Day 5 At-sea
January 27, 2024
Just as we thought we had run out of luck, the breeze has shifted and lifted, and FALKEN is making her way by wind power once again. This really has been a multi-faceted passage, which the crew have responded to with constant energy and enthusiasm. Each and every one of them can now confidently helm downwind without coaching, and a less vigorous sea state has certainly helped with development.
Deck showers were followed by a washdown yesterday, and yet the ever-persistent Sahara sand continues to taunt us, albeit with slightly less rigor. It was a welcome sight to see the sun today in all its glory, and the heat is noticeably increasing as the numbers fall from our latitude.
So as we close in on the coast of Sao Vicente and Mindelo draws closer, it is perfectly fitting that we are able to switch off the engine and enjoy the final hours of our passage with only the sound of water lapping the hull and the laughter that continues from the cockpit.
- Emily
EmilyCaruso
View more passage logs
Birds and glows
The sun brought new wind and we were soon putting up the Yankee (jib) and turning off the motor. During the evening tradition of sharing “glums and glows” that follows the crew dinner, our Mate Ryan proclaimed it a “champagne sailing” kind of day. As Alex noted this evening, life goes by so fast that one of the very best things about his line of work is enjoying the passage of time in the slow lane of an ocean passage. But by tomorrow, the green blobs in the weather sailing app indicate we’re going to pick up some significant northwesterly winds and we’ll take them ever further south to the Channel Islands latitude. We’re all super excited for the knots to climb and to see Falken really run.
Golden Day
The Pacific is giving us “the shimmer” - with a still flat sea seven hours out of San Francisco Bay, we’re motoring south along the shipping channel, with an hour to go to what teases now as a stunning sunset against wispy clouds. Throughout this first day of Falken 11 the sails have unfurled and been furled again as skipper Alex tries to fill them a meager breeze indeed. We’ve seen a few whales traveling along the route, and an otter that was sadly just a buoy. It’s the first open ocean sail for many of us and it’s a thrill to anticipate all the new experiences we’ll have.
Seasickness
But maybe, I thought, with some drugs I could stay ahead of it. The first 48 hours I felt horrible. But luckily with 3 health care professionals on board and in a very encouraging environment, my body found its way. Anyway, someone offered me a patch (unavailable in Canada) and someone else gave me some pills for nausea and now I feel much, much better.