Boobies
April 14, 2025 | FALKEN
Being at sea thousands of miles from land is a vulnerable place to be at times, and none more so than when the watermaker decides to malfunction. Our ability to desalinate salt water enables us to sail long distances without the need to carry arduous amounts of fresh water, but the operation requires constant maintenance and supervision. It quickly becomes a consideration of survival when this system fails and reminds us of the finite nature of the essentials that we very much take for granted in day-to-day life.
Thankfully this evening, Andy and crew went about a series of maintenance tasks that resulted in a happy outcome as healthy water once again flowed through the high-pressure system and into our tanks. We would always have enough to drink, but we have become used to a surplus with which we can occasionally shower and rinse our dishes after a salt water wash. The relief across the boat was tangible as the threat of losing one of our few luxuries was eventually overcome.
As we meet our daily challenges, we are rewarded by the constant delight of surfing down impressive Pacific swells in the sunshine, and I think I speak for many when I say how much I look forward to the cooler night air as the evenings draw in. Our daily ritual of ‘glums and glows’ during dinner is a time to unite the crew between the watch systems, to air our challenges and share our highlights.
Today, we have taken on a new crew member in the form of a Boobie that we have named Barbara, and who this afternoon was joined by what we can only assume to be her mate (Brian). As I type this, the two birds appear to be engaging in some after-dark activities on the aft guy, which is providing much amusement for the on-watch team. It’s amazing how much appreciation we all have for our new friends and how much entertainment they have provided.
It seems that without the distractions of the wider world, it’s the simple things that bring us joy.
Oops, have to go now, apparently Barbara just pooped on Hilary’s face…
- Emily
EmilyCaruso
View more passage logs
Quadruple digits!
We are still headed north away from Hawaii, though today we have started to veer ever so slightly east. Speaking of miles, we hit quadruple digits today and are currently 1051 nms into our journey to Alaska. The sea state continues to calm down, and the famous North Pacific high is just out of our reach. The next few days will be a delicate dance of riding the outskirts of the high while avoiding the pesky low pressure systems that are dancing nearby. In his very wise words, we need to get north but not too far north, stay south but not too far south, continue heading east but not too far east, and avoid going west but also stay west.
The basics
Nordic Falken and her crew have been in a steady course of NNW since the departure of Hawaii. But! The good thing of all of this is that the promised land on which the high pressure lies has been getting closer and closer, meaning in a couple of days we're gonna see the wind slowly veer all the way to the South, which finally should see us easing the sails and remembering the basics of human nature all over again. The crew have been amazing and we've had everyone come around to push through fatigue, seasickness and soaking wet clothes. On another note we left the tropics a while ago and we can really feel the shift of temperature, long gone are the shorts and foulies have been the norm. Not much more apart from this, my intolerance to upwind sailing still pretty much alive but doing it with a bunch of such amazing human beings makes it worth it worthwhile.
Pacific pace
After some initial adversity, we untied our lines and left the beautiful island of O'ahu behind as we set sail north on an adventure of a lifetime. And that is exactly what we are - a family of strangers brought together by a passion for sailing and a love for the sea. The passage, while at its infancy, has delivered. The wind and seas, stars and sails all set the stage for a fantastic journey. We will see you on the other side with many stories to tell.