July 25th - 31st. A slow week beating down the eastern seaboard

July 25th, 1823 - Cleared the Nantucket shoals with good prospect of making land soon; passed crowds of fishing vessels.

Douglas's not-very-detailed Journal for this period concentrates largely on the weather, which we may think of as typical Grand Banks weather, with comments like "light breezes, sun obscured, thick fogs, very unpleasant fogs, afternoon foggy, sun obscured (still!), foggy", and so on.  The waters over the Grand Banks are among the foggiest in the world. The fogs develop when warm, humid air from the south strikes the cold waters of the Labrador Current. These fogs may occur in all seasons, but, on average, they are most frequent in the spring and early summer when the contrast between sea and air temperatures is greatest. 

I think we get the picture - slow progress through foggy weather without the necessary wind to speed them on their way.

July 26th, 1823 - The Captain sent on board two fishermen and procured fresh mackerel, which was a very great delicacy.

July 27th, 1823 [Approaching New York; at last the end of this long voyage is in sight] - At 10.30 got sight of Cape Cod; a pleasing spectacle, distance six leagues.

July 29th, 1823 - Every person on board now became uneasy. the ship's crew were out of tobacco, and many of the passengers who 'found' for themselves were out of provisions; nothing but passengers buying, bartering etc, which made good sport; sailors chewing their tobacco, drying it, and then smoking the same.

They are clearly all getting cabin fever by now, cooped up together in limited space for seven weeks, with little to do and beginning to run out of food. Those mackerel would have been very welcome, I suspect.  A landing in New York can't come soon enough, but there is an unfortunate drama yet to play out.

July 31st, 1823 - Long Island in sight; I cannot express the satisfaction I feel.  Four vessels in company