It can get very very busy in there. We took sailboat classes on a 26’ sailboat from Liberty Landing way way back in the prehistoric times. Fun times dodging ferries and freighters while trying to learn and going around the Lady.
You were probably seeing a lot of the morning commuter ferries which run all over the place. The orange Staten Island ferries are iconic. Then you have the fuel barges moving everywhere. Massive container and bulk freighters coming and going. Add in on a weekend the cruise ships and pleasure boats and it gets kicked up another few notches. Toss into the mix all the LEO’s watercraft watching everything and providing security. But wait, there’s more. The current of the Hudson River and East River are very strong and require extra attention. If this is not enough distraction there is the added bonus of trying to soak in the views of Lower Manhattan, Jersey City and the NJ side, Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island, The Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, (where our ancestors passed through), The Brooklyn Bridge and the Verrazano Narrows. Not to mention the helicopters buzzing all over.
The NY metropolitan region has some truisms.
For pilots they say if you can learn to fly here, you can fly anywhere in terms of managing navigation, other traffic and communications.
For drivers we say if you can drive in the NY area you can drive anywhere and get easily annoyed by people who can’t.
For Boaters all of this is true. If you can Navigate, manage the flow of the water, avoid others, and communicate with others , while enjoying the scenery, you’re in great company.