After Friday’s big gunkhole with about 35 of our closest friends from the Bay Club rafting at Lake Tashmoo, Mrs. Horne and I needed a quiet day on Vigilant to just chill. With little deliberation, we concluded Steamers at The Chartroom and a few hours on the hook inside Basset’s was just what the doctor ordered! Wanting to avoid having to go to a mooring … Continue reading Gunkholes, Rafting and the MBY Crew..
This is a quickie! I have been increasingly running into you all on our cruises. So I’ve decided to post our destinations. If you’re around say hi! Friday – Block Island Saturday – Newport Continue reading This Week – Block Island and Newport
Last week we finally took the 3 day cruise I’ve been talking about for years. It turned out to be a bit of a trip back to simpler times as we visited Cuttyhunk and Menemsha for a little Island Tour. Cuttyhunk will always be a special place for me since it was the scene of our Honeymoon a few years back. The funny thing is … Continue reading The Vigilant Island Tour
Yesterday Vigilant and 4 other boats from The Bay Club traveled to Lake Tashmoo on Martha’s Vineyard for our annual outing. We started doing this in 2015 and last year I reported on our trip to Weepecket Island. With 5 boats, we ended up with about 35 friends. We ran into trouble right off the bat as the Vineyard Haven Harbor Master showed up right … Continue reading Ocean Bay Club 2018
Last weekend we had big plans for a 4 day trip visiting Green Harbor, Marblehead, and Provincetown. Unfortunately, the weather didn’t cooperate so we had to change our plans. We cancelled Saturday (our first leg) and based on rain forecasts north, we decided to change everything and go as far south as possible instead. The new plan was Martha’s Vineyard for Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday. … Continue reading Edgartown in June
A week ago we stayed in Edgartown for the first time. I’m still working on that report, but I thought I’d interrupt that one for one about the highlight activity of the trip. In fact it could be the best daytime activity on Martha’s Vineyard! Biking in Edgartown Last year we enjoyed a scooter trip around Block Island. It worked because there aren’t a lot … Continue reading Biking To Chappaquiddick!
We’re in Edgartown at the Town Wharf for a mini vacation (story to follow). I will tell you that we only decided to stay here at the last minute. The Edgartown Harbormaster only offers 2 spots for big boats and they tend to sell out in February. We were scheduled for a trip to Green Harbor, Marblehead, and Provincetown, but the weather turned for the … Continue reading Boats, Boards, and Babies and The Bingham’s
Summer finally arrived on Father’s Day. We wrapped up our 4 day trip to Nantucket with egg sandwiches on board. It was a Perfect 10 day for boating all across New England. We left at 11:00 and dropped anchor off Weepecket Island just before 1:00. There we savored Father’s Day afternoon. We returned to MBY around 4:00 and it’s was still perfect weather. My First … Continue reading Father’s Day 2018
I woke up to our third day in Nantucket with absolutely no agenda. Sure, we’d kicked around a few ideas but nothing concrete. There was almost no wind so Vigilant rested perfectly still on the Straight Wharf and the girls slept in. A Fog Island Breakfast Isn’t San Francisco supposed to be Fog City? Who knows? But I do know the top rated breakfast on … Continue reading Things To Do In Nantucket
Day Two in Nantucket didn’t quite start like the weatherman promised. Not only did the 70 degree forecast vanish in thin air (revised forecast high was now 59), but it was raining! I brewed my morning coffee and turned on the heat. Nantucket Tide Mrs. Horne didn’t sleep well because the boat and dock creaked most of the night. NBB is all fixed piers and … Continue reading All Weather Day in Nantucket
The list of destinations Vigilant has yet to visit got shorter yesterday with our Father’s Day 4-day weekend trip to Nantucket. All week long the local weather reporters were promising the best weather in years and when we woke up, it looked to be true. By the time I got on Mattapoisett Boat Yard launch to head out to bring Vigilant in for loading, the … Continue reading Getting to Nantucket
Last week Mrs. Horne decided we needed a getaway and with that our mid May mini vacation began. I think this is the first time we ever left home without a destination. In fact, we weren’t even sure how long we were going to be gone! Since the odds were that we’d be out at least one night, we dragged our little Westie Daisy along … Continue reading Our Preseason Mini Vacation in Newport
Our quest for preseason seaside eating and free Dock and Dine continued Friday when we visited Falmouth for a little late Cinco De Mayo with our favorite yacht broker – Joyce Richards of Boston Yacht Sales. Falmouth was one of the first Dock and Dine reports I ever did, but Friday was the first visit in our largest boat – Vigilant. The free dockage is … Continue reading Falmouth Friday
Growing up in Mattapoisett, Martha’s Vineyard was always the island we saw off in the distance just outside of Buzzards Bay. But when it came to boating, it was always “so close, and yet so far.” Those of us who boat on Buzzards Bay are quite fortunate to have such an exotic venue so close. People all over the world know about the Vineyard. It … Continue reading Destination – Martha’s Vineyard
The season began today as Mrs. Horne, her sister Paula and I kicked things off with a little Dock and Dine. Considering that it snowed here 3 weeks ago, the temperature forecast was unbelievable – mid 70’s. Of course it’s May 2nd so the wind forecast was more typical for Buzzards Bay – light winds in the morning followed by a steady 20+ knot southwest … Continue reading First Cruise of 2018 – Back to the F/V
There are plenty of ports all over the world with crazy weather, but I can state categorically that Buzzards Bay and Vineyard Sound represent a unique climate challenge that one seldom finds anywhere else in New England. Growing up on Buzzards Bay and boating in our 12′ dory or the 15′ Thunderbird, we simply “toughed it up” and slogged through whatever the bay threw our … Continue reading You Don’t Need a Weatherman to Know Which Way The Wind Blows!
Mother, mother ocean, I have heard you call Wanted to sail upon your waters since I was three feet tall You’ve seen it all, you’ve seen it all Watched the men who rode you Switch from sails to steam In your belly you hold the treasures few have ever seen Most of them dream, most of them dreams A Pirate Looks At Forty Jimmy Buffett … Continue reading The Sound of Music… at Sea!
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!
I’m back in California for the winter and I already miss Buzzards Bay. It’s in the eighties out here, so it feels like July and time to go boating. I have already found myself looking back at some of the stories from last season and thought you might feel the same. As the season went along, I started doing more videos and even created a … Continue reading 2017 Video Collection
When I’m not busy skippering Vigilant or telling stories on My Buzzards Bay, I also dabble in music. For years it been covering popular songs. I learned a while back that people love to hear me perform songs they know. They can sing along and I also find that they subconsciously “hear” the other instruments in the original — even if it’s just me and … Continue reading A Prayer For The Cove
