Saturday, July 12, 2025
Hello from the least experienced person on the crew! At sea for almost 2.5 days now. This is our second day of a full watch rotation and we’re all starting to get the feel of the routine. It’s afternoon now and finally the seas are a bit calmer. We certainly hit the ocean running! We had squalls, intermittent rain, and gusts of 35 kts. The Yankee jib came out and then went back in several times. Just put it out again and it looks like we may be able to leave it there for a bit longer.
We’ve seen tons of jumping fish today and we have a new part-time member of the crew—a brown booby who’s been following us since the wee hours of the morning, occasionally going for a ride on our pulpit.
Things that have surprised me as a novice sailor:
- A crew of 11 and not one annoying person in the bunch! Everyone is pleasant, helpful, and kind.
- I don’t mind the stickiness of the salt water and air at all.
- They’re not kidding when they say just living on a sailboat offshore takes a lot of energy.
- Lying down in your bunk and shutting your eyes really does help seasickness.
- The food is fantastic!
- After only knowing each other for a few days, we already have inside jokes.
- Helming is really fun!
- I can indeed learn to nap during the day!
- Stephanie L. | FALKEN Crew
FALKENCrew
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HMS Night Watch Party
Wing on wing worked well until the wind shifted then the helm became the cone of despair for our night watch crew of three (H, M and S) Alex made the decision to drop the pole, shifting wing on wing to a close reach. Wind increased to low teens and speed picked up to a flying pace. Day spent wandering toward Ensenada. Alex, Adam and David got us into port under another starry night.
No Kitemares Today
After a night marked by sudden wind accelerations peeling off Point Conception, and a vibrant, pulsating sky blistered with shooting stars, the off-watch woke to commotion on the foredeck. The wind had gone light and the swell had tapered just enough to raise the spinnaker. The sail filled with an urgent pop, the sheet strained and Falken charged down the face of the next wave. By mid-day, we doused the spinnaker and set our minds to the more precise task of safely punching through a gap in the notorious Cortez Bank. The border to Mexico looms ahead.
The California coast
We had a very lively first day of sailing with steady winds between 25 and 30 kn gusting to mid 30s. All of the crew got experience at difficult downwind helming as we covered 200 nautical miles in the first 24 hours. This morning brings winds in the teens and calmer seas. The sun is still shining, and the green monster has been slayed by those afflicted!