Tuesday 28 May 2024 | 1545 UTC
FALKEN is cruising right along at 8-9 knots and has completed 484 nautical miles within the first three days of our voyage. The last twenty-four hours have been tough with moderate sea state and wind speeds, but the crew has been in high spirits since the change in weather. The moderate winds have given us the opportunity to put up the staysail and Yankee along with a reefed main. It is wonderful to see how excited and attentive the crew has been to FALKEN. I have only been on FALKEN for nearly two weeks, and to experience her alive with a full crew is something else.
- Athena
59ºNorthApprentice
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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!