Location: 22° 34 S, 58° 25 E
Tuesday 12:00, 01.30.2007

The Schooner Maggie B was at 22° 34S, 58° 25 E at noon on January 30. We are headed just about due south magnetic at 8.5 knots, with wind from 120 degrees at 22-28 knots. The seas are sloppy, made somewhat peaky by a one knot current from the north. We have come 1130 NM from the Seychelles and have about 3110 to go to Perth. We have one reef in both the main and the fore.

While we could be close hauled and make some more easting, both the crew and the boat were taking a bit of a pounding when we tried it. Now with the sheets started a bit, we are making better speed to the south and life is more reasonable on board as the Maggie B has a chance to handle the waves and not just having one drop after another. Green water carried away a ventilator next to the fore hatch and tried to snatch the boat hook. The Reep and Strika are riding well on deck. The watch in the cockpit gets a steady refreshing salt water misting.

It is good that we left Mauritius when we did. They will be getting a low with 30-40 knots of wind by February 3rd. We should be well south in the high by then, starting our turn for Perth.

We had a new, interesting experience last night. We were intercepted by a French Warship. We were within about 40 NM of Mauritius and about 100 from French territory (Reunion). They came within about two miles at about midnight and called us on the radio. They had lots of questions which I answered with increasing irritation, partially because they refused to identify their ship at all (”Eet is no possible). They were satisfied with our MMSI and IHO numbers, Radio Call, Port of origin, date and time of departure, destination, cargo, number of crew, national origin, etc. I was prepared to refuse boarding and call the Mauritius Coast Guard for assistance, but, happily, it did not come to that. They then went after another boat that accelerated from 15 knots to 28 knots when hailed. I’m sure that they were more interesting than the Maggie B.

All is well.