There are idioms for everything and they often contradict each other. You have ‘cash is king’ and ‘buy now pay later’ or ‘bigger is better’ and ‘small but perfectly formed’. In the sail from Hampton to New York which is memorable for its lack of event, the idiom ‘small but perfectly formed’, rang true as all those around us in big heavy boats used their iron sails and light pluckily little Ruffian slipped along effortlessly.

The most eventful incident while Ruffian was transporting us north was the left turn we had to make after leaving the Chesapeake. At just the right moment Fiona pushed the -10 button 8 times on the autopilot and we were set up for 100’s of miles. Easy chilled out sailing doesn’t go anywhere to describe how easy things were and we had to resort to intellectual stimulating mind games like ‘eye spy’ and ‘I hear with my little ear’ to make sure that our brains didn’t turn into mush.

The skyline of New York, even without the twin towers, is iconic and recognisable from afar. On Ruffian however it was completely unrecognisable. As we entered New York harbour we could have been at the top of a mountain or magically in Maine. We were enveloped in a thick cloud of fog. All around us we could hear the sounds of high speed ferries, tugs, container ships and fishing boats buzzing around us and from the shore we could smell the city with its car fumes and hot dog stands. We could see none of it.

Nearing downtown Manhattan Lady Liberty made a brief appearance and as soon as she was spotted she disappeared. The fog also had a levelling effect on all the skyscrapers. Magically they were now all the same height as anything above the 10th floor was shrouded in the thick blanket. We thought of the builders and architects of the tallest building, ‘The Freedom Tower’ and how upset they must be that all their hard work was for nothing on this day.

The tide swished us past Governors’ Island, under the BMW bridges, alongside Roosevelt Island, through Hells gate and finally out into Long Island Sound. Our destination was Port Washington, where we hoped to pick up a free mooring ball and to our surprise and great delight, there sat ‘Il Sogno’ right next to a free mooring ball with our name on it.

A lovely early morning off from Hampton.


That’ll be windy then. NOT.


That’s not an effective way to play hide and seek.


Easy easy miles. We like this.


The main is starting to look like a patchwork quilt.


Romping Ruffian.


With miles this easy, reading is a primary activity and finding a new book the biggest stress.


Night night. Don’t let the bed bugs bite.


Whoa. That’s all a bit much. 36 hours in and we’ve actually got to perform a manoeuvre.


OK. So exactly where is the amazing New York skyline.


Lady Liberty makes a rare appearance through the fog.


Fog is a great leveller for skyscrapers.