Commander’s Weather Corporation
Tuesday, 01.16.2007

From: Commanders’ Weather Corporation, tel: 603-882-6789

Route: Mahe, Seychelles toward Mauritius to Perth/Fremantle, Australia

Depart: approx. 0600utc, Thu, Jan 18, 2007

Prepared: 1800UTC Tue, January 16, 2007

Summary:

Satellite shows a lot of cloud cover and convection extending from 10N-10S between the Maldives/Chagos Islands area westward - just moving into the Seychelles.

• Light winds being reported at the Mahe airport currently, with some light showers in the area.
• NW-N-NE of Mahe, there have been W-NW winds of 20-50kts in thunderstorms.

The warmest sea surface temperatures in the SW Indian Ocean can be found E of 60E and between 5-15S

• The forecast models hint at some type of tropical low trying to organize just to the NE of Mahe over this next week but never allow the weak circulation to develop
• We’ll continue to follow any possibly tropical activity in this region

Strong high pressure is currently found centered over the S Indian Ocean, near 35S/80E

• mainly E trade winds are seen along the N edge of this circulation to 10S
• with more light and variable winds between 10S and the equator, in regions without thunderstorm activity
• think you will have a fairly light trip, interspersed with a chance of some thunderstorms

As you move toward Mauritius later this week, a strong low pressure area is forecast to slide SE into the far S Indian Ocean around 80E

• The cold front associated with this low is expected to stretch from S Madagascar to the SE near 45S/80E by 12utc on the 18th
• During the weekend, this frontal boundary will slowly push the SIndian Ocean high pressure to the E and weaken it

On Sunday, another strong low will slide E across the far S Indian Ocean dragging another frontal boundary from Mauritius Island toward the SE, near 40S/80E

• Low pressure areas and tropical lows can form and travel SE along these type of frontal boundaries as the boundaries slide E across the S Indian Ocean
• Currently, there are no such lows forecast in the short -medium range time period but we’ll keep watching.

Routing

Generally S toward Mauritius

• Routed you at about 170-180 nm/day in some gusty thunderstorm conditions then lighter winds S of 10S

Wind Forecasts

Wind direction TRUE, speed in kts, time is UTC

Wed, Jan 17

00: 290-320/ 10-20

12: 280-310/ 12-20 gusts/squalls to 30

Weather: Variably cloudy with scattered showers and thunderstorms.

Seas: mainly 2-4 ft, could become choppy and confused in any thunderstorms

Thu, Jan 18

00: 270-300/ 10-18

06: 280-310/ 10-20 gusts/squalls to 30

Approx. departure

12: 290-320/ 10-20, gusts 30-35

18: 260-310/12-20

Weather: variably cloudy with isolated showers and thunderstorms

Seas mainly 3-6ft, could become choppy and confused in any thunderstorms

Fri, Jan 19

00: light and variable to 250-300/5-12

06: 240-280/6-12 some gusts 20

12: 200-240/ 5-12 some gusts 20

nr 7 50S/56E

18: light and variable

Weather: variably cloudy with isolated showers and thunderstorms

Seas mainly 3-6ft, could become choppy and confused in any thunderstorms

Sat, Jan 20

00: light and variable to 050-090/5-10

12: becoming 050-090/5-12

nr 10 50S/ 56E

Weather: Variably cloudy with chc isolated showers and thunderstorms. Some gusts to 25-30kts in any thunderstorms.

Seas mainly 3-6ft, could become choppy and confused in any thunderstorms

Sun, Jan 21

00: 040-080/ 6-14

12: 050-090/ 7-15

nr 13 50S/56 30E

Weather: Variably cloudy with increased chc showers and thunderstorms. Some gusts to 25-30kts in any
thunderstorms.

Seas mainly 3-6ft, could become choppy and confused in any thunderstorms

Mon, Jan 22

00: 050-080/ 6-15

12: 040-070/ 10-17

nr 16 50S/56 50E

Weather: Variably to mostly cloudy with scattered showers/thunderstorms. Some gusts to 25-30kts in any
thunderstorms.

Seas mainly 3-6ft, could become choppy and confused in any thunderstorms

Tue, Jan 23

00: 020-050/ 5-12

12: 030-060/ 7-15

nr Mauritius

Weather: Variably to mostly cloudy with scattered showers/thunderstorms. Some gusts to 25-30kts in any
thunderstorms.

Seas mainly 3-6ft, could become choppy and confused in any thunderstorms

Curieuse Island
January 14, 2007

Back to nature

It’s been a long time I haven’t written into my blog, but here I am again. Christmas is over and we have entered into a new year. It was wonderful to be home with my family over the holidays. We only had one snowy day in Hungary so it didn’t feel so much like Christmas based on the weather but the warmth coming from the love in our hearts was surely there. We were especially numerous this Christmas and I feel more connected to my family now. It feels good to go home, it reminds me of where things start.

So, now, here we are back on the water floating by Curieuse Island in the Seychelles. It is almost midnight and the stars are bright in the night sky and our boat gently rocks on the waves. I don’t really want to sleep, the sky is so beautiful, you just can’t see this from a city. Being on the water enveloped by the starry sky with occasional shooting stars is breathtaking. It often brings tears to my eyes. I feel connected to something greater and timeless.

We saw a hawksbill turtle her lay eggs on the beach today and many other turtles grazing on grass all day long. I snorkeled with a baby green turtle and schools of bright yellow and blue fish. We found shiny red seeds in the forest as we hiked the hills on the island and delicate white and purple shells in the sand: we are going to make necklaces while at sea. We are about to undertake an approximately 30-day journey to Australia.

In two days, on January 16th, we are going to celebrate the Maggie B’s first anniversary. We are planning to bake a boat-shaped cake and maple leaf molasses cookies. We will have many friends with us, just like on the launch party. Then, we’ll take a deep breath and do the final checks and buy the rest of provisions and say farewell to our new friends and set sail towards a new continent, the land of koalas and kangaroos.

Happy Birthday, Maggie B
Monday 01.16.2007

Outward bound, one year later…

The Blue Peter is the signal flag “P” which is blue with a white center square. It means “Outward Bound.” Ships in the old days hoisted the Blue Peter when they were ready to sail, so all ashore would know. The Second Mate would then go by the jail, bars, and the red light district to gather the crew. Of course, the crew of the Maggie B are all present, clean and sober.

Last night was epic.

It was the Maggie B’s first anniversary. She was launched in a snowstorm on January 16, 2006 in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia. No snow in the Seychelles! Bori baked a cake and decorated it with a schooner, Hannah baked delicious cookies, many shaped as Maple Leafs in honor of the Nova Scotian birth. We invited yachtie friends, Seychellian friends and all our French friends, and made new friends that night. At one point I counted 35 people visible from the cockpit and was sure I missed some. We had 11 dinghies tied up, looking rather like a nursing sow with piglets. I’m glad that the Coast Guard didn’t check us, but if they came by, they probably would have joined the party. We had a half case of very nice South African champagne saved for justsuch an emergency. It disappeared even before we got to lighting the one candle on the cake.

South for the Westerlies

The game plan is to head south to pick up the Westerlies on the south side of the South Indian Ocean High. It should take us to about 35 South. The Commanders Weather briefing will be posted on the web site. In general we will have light (10-15 knot) easterly winds for much of the way. Mauritius is about 850 NM away, south and a little east, and we are going to head in that direction because it is about 4200 NM to Perth and we have about 1200 NM of fuel for motoring. If, as I suspect, we will have to motor a fair amount between here and Mauritius, we will stop for a pit stop there. Since it is a French Overseas Territory, they supposedly have good cheese.

Checking out of the Seychelles was relatively easy — two hours and about $300 in fees for the two months we were here, which seems fair for the marvelous time we had.

We are off tonight for a last meal at our favorite restaurant, Le Perle Noir, the Black Pearl, also the name of a famous ship. Then 4000 Rupees of food arrives from the wholesaler at 0830, then top up our diesel and water, and, after a check by the Coast Guard, we are off for Australia!

All is well.