airplane mode
We had a true taster of upwind sailing last night. By that I mean we spent 12 hours sailing almost nowhere! Between shifting winds, oil rigs, and unpredictable ocean research vessels, we sailed 100NM to get 30 miles closer to Amsterdam! The crew didn’t mind though. It was fun to get some tacking practice in and put the training of our first day to good use.
This morning I was reminded of how fulfilling it is to see people you coach start to gain confidence. As I was making scrambled eggs down below, the gang on deck were discussing how to make the boat go faster. Impressively, I managed to keep my nose out of it. One of them quoted, “When in doubt, let it out,” and lo and behold, after a decisive ease of the main and a transferring of the jib to the outboard lead, the boat picked up three knots! Proud skipper moment. Good job Jaime, Anne, Rach, and Kellye.
For anyone who is following us, the crew have opted to turn their phones on flight mode until we all agree we are ready to let the outside world in. So, to loved ones and followers, thank you for allowing us the bliss of living in our watery bubble for a little while longer.
— Nikki
NikkiHenderson
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Ladies who reef
The trade winds have been kind, rolling the boat toward Hawaii in a steady, hypnotic rhythm—until last night, when a squall hit without warning and the wind jumped to 28 knots, slamming everything sideways. With rain driving down and the boat lurching underfoot, the crew had minutes to wrestle two reefs into the mainsail and get things back under control. What followed was a masterclass in wet, unglamorous, deeply satisfying teamwork—with less than 250 miles left to go.
Yankee Doodle Died at Sea, Riding on a FALKEN
A thin, foot-long tear in the yankee sail—50,000 miles of ocean behind it—and suddenly the final stretch to Hawaii just got a lot more interesting. The crew of FALKEN had been running a tight ship through the trades, reefing in squalls like clockwork, when the last dance finally caught up with them. How a skipper handles the moment everything goes sideways says everything about the voyage itself.
A Gen Z Perspective
At 31, the crew thought they were reasonably fluent in the English language—then they met Kip. Today, the crew's self-appointed Gen Z correspondent takes over the log from somewhere in the middle of the Pacific, delivering dispatches on Milky Way night sails, focaccia-induced visions, and the singular mission of getting eleven people's "badonkadonks" to Hawaii. Consider this your glossary.