Location: 43° 04S, 140° 42E
Wednesday 12:00, 03.14.2007

The Schooner Maggie B’s noon position on March 14th was 43° 04S, 140° 42E. We are motorsailing at 7.1 knots, headed due East for the southern tip of Tasmania. The wind is just beginning to fill in from the North as the high continues its way East. It is a surprise for all of us to be essentially becalmed in the Roaring Forties — not that we want another gale, just it is unexpected.

We have come 1558 NM from Fremantle, have about 246 to go to the SW corner and 326 to go to Hobart.

We should see Tasmania about dusk tomorrow. Our thoughts are to continue to Hobart, arriving perhaps before noon on the 16th. That will give us time, perhaps, to help our friend with the final preparations for the Festival. We hope that once we have spent some time in Hobart, we will learn all to best spots to visit by land and sea, and then we’ll take the opportunity to visit some of the wild areas.

We have regular albatross on patrol around us. We are pretty sure that one is young Black-browed and another (photo already up on the web) is a Yellow Nosed albatross. Our bird guide tells us to differentiate between the Northern and Southern Black-browed by the color of the eye’s iris. Good luck!

All is well.