Location: 3° 06N, 41° 43W
Monday 03.31.2008

At Noon on the last day of March, the Schooner Maggie B was at 3° 06N, 41° 43W. We were making 9.6 knots (including one knot of favorable current) in 14 knots of wind on our beam. It is still overcast with occasional rain showers and up to 28 knots of breeze in the showers.

We have come 1386 NM from Salvador and have 1442 to go to Antigua. What is strange for me is that this is the first time that we have been going West in the last two years.

We have reefed the main down to the first reef, which doesn’t slow us , but makes her a bit better balanced in the stronger winds. One of the many advantages of a loose-footed gaff rig is that a reefed sail can still be adjusted into perfect shape. “Jiffy reefing” systems on Bermuda rigs often leave ugly-shaped reefed sails.

We seem to be in a Flying Fish nursery. We have been seeing Flying Fish regularly since Fernando de Noronha, but largish ones, up to a foot long, and mostly solo. Here we see whole schools (coveys?) get up - perhaps 20 fish at a time - but they are all only 5-6 inches long.

A few days ago I incorrectly called the Inner Tropical Convergence Zone the “Horse Latitudes.” I should have said “Doldrums.” Bill Wickett wrote with the clear clarification:

“…the Horse Latitudes are generally acknowledged to be at 30N and 30S. (+/-). This is where some the air flow lifting from the equator, (and creating the low pressure in the ITCZ,) returns to the surface. This is an area of higher pressure, and low wind speeds. This circulation is known as a Hadley cell. The northern part of this loop is where the [Northeast] trades originate from and they flow back towards the equator.”

The reason why the Trades are Northeast between the Equator and 30N, rather than straight North, is the rotation of the earth, or the Coriolis effect. For the same reason, they are Southeast between the Equator and 30S. Think toilet flushing in the Northern or Southern hemisphere.

At this speed we will be in the Caribbean in a week.

All is well.