Wednesday, June 18, 2025 | Sun, Squall, Boobies and All
We often find comfort in constants. Those wonders of each day that don’t let us down, those relentless events that create the cadence of our lives. I reached a degree of comfort here in the doldrums, due in large part to three constants—sun, sea, and soup. Yep! Plenty of each of those to be found.
The sun and I don’t always get along, but as the crew glummed and glowed at dinner time, I had to concede that we were enjoying wondrous sunsets, some pretty fine sailing, and the weather that makes it all possible because of the sun. Thank you, Sun!
The sea keeps on giving—everchanging vistas, constant mesmerizing motion, and vast power manifest in the grace of gentle rolling swells. We did see some more dolphins in the distance, and the flying fish continue to entertain. Thank you, sea!
And now we come to the soup. Although not as vast as the sea, there may be enough to constitute a body of liquid visible on Google Earth. Fortunate for us, it is delicious, nourishing, and a beautiful shade of green not otherwise seen in our current environment. There has been some chatter about mandatory soup ingestion to mitigate the situation, but we continue to be fed wonderful dinners and are grateful that the soup is there for us, constant and plentiful. Thank you, soup!
What about the boobies, you may ask? They have accompanied us on our voyage and are more frequently taking the opportunity to rest and preen on the anchor (to the bosun’s delight). This is in contrast to the boobie that took a bit of a ride on the wobbly Windex the other day. Fortunately, it did not tolerate the raucous ride for long, and the Windex was not damaged. The boobies add a little beauty and action to our day. Thank you, boobies!
We have experienced a lot of fun on the trip thus far, but the doldrums did strip some of the spice from our day. But never fear, Tara is here. She produced some of the finest tasting cold Coca Cola I’ve ever had, and shared this precious resource with the entire crew. Thank you, Tara!
Oh, the squall… Yeah, everything was feeling pretty predictable and plain until the dark clouds rallied on our flank and swallowed us up. This is the longest sustained squall yet and is appreciated as the temperature has dropped by a few degrees. Although, I do think it is appreciated most by those not on watch. Thank you, squall!
Grateful to be here with this marvelous crew! Cheers!
- Orie
Write your comments below and I’ll forward them to the boat with the daily update :) - Mia (shore support)
crew@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!