00°10’1N, 089°11.2’W
Tuesday, 25th of March, 00°10’1N 089°11.2’W, 08:05 Local Time, 13:05 UTC
A renaissance painting to the east; pink boobies on the pulpit fighting for the best position; layers of fluffy white clouds with dark purple bottoms dumping rain on the horizon, all the while flashing silent lightning fireworks. This epic, dramatic sunrise has been served to the lucky crew on deck. A few moments ago, a flock of frigates in vee formation soared overhead, welcoming us to the equator.
For the past few days, the weather forecast has been: no wind, not now, not in a few hours, not in a few days, not ever on this passage. To our delight, we have been graced with minutes, hours, days of excellent wind and breezes. Every chance we get, we unleash that Yankee, grinding the sheets, easing the furling line, adjusting the main—even if it means two minutes later we have to roll it all back in because the wind has flatlined. We do it for the blissful moment of silence that comes when Diesel shuts up, and Falken, ever hungry for speed, leaps to attention, grabbing onto any wisp of air. We have asked her politely to slow down, but this boat simply cannot sit still. She is beautiful and majestic, slicing through this sea with grace and glamour, strength and poise.
Thank you, dear FALKEN, for keeping us safe, moving at warp speed, yet staying put while we splashed around in a location that no human has ever swum in before. Yesterday, while Alex composed the entire crew for a gybe and consequent reefing, FALKEN waited patiently, immediately soaring into action when we fell into the cockpit panting, sweating, arms shaking, pleased with the team effort.
FALKEN is obviously delighted to explore the Pacific Ocean, and this first leg is just the beginning of an epic adventure. I feel so lucky to be here.
- Libby Haslam | 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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Birds and glows
The sun brought new wind and we were soon putting up the Yankee (jib) and turning off the motor. During the evening tradition of sharing “glums and glows” that follows the crew dinner, our Mate Ryan proclaimed it a “champagne sailing” kind of day. As Alex noted this evening, life goes by so fast that one of the very best things about his line of work is enjoying the passage of time in the slow lane of an ocean passage. But by tomorrow, the green blobs in the weather sailing app indicate we’re going to pick up some significant northwesterly winds and we’ll take them ever further south to the Channel Islands latitude. We’re all super excited for the knots to climb and to see Falken really run.
Golden Day
The Pacific is giving us “the shimmer” - with a still flat sea seven hours out of San Francisco Bay, we’re motoring south along the shipping channel, with an hour to go to what teases now as a stunning sunset against wispy clouds. Throughout this first day of Falken 11 the sails have unfurled and been furled again as skipper Alex tries to fill them a meager breeze indeed. We’ve seen a few whales traveling along the route, and an otter that was sadly just a buoy. It’s the first open ocean sail for many of us and it’s a thrill to anticipate all the new experiences we’ll have.
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.