Location: 2° 09S, 34° 34W
Friday, 03.28.2008

At noon on March 28th, the Schooner Maggie B was at 2° 09S, 34° 34W. The wind is calm, there are only gentle, long rollers and the sky partially cloudy with small cumulus. The barometer is steady at 1003. We have come 850 NM from Salvador and have 1974 NM to go to Antigua.

It is easy to see how, in the old days, men must have gone crazy when they were caught in these calms. This area, the Inner Tropical Convergence Zone, ITCZ, was known as the Horse Latitudes. Some books say that the expression refers to when ships got caught here and ran short on supplies and threw their horses overboard to save drinking water. We think that this is ridiculous. Why would any sailor waste fresh horse meat, given their usual rations. A much more likely explanation is that this was the area by when sailors from Europe had worked off their advance pay. That point was called “finishing the dead horse,” and sometimes was attended with a ritual which included throwing over a horse effigy.

We are used to having porpoise, dolphin and pilot whales play in our bow wave. Today Thomas spotted a small school (10-20 fish) of young tuna working our bow in the clear, calm water. Each was about two feet long and had a bright green/yellow iridescent spot just at the top base of the tail. The side and top fins were yellow. They stuck with us for at least an hour. We guess that they were chasing the smaller fish that we push up, like flying fish, but perhaps they were just hanging out.

We are doing our laundry “Blue Water” style - salt water soaping and three salt water rinses, then a final, long, fresh water rinse. We are also starting on varnishing and oiling the deck. All to make us presentable in Antigua!

We should “Cross the Line” at about noon tomorrow, and be in the Caribbean around April 9th. The weather forecast is promising us some good sailing once we are north of 2-4 degrees north.

All is well.