25° 03.42'N 17° 16.44'W
Sailing
Some came on the trip for the promise of it, others were only hooked after a full week of sailing
Once addicted, navigators will emerge from down below only to get their fixes two times per day, and spend the rest of their days and nights down below doing complex spherical mathematics.
On Adrienne II, our skipper is our dealer. It is evident that Manot has been addicted to sextants for a long time, and he has willingly shown anybody who wants to learn how to get their fix. After some practice, this person will undoubtedly spend the rest of their passage in deep thought down below; pen and paper in hand trying to work out a perfect position.
On this trip, our crewmate Tonya was the first victim. A competent helmsman right off the bat who spent much time behind the wheel of Adrienne, she now only comes out twice a day to get her fixes and can then be found down below. Next was Naxo, our mate. Since getting hooked, he has not cleaned a single head, instead shooting the sun with the sextant, and adjusting for dip and declination in the salon.
As you have probably figured out at this point, the drug of choice on board is, of course, celestial navigation- an art which has hooked offshore sailors for centuries.
That is not the worst of it, though. I must confess that I myself gave in to the strange urge which I’ve felt witnessing my crewmates practice this fine art, and yesterday felt an amazing sensation as I was able to wield the sextant for the first time and with it, bring down the tip of our starboard spreader to the top of our front sprayhood, presicely measuring the angle between the two (35deg, 38,8’ min). This afternoon, Naxo then showed me how to get my fix from the very sun itself - and I now fear there is no turning back.
I hope everyone at home is doing well. I must now stop writing as I have some complex spherical mathematics which require my attention. It remains to be seen who will clean and cook the rest of the trip as I, too, likely will focus all my energy on my next fix..
Anton Wahrby
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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!
Farewell by dolphins
We headed out of the marina in Monterey CA at about 10AM in sunny weather to meet winds of ~20kts and 3m smooth swell with long periods. FALKEN is surfing along the coast of California, ship’s time 1PM as I write. As we motored out into the bay, we were wished farewell by a pod of dolphins nearby and a couple of whales in the distance. Though, unfortunately one crew member met the green dragon in the swell.
