The ten-man crew of Adrienne have had about ten days at sea and maybe a week more before we arrive in the Canaries. Life revolves around the winds and watch schedule to sail the best through those winds. Those winds not only propel the yacht forward but also supply the energy for the waves. Higher winds here or somewhere make bigger waves. Waves come in all shapes as well, with some friendly and others troublesome. We have had it all, making steering at times arduous as you muscle your way down a narrow path to control the boat. Do it right and it is marvelous; do it wrong and it can cause havoc.
We are lucky to have a skilled crew who have learned how Adrienne handles in all the varied conditions coming our way. Especially skilled are the Captain and First Mate. They know their sailing. They have gently kept us sailing efficiently and taught us the skills necessary to manage a big boat at sea. Especially critical on this voyage is navigating amongst the constant passing of cold fronts and warm fronts. Catch the fronts right and it is "smooth" sailing. Catch them wrong and it makes for prolonged misery. Our Captain, with his computers and land-based help, has led us through the maze to get the best results for fun sailing and a speedy passage. I hope for the same during the remaining week.
- Tom Coan, ADRIENNE crew
crew@59-north.com
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”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.