Port Jefferson - We Meet the Swans

We usually cross over Long Island Sound at Port Jefferson. It’s a pleasant sail, usually, but today there was only 4 or 5 kts blowing so we motored most of the way but we did sail (at 2.8kts!) for a couple of hours. We go off to the right as you come in to anchor (the western anchorage). We’ve anchored there so many times that we have all the best spots entered into the chartplotter. Today we had our choice since we were the only boat in the anchorage.

Soon after dropping the hook we were visited by the local greeting committee of swans. Ann made the terrible mistake of feeding them (“they look so beautiful!”) and one hung around the boat hissing for several hours. Hoolie finally discovered we had company and was vitally interested in greeting them. They didn’t seem amused and hissed at Hoolie whenever they saw him. They were definitely not afraid of Hoolie and didn’t back off one bit. We kept Hoolie attached to the center cockpit table with his leash just to be sure he wouldn’t dive into the water to play with the swans. As I said before, one swan hung around waiting for another hand out and only left after we went for a dink ride. No more feeding swans!

The Port Jefferson ferries are alive and well but at least they are on AIS so they are easy to keep track of now. Who can forget the experience of having one of the two ferries bearing down on you at 15 kts as you entered or left the narrow fairway between the breakwaters at Port Jefferson?! Last year they changed the speed limit to 5 kts for everyone (ferries too!) just before entering the breakwater so it's not quite as daunting now.

Meanwhile, we’ve mapped out the rest of our cruise and it looks like we’ll arrive back home at the Poughkeepsie Yacht Club around 1:00 pm on September 27, a Sunday, if the current weather predictions hold up. Wish summer lasted longer.