Christmas is my favorite holiday of the year. Not only is it the celebration of the coming of Christ and the promise of salvation for all, but I also love that everyone slows down, spends time with family, and everyday life stops for a while. Tonight is New Years Eve and the end of 2017. Although we’ll miss her, the arrival of the new year … Continue reading My Top Ten Salute to 2017!
The time is near to close up the beach house and head to our winter home in the desert of Southern California. We had planned to get in one more cruise over the weekend, stay at Bowens in Newport, and attend the Seafood Festival with our dear old friends Peter and Mary Lee. Once again, the lousy weather of the summer of 2017 appeared and … Continue reading The Final Weekend Tradition…
Today I’ll be continuing my series of reviews on the various attractions on Block Island with my review of Ernie’s restaurant. Like Ballard’s Inn, Ernie’s is a mere 1,000 feet from Ballard’s Marina. And much as ending our days listening to John Brazile at Ballard’s Inn became a daily routine, breakfast at Ernie’s was our go-to breakfast spot. As you may know, I love going … Continue reading Ernie’s Block Island Breakfast
My father started taking me to the Boston boat show when I was 10 years old. It’s total eye candy for anyone and particularly for those of us who are blessed enough to own their own watercraft. I started going to The Newport Boat Show in the 1970’s with my good friend Peter. We were taking home $200/week, but dreaming was free! We were also … Continue reading My Newport Boat Show Report
This summer we made our second trip to Block Island. Last year we took Tenacity and based on numerous recommendations, we stayed in New Harbor at the Block Island Boat Basin. We chose the BIBB because of all the reports saying they were the only marina on the island with slips on a floating dock. It was nice, but it was kind of isolated from … Continue reading Ballard’s Marina – Block Island
As you may recall, Vigilant and her crew spent 6 days at Block Island in early August. I posted a mini “travelogue” each day that mentioned where we ate, but I deferred the restaurant reviews until later – well, later is now! I have quite a backlog from that trip as well as the Maine trip and I’ll just get to them in chronological order. … Continue reading Ballard’s Resort Restaurant – Block Island
If you have a boat of any size, you know what I’m talking about. You’re Living the Dream, the wind is in your hair as you bask in the shimmering sun dancing on the waves, the smell of sea air fills your nostrils, and suddenly, the Sh*t hits the fan and you’re immersed in a high stress drama. Most often it occurs during departures and … Continue reading Why is boating full of drama?
I first met Rebecca Correia while performing at Turks in 2011. Even back then I knew she had a special sound that was rare among local performers. I snapped a photo of her performing, shared it on her Facebook wall, and we’ve been “friends” ever since. Last night I had the good fortune of participating in a workshop Rebecca hosted for a half a dozen … Continue reading A Perfect Song for Buzzards Bay – Solid Ground by Rebecca Correia
Last Sunday we headed out again with Kay and Steve on their final day visiting Buzzards Bay. For years we vacationed in Maui with the Kings and my plan was to rekindle that tropical vibe by making everyone lunch off the Weepecket Islands. We got there in 30 short minutes, dropped anchor, and started taking in the beautiful day. I was about to start grilling … Continue reading Sunday at Hadleys
One of the reason’s I started My Buzzards Bay was provided fellow boaters along the New England coast with the kind of information I was always struggling to find before I headed out. About a month ago, Rhonda from Boston Yacht Sales turned me on to US Harbors, which is a very useful website that is a great place to start your research on a … Continue reading Start Your Trip with a visit to US Harbors
After a great early dinner on Friday at The Chartroom and a surprisingly pleasant gray day cruise to Edgartown, we wrapped up our annual weekend with the McGrath family with a visit to Cuttyhunk. I haven’t been there is a while mostly because the food options are pretty sketchy. If you’re in the same boat, you may want to stay tuned, I think they’ve gotten … Continue reading Destination – Cuttyhunk
Saturday was an odd day. It was very sunny when I woke up, but quickly grayed to a thin haze. Mrs. Horne was coming home around 11:00 and our dear old friends Peter and Mary Lee were arriving at 1:00. Since this was their only visit this summer, I wanted to make it memorable. I told Peter to meet us Mattapoisett Boat Yard since it … Continue reading Menemsha and the Jimmy Buffett State of Mind!
There is an old adage – If you want to make God laugh – Tell him your plans! After decades of boating on Buzzards Bay you’d think I’d learn that you really can’t make plans for boating, but I still do. Due a mass of weddings and other family commitments, we have a bunch of one-day weekends where only Saturday or Sunday are available (but … Continue reading You Meet The Nicest People in Edgartown at The Harborside Inn and Seafood Shanty
Friday night I took a group of friends to Brew Fish in Marion for my first dinner experience (I have enjoyed several lunches there, but this was my first dinner).
Let me start by saying this is great spot to bring a crowd! They don’t take reservations for parties smaller than six and it’s so popular, you may have to a wait a while for a table on a midsummer weekend night.
It’s also not a Dock and Dine, but it’s not very far from Burr Brothers if you’re staying overnight in Marion. Burr Brothers offers both moorings and transient slips on Dockwa.
Don’t be scared off by the number of cars in the parking lot — this is a big restaurant. It actually consists of 4 separate spots where you eat and drink. There is an indoor sit down restaurant, an outdoor area, a large bar area with hi-top tables and an outside area with a bar, a raw bar, and a fire pit. We ate in the bar at a high top for eight. Continue reading “Brew Fish – Marion”
I’ve written a few stories about dining in Mattapoisett and The Mattapoisett Boatyard and decided it was time to tie them all together with a Destination Report. Why Mattapoisett? I’ve boated and lived in Mattapoisett since I was a kid, so it was never a destination to me. The truth is, it’s not really a destination anyone ever mentions, but it’s really a great one… … Continue reading Destination – Mattapoisett
This is a post from a few years back that I originally reported on my Peases Point website. It reminds us all just how serious boating on Buzzards Bay can be!
I was heading over to the town pier to pick up Sue and 6 friends for a short boat trip and lunch at The Chartroom. I was about a mile due east of The Point when I spotted what I first thought was debris floating in the water.
As I got closer, I realized it was the bottom of a small aluminum skiff completely capsized with 4 men trying to hold on and two young children clinging to the hull and no one was wearing a life jacket and the youngest child, who looked 5, was crying uncontrollably.
Suddenly, all those years of watching Deadliest Catch came rushing back to me. I cut the engines and lowered my stern ladder. I then shouted over and asked “is everyone accounted for?”
They said — “yes, please save us.”
I grabbed the VHS and hollered out my best “PAN, PAN, PAN, this is the Mean Kitty. I am approaching a small skiff capsized, one mile east of Peases Point Mattapoisett. 6 souls on board — 4 men and 2 children, all accounted for, no life jackets, need help, I will attempt to rescue immediately.” Continue reading “Rescue at Sea”
In June of 2016, we were enjoying our first overnight weekend with Gail and Rudy. We were at the Newport Yachting Center (also for the first time), and out to breakfast at The Corner Cafe when I got this text from Joyce at BYS telling me about an incredible listing she just got for a 2015 Sabre 42. As I munched on my Portuguese egg … Continue reading Our Dream Boat Comes In; Vigilant (2017 Back Cove 41)
I was just trolling The Hull Truth and noticed a guy was looking for a nice beach where he could anchor his boat for his kids to swim. I guess there are some people left who still don’t know about this little slice of heaven! I mentioned it in my Chartroom or Kingman Marine Dock and Dine reports, but for those who missed it, here … Continue reading The #1 Gunkhole in Buzzards Bay – Bassetts Island Cataumet
NOTE: The following post first appeared in my other Lifestyle Blog – peasespoint.com.
A few weeks ago I finally stopped by the General Store on Shipyard Park near the Town Pier. I think it opened last year, but I didn’t want to rush over and visit it in case it didn’t make it (does anyone remember Romeo’s Liquors?)
Anyway, it’s a great spot and I think that it complements the new Inn at Shipyard Park perfectly to form the basis of a quaint commercial district on the waterfront.
While I was there, I snapped a few pictures to provide photo-profile of what The Boston Globe calls an “Eclectic Provisioner.” Continue reading “The Mattapoisett General Store”
My grandson Jack will be 3 in September. Although he’d been out on Tenacity at 9 months and 21 months, he never really got into boating until yesterday. Yep, I’m Papi; you gotta have a special name for your grandkids. Anyway, as soon as Jack figured out that he wasn’t going to be driving the boat, he settled into the side lounge and gazed out … Continue reading Big Day With The Little Prince
