February 25, Day 17 | Life on the Heel is Real
And so we embark on our final leg of the voyage, just as we began. Adrienne is looking her finest, dressed in a double-reefed main and the staysail holding strong, constantly drenched in saltwater and driving hard! Once again, we are close-hauled against the trades. Class 3 whitewater waves cover her deck every 50 waves or so, keeping things fun and exciting.
Both above and below decks, whether simply traversing around the helm or negotiating the head, logistical contemplation is essential—no different than planning the first series of hop turns skiing down a steep couloir. A walk to the galley, with Adrienne at full heel, is an adventure in itself, not to mention the companionway stairs and helming.
Some say they are ready to go back to “real life.” Some of us agree to disagree; this is as real as life gets. In the next 24 hours, we will catch our first glimpse of the Canaries. Bernard Moitessier felt love at first sight when he did so via celestial navigation in the 1960s. Our crew is weathered, exhausted, and strong. We have cared for and supported one another beyond comprehension. Adrienne continues to charge and only wants more sailing. She is a remarkable vessel.
Mahalo Captain Erik and first mate Tim; you have empowered your crew to safely navigate squalls, to catch glimpses of sleep whenever possible, and to helm Adrienne in the fashion that suits her. The long tack to round La Palma is in process—Adrienne will be hauled out and set up with a new outfit for her next voyage across the sea.
—Ryan Redmond, 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.