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January 4, 2025, 10:00 UTC | Pre-Departure
It is a new year and a new season is about to start on FALKEN! I came down to Lagos with the family before the new year to have a quick vacation before the season started. We have enjoyed playing on the beaches, exploring the side streets of Lagos, shopping at the farmers market on Saturday, and getting a few small projects done on FALKEN in between. Lagos has been a frequent stop, and I first came here back in 2012 when Andy and I sailed a Saga 43, KINSHIP, with ARC Europe. We also sailed in here with ISBJORN after our summer up in Svalbard, and both FALKEN and ICEBEAR have been here multiple times.
Emily, who is the skipper for this leg, arrived late on the 1st, and since then we switched into work mode and are prepping FALKEN for her next passage. I thought I was smart to get the major provisioning done before Emily arrived, but didn't realize until I stepped into Pingo Doce (the supermarket closest to the marina) that it was New Year's Eve and the store was packed. Anyhow, lots of good food is now added to FALKEN for the next leg.
Crew will arrive today at 1 pm. We have been monitoring the weather and it looks like we'll sit out some weather on Sunday and depart after that. We are kicking off the 2025 season with an all-female crew, eager to jump onboard and make our way towards Las Palmas in the Canary Islands. Bethany and Jeana came down the docks yesterday to check out FALKEN and I am sure the rest of the crew have been spying on us from the shore.
Our aim is to send in daily blogs to the website, so check back to hear about our adventures as we head south!
HOLD FAST!
Mia
mia@59-north.com
View more passage logs
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!