Yaaayyy! Suilven has arrived in New York! A bit of a grim passage around from City Island though. Awoke to sheeting rain and strong wind and a tide to catch. Nothing for it but to don the oilies and get going. Rain, mist and low cloud accompanied us the whole way. But to get the tides right we had to go, past Rikers Island with its notorious prison and through the narrow channel between N and S Brother Islands. It was then thrilling to reach Devil’s Gate, where the Harlem River joins the East River. Suddenly we were being buffeted by unpredictable boiling water, picked up by the current and swept through the narrow waterway towards Roosevelt Island and Queensboro Bridge at 9.7 knots. We then adopted a more leisurely pace of 8.1 knots as we wound our way along the East River, the buildings rising higher and higher as we went, until their tops were obscured by the cloud. The passage took us under 8 bridges with typical airdraft of 130 ft or more. No matter how high the clearance, it always looks as though you haven’t a chance of getting through without hitting. The first bridge caused anxious glances upwards as we went through but by the time we went under Brooklyn Bridge we took it in our stride. As we crossed the Hudson River to Liberty Landing Marina we could just make out the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island through the mist. We are now tucked up safely in the marina and hoping for a lift in the weather so that we can get out and explore New York.

Tessa and Georgina are due into JFK this evening, one on Norwegian and the other on Iberia, but we are getting regular updates from them by text from Gatwick that their flights are delayed. It looks like a late night waiting for them at the airport.