We originally planned two nights in Kennebunkport. Our next stop was Boothbay, 65 miles away, and I didn’t like the weather system coming in at the end of the week, so we left Thursday.
Boothbay Harbor Marina is regularly recognized as one of the best (rated four times as the Best Marina in Maine, four times as the Best of the 207, over 125 Five‑Star Reviews, and named to the Elite Fleet for 2025 by marinas.com).
Owner Kim Gillies doesn’t earn these accolades because of her state-of-the-art amenities, her marina is recognized as among the best because it’s probably the Happiest Marina in New England.
As a marina with a great reputation, you need to book a slip months in advance, which I do every year, but it also means it’s not an option for a last-minute Plan B.
Tugboat Inn
As soon as I put my request into Dockwa, Kim told me she was full, but that the marina at the Tugboat Inn had room Thursday (another reason she’s #1).
The Tugboat has a great location, just past McFarland Island to the south…
It’s not very big, but they just added a second floating dock long enough for a 100’er.
The seas up from Kennebunkport had been flat calm and Amazing Grace didn’t need a wash down, so as soon as we tied up we headed downtown for lunch.
The Boathouse Bistro Restaurant and Tavern
We decided to try one of Boothbay’s best views. The Boathouse features an open-air patio on the third floor.
We grabbed a table with a fantastic view of the harbor…
We dined here in 2024 with Peter. Both he and Mrs. Horne enjoyed their meals, but my shrimp taco was mediocre at best.
They offered one of my favorites – Fried Oysters, so I had to indulge.
FRIED OYSTERS – $18 (4.50 each Minimum of 3)
breaded and fried local oyster, homemade potato chip, topped with French remoulade (mayonnaise, Dijon
mustard, tarragon, gherkins)
The best way to describe the fried oysters is SAD. They were more of a “popcorn fry” than breaded. The first one I ate had no oyster in it at all! One of the four was okay. The chips and sauce were great.
Fortunately, Mrs. Horne ordered a righteous burger and shared half with me!
8oz flame grilled burger on toasted challah bun
After lunch, we did a little shopping in town. I love Sherman’s, they are much more than a local bookstore.
Back at the Tugboat, we enjoyed chatting with other boaters. It definitely has the same friendly vibe as Kim’s.
The Harborside 1901 Bar & Grille
Like the Boathouse, we dined at the 1901 in 2024 and had mixed results, so we decided to try it again.
It’s got a great waterfront location, but the bar and dining room are very loud.
We both ordered something different than before…
slow cooked pork belly, Cole slaw, spicy mayo
These were excellent, but why serve a slider open-faced? They certainly didn’t slide! I ended up eating mine with a knife and fork.
Lemon Parmesan crusted, risotto, seasonal
veggies, lemon-dill cream sauce
Mrs. Horne didn’t find any redeeming qualities in the Haddock Lester. Her one-line description “It tastes like cafeteria food.”
Oh well. Similar to the last meal, both good and bad.
We ate at the bar and struck up a conversation with a charming young man named Greg.
Greg was a sailor from Tyler Texas. His Alden 58 was moored at Tugboats.
By the way, Greg ordered the Seafood Linguine…
Mixed seafood, arrabbiata sauce or garlic white wine sauce
Mrs. Horne would have loved it!
As mentioned earlier, we came up a day early due to a questionable weather forecast. As we were chatting with Greg, the outdoors began to roar from a torrential downpour.
Fortunately, it was over in five minutes and we raced home before it struck again.
Friday
Friday morning was spectacular.
Kim called me at 6:00 to tell me there was a 54’ boat coming in that needed to dock in front of us on the long wharf. She had tracked them on AIS and they were still in Portland.
This meant we could either wait to dock until after lunch or be ready to leave the dock when they arrived around 2:00.
We opted to wait until 2:00 and decided to try a new spot named Kaler’s for lunch.
It’s a very cool spot with great ties to the local lobstermen.
romaine, shaved parmesan, croutons
tossed in house bang sauce
cheddar/jack cheeses, bacon, side of sour cream
Everything was great and the Bang Bang Shrimp (I say Boom Boom) were perfect.
After lunch I snuck a photo of their “market prices” from the ordering station.
If you’re in Boothbay looking for a local lobster dinner, this is probably your spot.
I wish I’d seen this earlier, I would have ordered lobster.
Although it’s very casual – you order at a counter, this will be one of our must-eat dining spots in Boothbay.
After lunch, we made the five-minute move to Kim’s. Mrs. Horne started a few projects and we chatted with our neighbors on the dock.
Kim was nowhere to be found. Her daughter was getting married on Saturday and her hired dockhand had been struck down by appendicitis on Tuesday.
Kim’s friend Roger is an annual regular on his Riviera 5400 and he was running the marina in Kim’s absence.
Roger did a fantastic job!
Ports of Italy
One of our favorite dinner spots in Boothbay is Ports of Italy. You need to make reservations well in advance.
It did not disappoint!
fresh maine lobster and local ricotta filled ravioli in
light prosecco and aurora sauce
homemade spaghetti pasta with clams, light
garlic, white wine and olive oil
Saturday
We really lucked out on the weather in Boothbay. If possible, Saturday was even more of a Bluebird day than earlier in the week.
Boothbay isn’t great for biking, but we’ve done the backroads to the Linekin Resort for lunch in the past and it’s really quite nice.
It’s actually close enough to walk if you’re in shape -1.9 miles. We wanted to get a little exercise, so we rode out to Spruce Point first.
Since we’re on eBikes, we can keep a steady 20-25 MPH, which is essentially the speed limit. Without a bike lane, I prefer to ride in the middle of the lane as if I were on a motorcycle.
Linekin Resort
This is really a beautiful spot with an open-air bar and dining room.
Our bartender was from Hawaii and very entertaining!
He found a can of Fancy Pants water from Maine for Mrs. Horne…
Freshly picked Maine lobster and hot butter, brioche bun
Lobster Salad also available
Honey Buffalo on the side and Bleu Cheese dip with veggie sticks
Also available – Mango Jalapeño or Bourbon BBQ with cucumber ranch
After lunch, we rode back to town to check out a home goods store Mrs. Horne was interested in.
They offered an interesting selection of Maine-made goods.
The one that caught my eye was an oyster shucker for $9.00.
It was hand-crafted by an inmate at Shawshank State Prison…
I bet it works!
Once back on the boat, we caught Nick (retired Boothbay Harbormaster) shuttling guests to Kim’s daughter’s wedding…
Coastal Prime
No visit to Boothbay would be complete without some fine dining at their premier steak house.
The walk across the iconic Boothbay Footbridge is always a treat.
Especially at low tide!
It was a perfect night for outdoor dining, so we had no trouble finding seats at the bar.
Crisp romaine hearts, shaved parmesan, croutons, house
Caesar dressing – White Anchovies
Spanish octopus, anticucho sauce, panko crumble, fava beans, asparagus, tomato, onion
Grilled beef tenderloin, mushroom risotto,
Gruyère crisp, beef jus
As always, everything was perfectly prepared. We were impressed at the ample supply of white anchovies and the cook on the octopus. Properly preparing octopus is an art form.
After dinner, I went out on the patio and captured the incredible evening view of Boothbay Harbor…
FYI – Boothbay has an excellent pump-out service. They answer the phone (207 380-9995) and I was able to schedule an 8:00 a.m. service.
Plan B Part Two
Sunday was our fifth perfect morning of the trip. We were booked to go to Dolphin Cove, but the forecast for Monday called for wind and rain.
The plan for Monday was a 40 mile run to South Freeport. It’s a port that is deep inland with a lot of turns around rocky points. With fog also a threat, Monday looked like a good day to hunker down.
I hear Dolphin Cove is beautiful, but there is absolutely nothing there but a restaurant. They don’t even have water for our tanks.
After a quick call to Brewers in South Freeport, I added Sunday night ($265) and ate the $360 fee from Dolphins.
Money well spent!
The ride to South Freeport was once again idyllic…
Next Up: Freeport Maine