Day 3 At-sea
January 25, 2024
Well, what a difference a day makes! From three reefs and a partial jib to full sail, and eventually reverting to the trusty iron sail as the wind finally disappeared this evening. The crew have been having a ball and feeling jubilant to have conquered some rather large seas and fairly fruity gusts over the last 24 hours. Any sickness has abated and the laughter continues to emanate from across the hull. Even the dolphins showed up to wish the crew congratulations for having taken on the might of Mother Nature at her finest.
The predominant easterlies today have been a stark reminder of our proximity to the Sahara Desert, most of which now appears to be on board FALKEN, who looks as though she has undertaken a dodgy spray tan. The deck hose will no doubt be active as soon as we emerge from this giant orange cloud.
It’s sad to see the wind drop after such an incredible 48 hours, reaching some amazing speeds and surfing down the face of waves in the moonlight, but the crew are finally able to rest well and energy levels are returning to the good ship FALKEN. As ever, it’s inspiring to see friendships formed amidst the camaraderie that is synonymous with this kind of adventure. Looking forward to another amazing day tomorrow.
EmilyCaruso
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People Get Ready!
The last three days have been an intense (and intensely hot) period of discovery, practice, and planning. Because Adrienne II is not a 59N boat, there's been some extra setup and coordination needed including rigging all the sails that were out for repairs before we arrived. Its been a blast working alongside the 59N team getting to help them work things out on a less familiar boat in real time. Tomorrow morning we'll run through our Person Over Board training as the final pre-departure task, cast off and head out. Can't know all that it will be, but its going to be a great adventure out in the vast world with some pretty fantastic people.
Among the Channel Islands
In the wind shadow of SoCal we had a restful night with calm conditions ghosting through smooth seas. We’re getting ourselves in position for spicy weather tonight once we round Cape Conception, the seas build and the breeze freshens. It will be an upwind sail into an acceleration zone along a formable coast with few bailout points, Morro Bay being one. The crew is really gelling with lots of smiles and laughter on deck. Monterey is in our sights!
Day Two Delights
The seas were completely glassy with a gentle swell as we approached San Clemente Island, the southernmost of the Channel Islands. Everyone jumped in and marvelled at the lovely temperature and crystal clear, indigo-colored water. Before long the wind started to pick up, and we happily unfurled the jib and were sailing again. The afternoon has been gorgeous, cruising along at 5-6 kts, close hauled on a port tack in a gentle breeze, Catalina Island in the distance on our starboard side, and everyone is happy.