Ghost Towns after Labor Day. Accordingly, I focus on seaside venues one can drive to, like Newport, Provincetown, and Boston.

We selected Boston and booked Marina Bay for Sunday through Tuesday. We also love Sunset Bay and we have friends who live near the marina, so we started there Saturday.

It’s a long run to Boston from Onset and I wanted to get an early start, so we all stayed on Amazing Grace Friday night.

That also meant dinner in The 1883 Lounge at the Glen Cove.

The food is always done right and I love the brick-lined basement lair vibe.

Saturday – Shipping Up To Boston

It’s 65 miles to Boston from Onset, but it felt like 85 thanks to the 10 mph speed limit for the eleven-mile run down the Cape Cod Canal.

Thankfully, both Cape Cod Bay and Massachusetts Bay were dead calm.

Sunset Bay, Hull

We’ve become very fond of the Safe Harbor Marina in Hull. They put us at the front dock, which gives us a perfect view of Spinnaker Island aft and Sunset Point off the bow.

The downside of Hull is that everything is an Uber ride away except for a very respectable oceanside eatery located upstairs above the Safe Harbor office.

Local 02045

Despite the 80° temperature, Local 02045 had a lovely Fall Seasonal display on the way up the stairs.

We sat at the bar where I enjoyed a new IPA…

I’m generally not a big fan of Cisco IPAs, but this was quite good.

I love being able to see my boat from the restaurant!

Outrageous Weather (in a good way)

After lunch, I retreated to the Skydeck to catch up on my newest murder mystery novel.

It’s Book #1 of the Nick Steele series and set on Mackinaw Island in Michigan. So far, so good.

The only problem with Sunset Bay Marina is that the face dock faces southwest. Knowing it would be warm in the afternoon, I tied up leaving the Skydeck facing northwest, assuming we’d be shaded in the afternoon.

Around 2:00, we had shade on the port side, but by 4:00 the entire Skydeck was in the 80° sun. On October 4, it was too hot to sit outside.

Visit From An Old Friend

I grew up in Acton and my best friend was David Newell. The Newells lived two houses down from us. David’s sister Carolyn was good friends with my brother Charles and our families spent a lot of time together.

Carolyn and her husband Peter live on Sunset Point, so we invited them to join us Saturday night.

After an hour on the Skydeck, they took us to Jake’s for dinner.

We had eaten at Jake’s before and I recalled the fried shrimp being well prepared and tasty.

Mrs. Horne and I weren’t that hungry, so we decided to share something decadent.

I’m sorry to report it may have been the worst Seafood Platter I’ve ever had. The lobster was sparse and so overdone it was rubbery. The other seafood was okay, but also sparse.

Jake’s is a seafood restaurant with an extensive list of fried seafood offerings. The Seafood Platter is one of the most expensive dishes on the menu. At $45, it should have been spectacular, instead, it was a fail.

Peter’s halibut was bland…

I probably won’t return to Jake’s. As we left Jake’s, we drove by The Boat House Bistro. It was packed. We’ll try that next time!

Back on the boat, we enjoyed a brilliant nearly full moon…

Sunday

As members of Safe Harbor, we get incredible deals at most marinas and this time of year, most are free!

Sunset Bay is only ten miles from Marina Bay, thus staying in both leaves us with a very pleasant short late morning cruise through Boston’s outer islands.

This meant a lazy morning with a 10:30 departure. When I was provisioning on Friday, I discovered red grapes were in season, so I bought a few pounds for the crew’s continental breakfast.

Meanwhile, Mrs. Horne put out the flowers that Carolyn and Peter had brought us Saturday night.

The water was perfectly still, so we opened the windows and cruised to Marina Bay at a leisurely 15 mph…

Marina Bay

We tied up around 11:30 in Marina Bay just as the temperature was approaching 80°.

Peter picked ReelHouse for lunch.

I love the ReelHouse, but the menu is kind of limited. On Sundays, they have a brunch menu, but before I went down that road, I asked the bartender if they served a traditional Bloody Mary, or something tricked up.

He said: “I don’t know, it’s homemade, would you like a taste?”

Sadly, it was very tricked up, it tasted like Tajin and Cumin. I’m not sure why bartenders think a Bloody Mary is a Mexican drink – it is not!

I passed on both breakfast and their Bloody. Fortunately, they had an excellent hazy IPA that I’d never tried before.

As always, the food was excellent…

Mrs. Horne said the Lettuce Cups were tasty, but salty. She also found the lettuce tended to fall apart as she ate them.

As usual, I decided to branch out and explore something different on the menu.

This wasn’t a traditional Milanese. The chicken was perfectly pan-fried and the burnt lemon unleashed an incredible tangy acidity. The salad was light, but I appreciated that it was served on the side, rather than piled on top of the crispy chicken. I would certainly order it again!

After lunch, we went back to the boat and soaked up the 80° weather.

Our friend Dave Hogan sold his Sabre 48 last fall and after a brief stint with a Fleming 55, he purchased a very nice Marlow 61.

We first met Dave at Safe Harbor Plymouth, but they didn’t have space for his 61, so he moved to Marina Bay. We met up with Dave and he gave us a tour of his beautiful new boat.

After the tour, Peter and I went to the Break Rock Brewery and Dave joined us for a beer.

I love live music in the afternoon and Break Rock typically offers up a great show at 2:00 on Saturdays and Sundays.

The performer was good, but his set list was mostly sad songs. There was a large group sitting directly in front of him who had no interest in his music.

The more frustrated he got with the big table, the sadder his songs got! Well, the beer was great!

Victory Point

As much as I love Sunset Pier, it only offers a lunch menu. My favorite Marina Bay dinner restaurant is Victory Point. The food is always good and there is a wide variety on the menu.

Speaking of sunsets, it’s now to 6:15 in Massachusetts!

Mrs. Horne tried her hand at Keno (unsuccessfully), while I sipped a wonderful glass of Shatter French Grenache.

My friend Harris introduced me to Shatter a few years ago, but Victory Point is the only place I’ve ever found that serves it by the glass ($14/$48 bottle). I only wish it had been chilled.

This was a very hearty portion. I pretty much filled up on the tips and barely had room for a few frites and a bite of salad. It was quite good!

Quiet Monday

As nice as the weather had been over the weekend, Monday was picture-perfect.

Peter had an appointment in Boston, so Mrs. Horne and I went for a walk out to Squantum Point.

It’s less than a mile north to the park, but the trails are clean and on Monday, the crowds were light.

We got back to Marina Bay around 12:30 and it was over 80° although Willie’s bar was closed, Victory Point was serving lunch Alfresco, and with the shade it was perfect.

The wings at Victory Point are authentic Buffalo style – plump, deep-fried fried crisp, and no breading.

After lunch, we returned to the boat and spent the balmy afternoon practicing my flamenco guitar on the Skydeck.

Peter returned around 4:00 and we headed out to dinner at 6:15 – just in time to catch the sunset.

Port 305

The food at Port 305 is as good as Victory Point, but the menu is a little limited, so it’s my #2 dinner restaurant in Marina Bay.

Unlike Victory Point, the bar at Port 305 faces Boston and the water.

Mrs. Horne opted for the sweet potato fries. They were quite good. The edges were cut to give them a crispy exterior.

I ordered the Pepperoni Pizza with a white sauce. Shortly after I shot this photo, I tried to grab a slice and discovered it wasn’t quite cooked in the middle.

The bartender whisked it back to the kitchen and it returned ten minutes later perfectly cooked. The next time I’ll order it well done!

It had cooled to 70° for our short walk back to the boat.

We headed home Tuesday morning into a 15-knot wind. The ride was smooth, but the waves and glare made it tough to pick all the lobster pots.

We have a few short trips planned before we lay up in Plymouth for the winter, but after this past weekend, the 2025 Boating Season owes us nothing!

Interestingly, we woke up on Wednesday morning to typical October weather.

Yep, a 25 knot southwest blow, 3-4’ breakers, driving rain, and a high of 55°!

Next Up: Columbus Day Day Tripping