We had some foggy mornings as we headed west through Long Island Sound.  The fog was usually patchy, and with no wind in the early morning it was nearly impossible to distinguish any horizon.  It was very pretty, and we could see just fine with radar so it wasn't a problem.  The photo shows a small red buoy and a small fishing boat.

We stopped in Port Jefferson - a very active harbor with some big ferries that run between Port Jeff and Bridgeport, CT.  The gal who ran the mooring launch was very friendly and helpful, and we found the town to be welcoming and really nice.  The best thing about this area is that you can find great ethnic restaurants all over the place, so we had a nice Mediterranean lunch.  And of course Jim found a bakery for some treats - this one was right across from the harbormaster's office and was so well-stocked that Jim was paralyzed by indecision!

Traveling on the Sound we had a hitchhiker - a little bird came and hung out with me on the flying bridge for two days in a row.  I don't know if it was the same bird both days, but it was the same type of bird - a northern parula warbler.  He sat on the wheel and around the nav computer, over by the kayaks, and a few other spots.  He was happy to eat some little flying bugs, and he chirped and was generally just cute.  A big tugboat pushing a barge passed us going the other way and he decided to switch rides.

We stopped at the Harlem YC to catch up on some chores, and we went ashore for some nice long walks since we had a little time before heading to Staten Island to visit my brother over the weekend.  From there we timed the tide and cruised down the East River, through Hell Gate at slack water, and along Manhattan into NY Harbor.  It wasn't a pretty day - overcast and cool, but it's still a thrill to see so much going on in one place.  The city bustles with cars and people, airplanes land at three major airports, the waterways are criss-crossed by fast ferries - big and small, tugs push barges, pleasure boats cruise along, and big ships lumber up and down. 

It always makes us feel small and insignificant as we cruise in our floating home through the midst of all this organized chaos!
As we were heading through the Verrazano Narrows a small squall hit, bringing some rain and a little wind.  Another larger squall was coming in and we were glad to have the current with us to help us get to the harbor in Staten Island before the bigger one hit. 

We were nicely secured on our mooring in plenty of time, but DeFever friends Ted and Nancy were a bit behind us coming in and they had to moor in the rain.  It was good to see them though, and we all headed ashore for a nice Italian dinner and some time to catch up.