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
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A last hurrah
Under the dome of stars in a moon-less sky, each of us during our time at the helm used the most rudimentary celestial navigation, keeping a star or two lined up with the mast as a helper to following the heading range. It was a whole crew event to set the spinnaker, reef the mainsail and practice the heave-to in case of man overboard. Alex stressed that the key to success in all of these crucial activities is preparation. It was hugely satisfying to accomplish these tasks through teamwork. We share a constant good hearted back and forth full of stories, one-liners and comebacks that also means constant laughter.
One little bird!
Falken has almost rounded the Channel Islands and is cruising along splendidly about 100 miles offshore. Though several models predicted some slightly fresher winds today, we were met with a consistent 18-20 kts of pure bliss. It seems that from the moment we left the dock in San Francisco, there has been much laughter and conversation amongst everyone. The plan is to gybe in a few hours and begin our approach to Ensenada. As much as I do appreciate the jokes and intellectual musings, I equally appreciate the natural, silent moments we share at night, all of us on watch gazing up above to the shooting stars, constellations, and planets putting on their quiet show.
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.