When I met Mrs. Horne, she knew very little about boats, but that quickly changed!

In 1978, my father bought our C&C 25 – Banana Split, and shortly after, we started dating. A typical summer weekend involved us visiting Mattapoisett and taking a day sail on Buzzards Bay.

Mrs. Horne has always loved the ocean and quickly learned to love sailing.

The Honeymoon Cruise

Back then we had very little money, so when we got married, we opted for a honeymoon that was virtually free – we took a one week cruise on the Banana Split.

That was 46 years ago to the week!

So, when Peter had to cancel out of the Northern Tour, it instantly became The Anniversary Tour!

Sunset Bay Hull

You may recall that we dropped Jake and Peggy off in Boston at the Waterboat Marina on Long Wharf. We kept Amazing Grace in Boston for the week by spending three nights back at Safe Harbor Marina Bay, then three nights at Safe Harbor Sunset Bay.

We took advantage of our Safe Harbor membership for free dockage and saved two days of travel – to and from Onset, and about 350 gallons of diesel.

This enabled us to reach Kennebunkport on Wednesday with a 7:30 a.m. departure from Hull.

It’s 85 miles from Hull to Kennebunkport, but clearly the Good Lord was smiling on us as He gave us flat calm seas all the way north.

Note: If you’ve never been to Kennebunkport, you might want to time your first visit to near high tide. The tidal swing is about 11’ and at low tide, the narrow channel can be rather frightening. Rest assured, even at low tide, you’ll have 8’ of water if you stay in the channel.

Unlike our first visit, we arrived near high tide and the crawl to town was comfortable.

One additional note, there are boats moored in the middle of the river, but the channel lies on the north side.

Dimillo’s Kennebunkport

We stayed at Dimillo’s in 2024 and it was a bit of a disappointment. It was a great location, but very small and there was only one dockhand.

My friend Vernon always stays at Chicks and I considered it until I looked at their cancellation policy:

Without a doubt, this is the most onerous cancellation policy anywhere in New England.

No cancellations after June 1st – NO THANKS!

Back to Dimillo’s…

It felt like a completely different Marina this year. They have added more floating docks and there were four dockhands out to tie us up (two were from the Freedom Boat Club, but that’s fine).

After we tied up, they gave us a complimentary wash-down!

They now have two floats that run parallel to the river that made for very easy docking.

The BOATHOUSE

We enjoyed the Boat House the last time we were here and why mess with success?

It’s always nice to eat at a bar where you can see your boat.

Right after we grabbed a couple of seats at the bar, we were surrounded by over a dozen women with matching red curly hair (wigs).

Of course, Mrs. Horne had to get in on the action😂

The Cheese Board was a real star – a great combination of charcuterie, pickled vegetables, and crostinis.

After lunch, we did a little shopping and I added some provisions to the strategic candy reserve!

As you may have noticed, I have a sweet tooth and we often sample the local confectionery.

The Candy Man is serving up incredible homemade candy and virtually every chocolate is available in both milk and dark versions. They also offer a wide variety of white chocolates.

We walked around Kennebunkport after shopping and took in the dramatic views when the 11’ tide goes out.

I can’t imagine having your docked or moored boat sitting on the mud for several hours a day!

We were tempted to head up the hill to Wandby Landing for some incredible Italian cuisine, but in an ongoing effort to sample every great restaurant in New England, we tried a new one…

The Hurricane Restaurant

The Hurricane is a great spot in the heart of downtown with a strong menu ranging from local seafood to steaks.

Mrs. Horne and I shared the tenderloin…

I added all the sides that come with the Steak Frites – shoestring fries, Roquefort butter, black garlic demi-glace.

We sat at their classic bar and struck up a conversation with a wonderful woman from Louisville named Almettie.

Our original plan called for two nights in Kennebunkport, but I noticed some strong winds and squalls beginning late Thursday into Friday, so we pivoted to take off first thing in the morning.

Sure enough, at 7:00 a.m, we got hit by a flash thunderstorm.

It passed quickly and we shoved off around 8:30.

It was just past low tide and it was a bit of a challenge to turn Amazing Grace around in the narrow river.

I think I had twenty feet to spare, but with the rushing tide pushing us upstream, maneuvering required my full concentration.

And of course, with the water level down 10’, the ride out to sea was a little unsettling.

That said, I never saw less than 9’ of water.

Once we reached the Gulf of Maine, it was smooth running all the way to Southport.

Next Up: Boothbay Harbor