Location 3° 50S, 32° 24W
Sunday, 03.23.2008

The Schooner Maggie B is safely anchored off of Fernando de Noronha at 3° 50S, 32° 24W. It is March 23nd, Easter Sunday. The prevailing wind here is from the SE and we are tucked in a broad cove with another 70-80 working boats on the NW corner. Most of the island is a Marine Park and we are anchored in the only legal area. The breeze is light and the skies mostly clear.

The sail here last night was as nice as any of the whole trip. We were doing six knots in a 10-12 knot close reach with a full moon out and little wave chop with long swells and mostly clear skies. It all would be perfect except for a gale about 3000 NM away, off the coast of Newfoundland. It has sent a reminder of “home” in the form of 7-8 meter swells. The effect is enormous. There is a very hefty 20 foot high breakwater sheltering a small boat harbor. The waves are breaking over the top and full across the entrance. Trying the passage in the Reep or any other boat would be death. The Maritime Police have closed the port. Some moored fishing boats closer in regularly do the “Perfect Storm” kind of wave riding. “Tomorrow maybe better.”

The surf hitting the shore is spectacular. We have seen a few surfers outside. No one has taken a second ride. We are relatively comfortable outside the surf line, in 50 feet of water with 200 feet of chain out. Just after we set the anchor, one of the swells jumped us and tore the pawl off the capstan. One more thing to fix when we get back to Nova Scotia.

We are going to hang out here off the harbor until tomorrow, and hope to get ashore then, probably in a high speed “water taxi” with a local with his local knowledge. We are swimming around the boat, which is delicious, though the seas have stirred up the water and we don’t have the 30-40 meter visibility often seen here. If the harbor stays closed, we are off for the Caribbean, which is about 2135 NM or two weeks. We will be in Antigua April 12th for Registration in any case.

Happy Easter.

All is well.