Location 41° 05S, 093° 05W
Sunday 11.04.2007

The Schooner Maggie B was at 41° 05S, 093° 05W at noon on November 4th. We are motorsailing on the Great Circle route to Puerto Montt at 7.8 knots. The wind has backed around to the south at 7-9 knots. We are on the starboard tack for the first time in three weeks!

We have come 4054 NM from Rangiroa and have 882 NM to go to Puerto Montt (or, to be more exact, to landfall at the mouth of Canal Chacao, the entrance to Gulfo de Ancud, or 30 NM more to go to Puerto Montt). Arrival at Puerto Montt on November 9th seems doable, subject to wind, waves and weather. Canal Chacao is about ten miles long and has current speeds of up to 10 knots, with breaking 5-8 meter waves if there is wind against tide. We will be very attentive.

There is essentially no wind. Fog and a low overcast has come in with a moderate drizzle. Cold. The water temperature is down to 54 deg F (12 deg C). The watch is largely kept in the "Winter Porch," fueled by cups of tea, coffee and cocoa with Hannah's molasses cookies.

This morning brought a new surprise. On his watch, Robert collected about a dozen inch long pea green round tubes, and asked me what they might be. My first thought was some strange sort of chewing gum pieces. On inspection they proved to be the inner rollers of one of our Lewmar main sheet blocks, which was spitting them out. We rigged a replacement block and were able to replace all the rollers in the original. Situation solved? Nope. Two other similar Lewmar blocks proved to have far less than their full compliment of rollers. Hopefully Lewmar will sell us some replacements and we can get them to Chile with our crew change at Puerto Montt. #@$%!!& Lewmar.

All is well.

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