Day 2
June 19, 2024 | 19:30 UTC
As we left the harbor, we had to make the decision to either turn east or west. From the weather forecast, heading west meant sailing upwind in a light breeze for 24 hours, then motoring for a while as we would pass through the center of the high before sailing on a broad reach as we entered the western sector of the high and started to sail downwind. Heading east would mean three days of upwind sailing in a fresh breeze with the accompanying sea state, before the wind would swing southwest on Friday. We all agreed that three days upwind was disagreeable, so west it was.
So far, the forecast has been spot on. We had a very pleasant sail to start with: 12 knots true on a flattish sea with just a 15-degree heel. This afternoon we started motoring, but should find wind again later tonight. This gave everyone time to find their sea legs and to get used to helming and sailing on Falken. Once the southwesterly wind fills in, we should have a fast and fun run almost all the way to Ireland.
On a different note, we have already seen an incredible amount of wildlife: from birds to several whales (one right next to the boat), to dolphins and big game fish jumping. So far, it has been a very enjoyable trip.
Fair winds and a following sea,
Chris
ChrisKobusch
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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.