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
Last week we enjoyed a mini vacation in Newport. Monday and Wednesday were gorgeous. Tuesday started out nice, but turned to spotty rain showers by cocktail hour. Mrs. Horne and I keep foul weather gear on the boat and thus we were ready to venture our for dinner. That said, since Vigilant was docked at Bowen’s and we were sticking to home on this wet … Continue reading Fluke – Newport (2018 Update)
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
Thanks to the fog, our day trip to Oak Bluffs last September turned into a 3 day mini vacation. I don’t know about you, but one of my favorite things to do on vacation is to go to breakfast and that’s how we discovered Linda Jeans — one of the best breakfast spots on Martha’s Vineyard. Although it looked and felt new, Linda Jeans is … Continue reading Linda Jeans – Breakfast on Oak Bluffs
Last Autumn, Mrs. Horne, Daisy (our Westie), and I snuck away for a midweek getaway to Oak Bluffs – click here for the full report. We arrived around noon and decided to take Daisy to the only place in Oak Bluffs that served both beer and dogs. It turns out dogs are only allowed at two tables that are closer to the street than they … Continue reading The Offshore Ale House – Oak Bluffs
After a relaxing autumn afternoon on Vigilant reading and listening to Spanish Guitar on Pandora, we ventured out to Red Cat Kitchen for dinner on Oaks Bluff. Oak Bluffs is a funny place. It’s totally crazy during the summer as a major ferry port, but seemed closed for the season when we visited in late September. We hit up yelp and discovered Down Island was … Continue reading Red Cat Kitchen – Oak Bluffs
Mrs. Horne and I returned to Mattapoisett very late Sunday night and spent the week getting the house in order. Mrs. Horne did a great job touching up some of damage done by the four major northeaster’s and deserved a night out, so we hit up our favorite local spot. It turned out to be a promotional night for some new vodka (Ice Pik) and … Continue reading First Night Back At Turks!
We’ve stayed at The Newport Yachting Center more than anywhere else in Newport. It’s a great marina, centrally located, and just a few steps from the #1 rated restaurant in Newport – The Moorings. Unlike most of the better restaurants on America’s Cup Way, the Moorings has a large parking lot. This is good is you’re driving here, but it may also account for the … Continue reading The Moorings – Newport
In my quest to fully evaluate the top breakfast restaurants in Newport, I convinced Mrs. Horne and our friends the King’s to take the 1 mile walk from Bowens Wharf to Belle’s Cafe at the Newport Shipyard. Before I get into the breakfast, let me say that the Shipyard itself was worth the trip. Everywhere you look you see mega yachts in dry dock. I’m … Continue reading Belle’s Cafe – Newport Shipyard
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
All good things must come to an end and so it goes for our 2017 season on our new Back Cove 41 Vigilant. She was Christened on April 24 which means she’s been in the water almost 6 months. We put 125 hours on her this summer and somewhere around 2,000 miles. Final Friday We leave our beach house for the winter on Sunday … Continue reading Final Cruise of 2017 – Fisherman’s View Restaurant
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
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
We visited Boston for the first time in Vigilant Saturday and actually got here from Plymouth around 11:30. It was a very smooth ride and we really enjoyed the views of Boston from the waterfront. Like all good tourists, we herded into Fanuiel Hall Marketplace with the crowd looking for lunch. I pulled up yelp looking for a decent place to eat, but found none. … Continue reading Dick’s Last Resort – Yep…
Yet another weekend with a weather forecast for a lousy Saturday and a good Sunday. I think this is the 4th or 5th in a row. To make matters worse, this is our big annual visit by the McGrath family (less Tracy who moved to Nashville). As we looked at the Saturday forecast on Thursday night, Mrs. Horne came up with a killer Plan B: … Continue reading The Chartroom Mudslide!
Last week I talked about the best bargain Dock and Dine is Buzzards Bay – Wareham. Right around the corner is one of the best kept secret Dock and Dine’s – Onset. To get to Onset, head down the Cape Cod Canal and take a left just after Hog Island. There is a large green Day Marker that you must stay to the right of … Continue reading The Northwest Buzzards Bay Secret Dock and Dine – Onset
Sunday was Fathers Day. Our big plans to visit Newport with Mrs. Horne’s sister Paula and our dog Daisy got tanked by fog and generally lousy weather. The weekend was salvaged by the Sail Loft. We headed over at 3:00 just as Neal McCarthy and Barry Gross were starting their set. Had the Truffle Fries and Portuguese Flatbread (chorizo and carmelized onions) along with a … Continue reading Live Music from The Sail Loft Padanaram
