Latitude: 00°57.6’N
Longitude: 087°47.1’W
00°57.6’N 087°47.1’W
20:20 UTC / 15:20 Local time
Adventure at sea—what does that mean to me? TIME AWAY from the world and a chance to meet others who love sailing as I do. No news, no knowledge of anything but the nature around us, whether that be clouds, birds, dolphins, whales, lightning, swells to ride on, no wind to sweat in, and maybe a little swim.
What would your thought be as to water temperature in the South Pacific? As I got ready to dive in, I was prepared for a very cold adventure, but lo and behold, the water was warm—very nice and enjoyable.
We just witnessed a few dolphins entertaining us with their cool jumps. Since our attention was distracted, our stowaway blue-footed booby decided to take off and leave us with great pictures and a bit of poop to take care of later. It was fun to see it move from place to place over the last 20 hours, I am thinking to find the perfect takeoff spot.
As I see birds out here, I always wonder how they live so far from land. Then my thoughts go to the explorers of old and the Pilgrims that were brave to come out on the ocean to find a new world. It’s easy to look out and think one is just going to fall off at some point. I hope that I have found a time or two when I was that brave.
Life is good and I’m looking forward to the crossing the line ceremony as we cross the Equator. Since I am a veteran Shellback, what do these Pollywogs have in store? A special moment for all. Thankful to be here enjoying each day.
- Linda McDavid | FALKEN Crew
P.S. If you are reading this blog, please write some comments in the section below and we’ll send it over to the crew to read. I am sure they will love it :)
- Mia & Andy (shore support on Leg 5, Panama to Galapagos)
FALKENCrew
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”For some things, we will never be ready.” - Moana 2
After 852 miles of open ocean sailing, the crew of Falken dropped anchor in Moorea's Cook's Bay—not with a quiet glide in, but surfing down waves in a squall, breaking speed records and cheering each other on through the rain. What started as a plan to "just dip a toe" into offshore sailing turned into something harder to explain: the worse the conditions got, the more alive everyone felt. Turns out the question was never whether the crew was ready—it was whether they even needed to be.
Kauehi conundrum
Kauehi atoll was always on the itinerary—until the forecast made it a gamble not worth taking. Squalls, bommies, a tidal pass, and no clean escape route: sometimes the hardest call in sailing is the one that keeps you out of a place, not in it. The Tuamotus will have to wait.
Hove-to!
Falken is too fast—a problem most sailors would kill for, yet here we are, tacking back and forth across the Pacific just to kill time. A rogue low pressure system south of Tahiti has stolen the trades and scrambled our timing for the tidal window into Kauehi's pass, leaving us hove-to 45 miles short of our target in the Tuamotus. Salt licorice, dream sandwich debates, and a philosophical question about mermaid reproduction are helping pass the night.