2104 UTC | 17.30’28S 149.49’29W
Anchored
Even after a night on the town consuming blissful pina coladas, the crew rose early at around 6am. We had several missions to accomplish - getting Brian and Marie off to their flight, letting captain Mary have some well-deserved land time, and acquiring Pareos from local artisans.
Originally scheduled to depart in the evening, Brian and Marie’s flight was moved to 9:45am, so they took the only known taxi on the island off to their flight. Nat took a rest on the boat and floating in the beautiful bay where we were the only boat anchored. Andreea, Nick, Mary and Kate took off around the island on scooters rented the day before and found some fabulous snorkeling. Phoebe, Jude, Maddie and myself set off on foot towards the Pareo workshop
We believed we could hitchhike to the Parea shop, but called the owner to see if they could pick us up. We had some communication failures, believing they were coming to pick us up, but they never showed. Eventually Phoebe raised her thumb and showed a big smile, leading a local pickup truck to stop and give us a ride. On the island, hitchhiking is still fairly common. The truck had bench seating in the back, returning from dropping Mormons off for their Sunday church service. We offered money for the ride, which the driver refused. They just gave us a ride and showed us some island charm.
At the Pareo workshop, we had a tough time choosing which to buy - they were all very beautiful and full of color. Once Phoebe learned they accepted credit cards, I thought she was going to buy the whole store. I bought a beautiful blue with flowers for my daughter, and the artisan drew her name on the cloth.
We only had 40 minutes to get back and it would have been an impossible walk in that time. Phoebe asked the store owner’s husband to give us a ride and they obliged, returning us to Falken with plenty of time to spare.
Several of us then had a peaceful float in the bay around Falken and then prepared to pull up the anchor and depart for the passage to Moorea. The beginning of the passage had weak winds, but eventually we were able to turn the motor off and enjoy a peaceful late afternoon sail.
Ryan Boyd
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Adios Ensenada!
Around 9am this morning, we slipped lines and made our way out of Todos Los Santos Bay with a pre-arranged escort pod of dolphins. After a few hours of motoring through very calm, very blue, very kelpy seas, we clicked the engine off and off we went. After some delicious frittata and not-new potatoes a-la Adam, we executed our first of many tacks. With only 5-10 kts of wind, our close haul has been nothing but pleasant so far. After a lovely week in Ensenada for me, Alex, and Adam, we’re stoked to finally head out and begin our upwind journey back up the coast.
A last hurrah
Under the dome of stars in a moon-less sky, each of us during our time at the helm used the most rudimentary celestial navigation, keeping a star or two lined up with the mast as a helper to following the heading range. It was a whole crew event to set the spinnaker, reef the mainsail and practice the heave-to in case of man overboard. Alex stressed that the key to success in all of these crucial activities is preparation. It was hugely satisfying to accomplish these tasks through teamwork. We share a constant good hearted back and forth full of stories, one-liners and comebacks that also means constant laughter.
One little bird!
Falken has almost rounded the Channel Islands and is cruising along splendidly about 100 miles offshore. Though several models predicted some slightly fresher winds today, we were met with a consistent 18-20 kts of pure bliss. It seems that from the moment we left the dock in San Francisco, there has been much laughter and conversation amongst everyone. The plan is to gybe in a few hours and begin our approach to Ensenada. As much as I do appreciate the jokes and intellectual musings, I equally appreciate the natural, silent moments we share at night, all of us on watch gazing up above to the shooting stars, constellations, and planets putting on their quiet show.