Location: 33° 05 S, 111° 12 E
Friday 12:00, 02.16.2007

The Schooner Maggie B’s noon position today was 33° 05 S 111° 12 E. We were headed on a course of 078 degrees magnetic, directly for Fremantle at 10 knots (hull speed). The wind is perfect for us, 300 degrees magnetic at 22-30 knots. We have a long swell behind us that occasionally has let us surf up to 16 KNOTS! This is for a 35 ton wooden gaff-rigged schooner! We have 229 miles to go to Fremantle, and have come 4316 from the Seychelles.

IF, and at sea any future is a big if, we arrive tomorrow in Fremantle at about noon, we will have been almost exactly 24 days from the Seychelles (five days Seychelles to Mauritius, 19 days Mauritius to Fremantle). We will have covered about 4545 NM, which would give us an average of 189 NM per day or 7.9 knots, 24/7. Fast cruising, just what I asked Nigel for!

This morning I noticed that the fore peak gaff topping lift halyard had managed to tie itself up in a knot on the pin rail. It was under quite a bit of pressure but couldn’t be loosened because of the way it was tangled. I went to the cockpit and asked Bori and Owen for the Tweaker and the Prussik line, which they handed me from the lockers. As I sorted out the tangle, I though of how specialized language becomes on a ship. A Tweaker is a Canadian (?) term for a light block and tackle with a whip rope on either end that can be used for a variety of temporary purposes. Others would call it a Handy Billy, a Purchase, or a Come-along. A Prussik is a climber’s knot that can grab and hold a line under strain, but easily release and slide when the Prussik is released. With a Prussik line (short loop of strong but lightweight line) and the Tweaker, I was able to take up tension on the halyard enough to release the messy knot it had made on the pin rail.

In the same way, on a gaff sail, there are many round metal pieces sewn into the sail, to take different pieces of line to hold and control the sail. If those round pieces of metal are at the bottom (foot) of the sail, in the corners, they are cringles (tack or clew), if they are in the top, head, corners, they are thimbles (throat or head/peak), if they are along the boom or gaff, they are grommets or eyes (head or luff). Of course, if they where you reef, they are cringles, except in the middle of the sail, where they are points.

National Lampoon has a hysterical short audio on their site called “Rigging a Ship” where a man with a thick accent just recites accurate historical ship’s parts. It would surely get you a drink on the house if recited in any Yacht Club bar in the world.

Now that, as I write this, we have only 190 NM to go to Fremantle, I am conscious that we have the hard part of the trip ahead of us. Finding our way through the reefs behind Rottnest Island, landing at the Quarantine Dock, making Customs happy, finding a spot for the night. Much harder than Blue Water!

All is well.