Lunch, Sunday 06.11.2006

Lunch was a red and yellow pepper omelet with a tomato lettuce salad.

En route to Brazil: McMurtry’s newest, Patrick O’Brien, & Pierre Desproges

The Captain just finished Telegraph Days by Larry McMurtry — perhaps partially for the pleasure of contemplating dry, dusty Tombstone, Arizona. Now I’m on my third re-read of Patrick O’Brian’s Blue at the Mizzen — trying to alternate sailing books with their land cousins. Nadia, Mounira and Valentine are reading aloud Pierre Desproges Chroniques de la haine ordinaire.

Location: 8° 28.7 N, 52° 08.6 W
Sunday 12:00, 06.11.2006

The Schooner Maggie B was at 8° 28.7N, 52° 8.6W at noon on June 11. The wind has backed to 070-080 at 15 knots and our course is 130 degrees at six knots. We are sailing with jib, full main and one reef in the fore, which probably will come out soon. We appear to have about 1/2 knot favorable current, a real blessing where we were anticipating at least that much adverse. We continue to see pieces of trees, etc., presumably flotsam from the Amazon.

We are 530 NM from Barbados, 210 NNE of Cayenne and 1314 from Natal. We are still close hauled on port tack, doing our best to keep our easting, in order to stay out of the ITCZ.

The weather remains mostly clear with a high haze and occasional passing rain showers. The barometer is off just a bit to 1010 mB, which seems right as we make our way away from the Bermuda High. For those who want to follow our weather, I am watching carefully NOAA Stormtracker.

Yesterday afternoon we saw a marvelous sight as a whole gaggle of perhaps 200 ocean birds circled what must have been a huge “bait ball” close by. The water was just frothing with little fish and large wahoo and tuna flew through the air in every direction. I suppose that we should have circled back with some lines out, but the Captain was not in a circling mood and the crew was not hungry for anything much more than crackers and soup. Today almost all are 100% and the lines are going out after I finish this posting. Actually, putting the lines out will come after trying to overhaul our red and green navigation lights, which have shorted out, probably due to having spent quite a bit of time fully submerged (note: they are usually about 6 feet out of water). We may have to move them up the mast or back if we can’t seal them better.

Lunch was a red and yellow pepper omelet with a tomato lettuce salad.

The Captain just finished Telegraph Days by Larry McMurtry — perhaps partially for the pleasure of contemplating dry, dusty Tombstone, Arizona. Now I’m on my third re-read of Patrick O’Brian’s Blue at the Mizzen — trying to alternate sailing books with their land cousins. Nadia, Mounira and Valentine are reading aloud Pierre Desproges Chroniques de la haine ordinaire. I hope that there is no haine (hate) left over for the Captain….

All is well.