Erie Canal here we come

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The weather has been sunny, hot and humid since leaving Fort Pierce. Our windscoop (air conditioning for sailboats) has been working overtime to keep our berths comfortable for sleeping.
The Dismal Swamp route was lush compared to our transit in the fall. It came with some biting insects called green heads. They are sort of like deer flies but have a bright green head. Nasty things too, exiting the canal and leaving those guys behind has meant my swollen and itchy ankles began to heal.
We left Norfolk Virginia headed for New York City, but ended up putting in at Cape May. We needed to change seals on the raw water pump and also discovered an issue with the exhaust system. In any case the waves were getting fairly large and close together, so it was not an untimely stop. It would not have been a comfortable ride although it would have been quick.
Just after dawn I had an unsettling encounter with a largish green motor vessel. He was in the company of a smaller vessel, the white one decided to cross my bow, ( ok lots of room) the green vessel aimed straight for midship and sped up! Since the motor was running ( motor sailing as wind had lessened) I applied a little more power and he squeaked by our stern. Sure started my heart as well as irritating me. Mark came up from his sack time to see what was going on. Commenting that the green boat had cut it a little close, and reminding me I was the stand on vessel. That may be I said but I was not prepared to wait for him to t-bone me.
Off we went for New York which took about 20 hours, however we had to slow down hoping to enter the harbour on a favourable tide. The harbour was busier and lumpier than when we exited. It seemed like we were sailing through mayhem, in the middle of all the traffic there was a sailboat race taking place! I have to say New York Harbour would not be my choice for racing round the marks.
Once through the busy part of the harbour ( this is a relative term since it's all busy) the view opens up and one can see the sky line of the city. This is quite a sight and should be seen by everyone from the water at least once in their lifetime.
The Hudson River is one of the most beautiful parts of the whole trip. Much of it is framed by the Adirondack mountains. While transiting the West Point area we were hit by a squall, heavy rain reducing visability to around 40 feet. Thankfully it was brief, followed by increased humidity.
We made Poughkeepsie in one day from lower Manhattan, ( granted it was a long day), and are now in Castleton Boat Club stripping off the sails and so on so we can drop the masts.
This will cost us our ability to hang the windscoop and our shade for the helmsperson. Both very valuable items at this point. We are getting close, only 30+ locks to transit.

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Photos

bannerman castle
bannerman castle

evening sky
eveining sky from the cockpit

tug and barge
sharing the water

view underway
one of many nice views along the Hudson River