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Location: 41° 12S, 163° 24E
Friday 12:00, 05.04.2007
At noon on May 4th, the Schooner Maggie B was at 41° 12S, 163° 24E. We were making nine knots on the rhumb line for Cape Farewell. We have come 785 NM from Hobart and have 431 to go to Nelson. We have come 214 NM in the last 24 hours, and 611 in the last three days.
The wind has been steady at 25-30 knots from 330-340 degrees, or 70 degrees off our port side. We took in the fore sail before lunch and now are under full jib and the main with one reef. The Maggie B loves these conditions. The waves have made up a bit to 3-5 meters, but though they are fairly short and sharp, they are on the beam, so she shrugs them off with aplomb. Every now and then, though, she throws up a fair heap of water off her hip into the cockpit, as if to remind the Watch that this is real stuff.
We are anticipating frontal passage sometime fairly soon. Bands of rain showers, 12-15 NM wide and 3-4 NM thick have been marching past behind us, but we haven't been in one yet. We expect some more wind with the passage of the front, then it should back to the NW and West and lighten up a bit. We don't think that the actual front will be too severe because the barometer has stayed fairly steady at 1010 mb the last 12 hours.
Shy Albatrosses (Thalassarche cayta) have joined the aerial circus following us.
One marvelous new sight is a little pocket rainbow that appears in our bow spray as we plunge along. When the sun is just right, it is quite bright though just a few feet long.
Our Furuno autopilot is doing a marvelous job. We are charging along at just about hull speed in somewhat confused seas and it keeps us on track to Cape Farewell with just an occasional one degree starboard or port "touch." The autopilot is "adaptive," which means it learns the performance of its vessel. It sure has figured us out. It is also a compliment to Nigel Irens and North Sails that we are perfectly balanced with zero helm, most of the time, even in these complex conditions and with the fore down and the main reefed.
Sunday night in Nelson, if the elements are willing.
All is well.
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