Location: 6° 25.4 S, 53° 24.7 E
Friday 12:00, 11.17.2006

The Schooner Maggie B was at 6° 25.4 S, 53° 24.7 E at noon today. The wind has been light and variable. Last night during my watch, midnight to 0300, I was able to move the boat exactly three nautical miles. With no engine, you take what you gets. As I write this (@1500), though, we are making 8.5 knots in a fresh SE’erly, with rain clouds all around.

At noon we were 46 NM from Desroches Island, home of the famous Deroches Island Lodge. We hope to anchor in their lagoon for tonight and Saturday night, and attempt to clear up the problems we have with our propeller shaft. They have a top diving operation, so I should be able to get a tank and poke around for a bit. Our ETA is about sunset. Hopefully we will be able to slip into the lagoon. Our first real trial of the forward-looking sonar. It will also be our first sailing anchorage.

Properly we are not supposed to land anywhere before we clear in Port Victoria, Mahe, but I’m taking the opinion that this is a “safety of the vessel” issue, and anyway, hopefully it won’t come up. We hope to eat ashore tonight at the lodge!

From Desroches to Mahe is another about 120 NM, which we’ll do from Sunday afternoon to Monday morning.

We are back in the midst of flights and flights of flying fish. Last night I cleared about a dozen from the decks, some alive, most dead.

All is well.