0134 UTC | 32º 14.99’N 117º 13.59’W
Sailing
And we’re off! 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. Falken and Alex are both in their happy place (offshore, that is) and the crew is settling in to life onboard. After a few hours of motoring through very calm, very blue, very kelpy seas, we clicked the engine off and off we went. There’s nothing quite like the sound of water lapping against the hull after getting used to the steady hum of the engine.
After some delicious frittata and not-new potatoes a-la Adam, we executed our first of many tacks. The AP jib is out and breathing for the first time in a good long while, leading Rich and Jean to quiz me on the intricacies of jibs vs yankees vs genoas (verdict is out on whether I passed?). With only 5-10 kts of wind, our close haul has been nothing but pleasant so far. Plus, with spicier weather ahead for us as we near Point Conception, nobody is feeling too antsy about a more mellow start.
Rich and Rob are washing up dinner as I sit here typing, and Rich reports that he’s using ”the best piece of steel wool ever”. Safe to say they’re being good sports about a pesky frittata pan, and I can already feel the bromance blooming from here.
Watches are rolling and the sun is just about to set ahead of us as we head west. Everyone rested up this afternoon and seems excited to experience our first night at sea. 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.
Love to all!
Zoe
Zoe Peach-Riley (apprentice)
View more passage logs
Kärt barn har många namn
A dear child goes by many a name, or as we say in Swedish "kärt barn har många namn". This is the case for many a person, but also some species, not least the Mahi mahi, which also goes by dolphin fish, golden mackerel, and dorado, among others. Soon, we could see the fish jump, a hundred feet or so behind the boat, and as I kept reeling, a beautiful Mahi appeared under the surface. Manot showed us how to clean and fillet it, and after a complete team effort two large fillets are now in the freezer of Adrienne II.
Cast off the lines
When we awoke it was overcast but the Brazilian sun quickly burned the clouds away and we were left with blue skies. We reviewed some safety procedures, cleaned the boat and had an exciting Person Overboard (POB) recovery. Once we were underway spirits soared as we pointed the bow toward the Canary Islands. As I write this we are heading upwind and dealing with all that involves, and working into our first watches. It is hot, a bit bumpy but we are sailing!!
People Get Ready!
The last three days have been an intense (and intensely hot) period of discovery, practice, and planning. Because Adrienne II is not a 59N boat, there's been some extra setup and coordination needed including rigging all the sails that were out for repairs before we arrived. Its been a blast working alongside the 59N team getting to help them work things out on a less familiar boat in real time. Tomorrow morning we'll run through our Person Over Board training as the final pre-departure task, cast off and head out. Can't know all that it will be, but its going to be a great adventure out in the vast world with some pretty fantastic people.