Between Passages
10:00 LT | San Cristobal Island, Galapagos
Anchored
These last few days have been a welcome breather for FALKEN and me. Transitioning from one trip to the next drains energy and can be emotionally heavy. Saying goodbye to a bonded crew and then starting over takes more out of you than you expect, so this downtime to decompress and give FALKEN some much‑needed TLC is priceless.
And what a trip we have coming! Galápagos to the Marquesas, following the trade winds route you read about in books and making landfall in a truly unique corner of the world. It’s the kind of passage I dreamed about as a kid; now I’m here, preparing FALKEN for this odyssey.
Today is for finishing provisioning, running safety checks, and letting the excitement build. What I’m most looking forward to is the routine: finding those trades, setting the boat up, and settling into the life at sea we’re always chasing, the motions, the sounds, and the disconnection of a 16‑day passage.
Tomorrow, we meet the crew and begin final preparations. We depart Monday
Alex Laline
View more passage logs
Seasickness
But maybe, I thought, with some drugs I could stay ahead of it. The first 48 hours I felt horrible. But luckily with 3 health care professionals on board and in a very encouraging environment, my body found its way. Anyway, someone offered me a patch (unavailable in Canada) and someone else gave me some pills for nausea and now I feel much, much better.
Dolphins and Bioluminescence
We had a good run with the sails but weather has changed and we are once again chasing the wind. Everyone is getting a chance to practice helming in big swell; starting to get a feel of the wind and water and how it pushes and pulls the hull. A pod of dolphins came to visit at night, splashing in the bioluminescent water, and again in the day, dancing in the bow wake. For now enjoying the calmer sea state and falling asleep to the rumble of the engine and the gentle whooshing of the water on the hull.
Greetings from Lala Lemonshark
The brave crew is toughing it out and staying cheerful despite being tossed around. The engine is off and we are true sailing-main and jib. In the first 12 hours we saw two pods of Orca and four humpback whales, two of which were 20 yards off the starboard beam!