Day 2
Monday, 27 May 2024, 2000 GMT
Before we left Bermuda, we studied the weather and went through all the possible routing options. In the end, with all weather models predicting northerly winds for the last three days of our trip, we decided to take the northern route. This is adding some extra miles, but hopefully we will be in a better position for the predicted northerlies.
So far, we have had two slow days with very light or sometimes even no wind at all. Luckily, the sea was as flat as it gets, without that residue swell that sometimes slaps the little wind there is out of the sails.
The crew has been patiently steering FALKEN, slowly building some speed and then keeping it up. They have done a great job, and we only had to motor when the windex stopped moving entirely. It gave everyone some time to settle into boat life and get used to helming. However, it started to get a little bit boring, and we all wished for a bit more wind.
To our delight, the weather forecast was correct: by mid-morning the wind started building and veering. FALKEN settled on a close reach with a full mainsail and yankee, slowly following the wind around until we were on course to our next waypoint. This afternoon, the wind increased even more and we put the first reef into the mainsail. FALKEN is now gliding along at 8, 9, 9 and a half knots boat speed with a constant 20-degree heel. Fantastic sailing!
Not so fantastic for our apprentice Athena, though, who is on dinner duty tonight. Cooking for 11 people whilst at a 20-degree heel is a bit painful. So we furled the yankee and hoisted the staysail. This reduced the angle of heel to a more manageable 15 degrees, and FALKEN, the fast and slippery boat she is, still powers along at 8 knots plus.
For the next 48 hours, the forecast predicts a steady Force 4 to 5 with the wind veering from the ESE to the SSW, which will allow us to sail more freely. This probably means reaching with the mainsail, staysail, and yankee—FALKEN’s favorite point of sail! Fast sailing guaranteed.
Fair winds and a following sea,
- Chris
ChrisKobusch
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HMS Night Watch Party
Wing on wing worked well until the wind shifted then the helm became the cone of despair for our night watch crew of three (H, M and S) Alex made the decision to drop the pole, shifting wing on wing to a close reach. Wind increased to low teens and speed picked up to a flying pace. Day spent wandering toward Ensenada. Alex, Adam and David got us into port under another starry night.
No Kitemares Today
After a night marked by sudden wind accelerations peeling off Point Conception, and a vibrant, pulsating sky blistered with shooting stars, the off-watch woke to commotion on the foredeck. The wind had gone light and the swell had tapered just enough to raise the spinnaker. The sail filled with an urgent pop, the sheet strained and Falken charged down the face of the next wave. By mid-day, we doused the spinnaker and set our minds to the more precise task of safely punching through a gap in the notorious Cortez Bank. The border to Mexico looms ahead.
The California coast
We had a very lively first day of sailing with steady winds between 25 and 30 kn gusting to mid 30s. All of the crew got experience at difficult downwind helming as we covered 200 nautical miles in the first 24 hours. This morning brings winds in the teens and calmer seas. The sun is still shining, and the green monster has been slayed by those afflicted!