26°04.67' N 018°00.12' W
After a day of motoring and calm glassy seas, and then sailing as much as we could in between the periods of light winds, the wind filled in as the weather models predicted. The Azores high pressure has given us the most gentle and silky seas. With the wind now from the NW, we have had the glory of being on a beam reach all night with a fine course to Gran Canaria. ADRIENNE was delighted to be gliding through the seas so calmly, letting those down below sleep tight.
It’s finally cool enough below; no one seems quite ready to get out of bed. When it was once so hot, it was imperative that you came up for air when you opened your eyes. However, even now, once you are up on deck, it couldn’t be more perfect. The sailing has been delightful, and the sea and sky are always full of wonders. There were some dolphins that swam by, bioluminescence in the bow waves, and plenty of shooting stars to mesmerize us.
With 10-14 knots of wind, the Code Zero went up after sunrise. We are now cruising along under the main, jib, and Code Zero. There is a constant reminder from ADRIENNE to savor every moment and soak it all in. Time is a precious thing. At the time I am starting to write this, we are only 240 nautical miles from our destination on the southern shore of Gran Canaria.
Thoughts of home and family, going for hikes and running, returning to jobs, and what’s next are circling in our heads. But how lucky are we to be out here, experiencing the grandeur of this part of the world. It is evident that all souls on board are really making the most out of our time at sea, savoring the sweetness of a long passage to a distant land. Soon enough, a 2800m volcanic island will be on our horizon, the first glimpse of land since we left the bright lights of the Brazilian coast many moons ago.
Our wind is predicted to drop to 0-4 knots sometime tonight, so we will sail as far and efficiently as we can towards our destination. We all know that soon enough we will have to start motoring. To my family, I cannot wait to see you all! And Thomas, I am so looking forward to sailing with you soon. Next passage we do together, and I promise it will be with cooler temperatures.
Brittany | Adrienne II Crew
crew@59-north.com
View more passage logs
”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.