A quick week is all we were able to manage in our quest to "go north" before heading the other direction. But it's been a great break, and we've had a chance to get reaquainted with Deeper Season before taking her on a longer journey. Lovely fall weather - wind, warm days, cool nights and only one thunderstorm! One nail-biter day - we were aiming for the Thimble Islands, got there late in the day with a lot of wind and seas picking up. Couldn't for the life of us find a place to anchor, so we backtracked (against the tide and wind) to Branford Harbor, CT. Got just inside the breakwall at around dusk, and were fortunate to be able to anchor before it got completely dark. A lesson we will probably have to learn repeatedly is to plan to arrive at a new destination when there is still plenty of daylight left, and time to try a second plan if the first one doesn't work out! That was our only lumpy night, but our anchor held with no problem!
Our trip: Left RYC in Perth Amboy Sunday around noon, swept up the East River and into Manhasset Bay (Port Washington) that afternoon. Stayed another day there to clean the boat and let the winds die down. Then to the Connecticut shore, and an attempt to reach the Thimbles (failed) when we ended up in Branford. From there, to the Connecticut River and Hamburg Cove (delightful!) and an extra day in Essex. Then back across the bay to Oyster Bay, Long Island, with an extra day in town. Tomorrow it's back down the East River to our mooring in Perth Amboy.
Here are a few shots of the week: The 'tug and pirate' at the town dock in Port Washington, Long Island, a shot of Bill cleaning the side of the boat (it was disgusting and took both of us several hours to clean), and a picture of the Presby church in Oyster Bay where Teddy Roosevelt attended as a boy. 
