February 10, 2025 | The Atlantic crossing of sailing yacht Adrienne started yesterday, February 9, from the Caribbean island of St. Martin. We left the harbour and passed through the bridge behind a large motor yacht. Our voyage is dramatically different from the motor vessel. We are ten guys sailing to a destination off Africa, and they probably are leaving early to make dinner on the next island.
Our crew is eight working sailors and two highly experienced professionals. We work the boat at their lead, so we have to learn to work with strangers and understand a very large yacht from one of the finest yacht yards in Finland. We also come from Sweden, Norway, Holland, and America, with different native tongues. The ship generally uses English, but the Swedes and Norwegians speak to each other in what is easiest for them.
Everyone has sailing skills of varying degrees. What is universal is the love of sailing and finally getting our chance for crossing a great ocean under sail, plus having a great adventure. These common goals unite us despite sailing skill and language differences. I think we will be lifelong friends.
From the beginning, we had to learn how to sail the boat with a uniform approach, working together. In our own boats, we do maneuvers in "our way," while now we do it the ADRIENNE way. Our leaders tell us the workable way. Simple seaman terms are explained and standardized. Today, some guys were comparing names for knots and their use. Most knots have common European ancestry developed by the early seafaring nations. When the Swedish guys say a knot name used in their country, it is the same name in English with a Scandinavian spelling and sound. We are working together despite these differences, with a smile and patience.
Another challenge is forming teams or watch groups. We were selected into two teams of four. How do you combine the personalities, skills, and existing friendships? We are on our way, and it is working well with strong teamwork. I heard we may switch up halfway through. Who knows?
A serious issue for some is seasickness. Many of us have sailed a lot but not recently or in heavy ocean waters. The boat jumps around a lot, which can easily disturb your life, used to a tranquil life at home. We were told to bring medicine and test it before we came. Some got hit hard and others lightly. We are adjusting because we have to—there are three weeks ahead of serious sailing. Find what works for you to get comfortable with seas.
Eating is an issue too. We bought a lot of provisions, including 480 eggs. How do you match up with the different diet needs and wants? With lots of bread, sandwiches were a simple type of basic food. So we have had a lot of sandwiches so far, with some mishaps already, including a peanut butter and jelly sandwich sliding off the table just as it was made and uneaten. You just clean up and make another.
Last night was our first night watches. It was a very long night just after boarding while still unadjusted to the rigors of yacht sailing at night. Another is coming soon, and we have to get mentally and physically prepared.
Many things to write about and so little time. More to come.
- Tom Coan, ADRIENNE Crew
crew@59-north.com
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Quadruple digits!
We are still headed north away from Hawaii, though today we have started to veer ever so slightly east. Speaking of miles, we hit quadruple digits today and are currently 1051 nms into our journey to Alaska. The sea state continues to calm down, and the famous North Pacific high is just out of our reach. The next few days will be a delicate dance of riding the outskirts of the high while avoiding the pesky low pressure systems that are dancing nearby. In his very wise words, we need to get north but not too far north, stay south but not too far south, continue heading east but not too far east, and avoid going west but also stay west.
The basics
Nordic Falken and her crew have been in a steady course of NNW since the departure of Hawaii. But! The good thing of all of this is that the promised land on which the high pressure lies has been getting closer and closer, meaning in a couple of days we're gonna see the wind slowly veer all the way to the South, which finally should see us easing the sails and remembering the basics of human nature all over again. The crew have been amazing and we've had everyone come around to push through fatigue, seasickness and soaking wet clothes. On another note we left the tropics a while ago and we can really feel the shift of temperature, long gone are the shorts and foulies have been the norm. Not much more apart from this, my intolerance to upwind sailing still pretty much alive but doing it with a bunch of such amazing human beings makes it worth it worthwhile.
Pacific pace
After some initial adversity, we untied our lines and left the beautiful island of O'ahu behind as we set sail north on an adventure of a lifetime. And that is exactly what we are - a family of strangers brought together by a passion for sailing and a love for the sea. The passage, while at its infancy, has delivered. The wind and seas, stars and sails all set the stage for a fantastic journey. We will see you on the other side with many stories to tell.