26°04.67' N 018°00.12' W
October 17, 2025 | 10:30 UTC | 26°04.67' N 018°00.12' W | Code Zero
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
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A last hurrah
Under the dome of stars in a moon-less sky, each of us during our time at the helm used the most rudimentary celestial navigation, keeping a star or two lined up with the mast as a helper to following the heading range. It was a whole crew event to set the spinnaker, reef the mainsail and practice the heave-to in case of man overboard. Alex stressed that the key to success in all of these crucial activities is preparation. It was hugely satisfying to accomplish these tasks through teamwork. We share a constant good hearted back and forth full of stories, one-liners and comebacks that also means constant laughter.
One little bird!
Falken has almost rounded the Channel Islands and is cruising along splendidly about 100 miles offshore. Though several models predicted some slightly fresher winds today, we were met with a consistent 18-20 kts of pure bliss. It seems that from the moment we left the dock in San Francisco, there has been much laughter and conversation amongst everyone. The plan is to gybe in a few hours and begin our approach to Ensenada. As much as I do appreciate the jokes and intellectual musings, I equally appreciate the natural, silent moments we share at night, all of us on watch gazing up above to the shooting stars, constellations, and planets putting on their quiet show.
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.