My new favorite marina in Newport is Bowens. I love it because it’s right in the center of the action on the Newport Waterfront. I also love the fact that you dock east-west which allows you to dock stern out and get a view of Newport Harbor without being blocked by mega yachts that require the deeper water. We first docked and dined at Bowens … Continue reading 22 Bowens – Newport Rhode Island
As you know from my past reports, I’m a huge fan of Mattapoisett Boat Yard. I did a lengthy report in 2017 and I have them listed at my #1 partner. It turns out that 2017 was a big year for my favorite boatyard. Art McLean passed the reins to Dave Kaiser. Ned Kaiser fully matured as the yard boss while getting married. On top … Continue reading Look What’s New at The Mattapoisett Boatyard!
The original goal for My Buzzards Bay was to showcase every Dock and Dine venue near the bay for a boating day trip. While not yet perfect, I do think it’s the most comprehensive directory anywhere! As we rack up more hours cruising New England in Vigilant, we’re also collecting a lot of inside tips for overnight cruising to major destinations. So far, I’ve reported … Continue reading Destination – Block Island
Our last night on Block Island we stumbled onto a secret gem – the restaurant at The Surf Hotel. Yep, that’s it’s name. It’s a great restaurant that doesn’t even have a name! A Little History I was struck by The Surf Hotel when we first visited Block Island on Tenacity in 2016. It’s right on the beach and such a cool old place. My … Continue reading The Surf Hotel – Block Island
After a day of dealing with a tropical gale 50 miles to our south, the wind finally died down, the sun came out, and we headed to town for dinner. During our morning walk, we’d checked out the menus in front of restaurants and decided to give The Tap and Grille at the National Hotel a try. The National Hotel is without a doubt the … Continue reading The National Hotel Tap and Grille – Block Island
When we arrived at Ballard’s Marina, we asked Breezy (the Dockmaster) for some local restaurant recommendations and one of the first she mentioned was Calaveras, a Mexican establishment. You have to understand, Mrs. Horne and I spend our winters in the desert of Southern California about 75 miles north of the border. Not only do we have many Mexican neighbors, but we’re also surrounded by … Continue reading Calaveras – Block Island
One of the nicest aspects to acquiring our first cruising boat Tenacity has been visiting Block Island at the same time my cousin Sharon and her family are there at her home. We never know how many cousins will be there, but in 2017, it was a dozen so we ate at the only place on Block Island that would take a reservation for 12 … Continue reading Dead Eye Dick’s – Block Island
Our quick overnight trip to Oak Bluffs became an adventure when we woke up Wednesday morning to near zero visibility in the fog. I was hoping it would burn off like it did on Tuesday but it looked darker. Still, it was a little erie and beautiful at the same time. Dock Building in the Fog Oak Bluffs seems to have become a major recipient … Continue reading Fogged In On Martha’s Vineyard
After cancelling a couple of trips early this month due to nearby hurricanes, Mrs. Horne and I decided to take a spur of the moment overnight cruise on Tuesday. She was arriving that morning after caring for her dear mother Doris and I had no idea exactly where we were going until she arrived. I was determined to go somewhere we hadn’t visited this summer … Continue reading Oak Bluffs – An Ideal Autumn Destination
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
Sunday called for a 65 mile run around Rockport with a 30 mile leg across open ocean. This was to be the farthest I’ve ever taken Vigilant in a single day and the first open Ocean run in the North Atlantic, so we departed Boston around 8:30 AM which was early for Gail. The first leg up the Massachusetts coast was about as … Continue reading The District Restaurant and Portsmouth NH
Our dear friends Kay and Steve came to visit Thursday morning. When I say morning, I mean 4:38 AM touchdown at Boston Logan! My red eye days have come and gone, but they’re still world travellers so they didn’t think anything of it. The original plan was to enjoy a liesurely day at Peases Point and then head over to Newport for Friday night. If … Continue reading A Newport Thursday
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
As I reported yesterday, we woke up Saturday morning to a full blown Northeaster. To make matters worse, we were sitting just a few miles north of a Tropical storm packing Gale force winds. The WJAR weather lady couldn’t predict if we’d be safe or not. The good news was that the wind was blowing in just off the jetty to the east and protecting … Continue reading Block Island in a Northeaster!
I’m on Day 2 of our Block Island vacation. It should have been Day 1, but we left a day early to avoid an incoming tropical storm. The trip on Friday was interesting to say the very least. When I got up, it was perfect, Unfortunately, we weren’t leaving then. Mrs. Horne, Gail, and Rudy weren’t going to be arriving from Fitchburg until later, … Continue reading Block Island – Getting Here
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
