Day 4 At-sea
January 26, 2024
Another day is coming to an end as we watch the glare of the sun disappear through the sandy haze in the air. Life has been much quieter the last day, with the wind disappearing completely and the engine making an entrance. The good news about having the engine is the white noise it creates down below, meaning everyone has had a good sleep and spirits and energies are flying high.
The highlight of today has to be the stuff happening on deck. We all had a good clean and showered with the deck shower, and immediately after we witnessed a couple of whales coming to say hi. After that, we had different lessons on trimming followed by a delicious dinner. The deck team did great washing the deck down and tackling the sand that has been basically everywhere the last few days. Everything that once was white is now orange, and I cannot wait to give FALKEN a very well-deserved wash down in Cape Verde!
Our current ETA is Sunday morning, so only a couple of nights of enjoying the hazy sky and the wildlife before we arrive back to the “normal” world.
- Alex
laline96@gmail.com
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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!