Latitude: 13° 14.349' N
Longitude: 35° 32.445' W
10 Feb, 2024
Ship’s Time: 0214
13º 14.349 N, 035º 32.445 W
Steering 280º at 8-9 knots
It is the start of day 5, which is officially the longest I have ever sailed at one time without seeing land. I am Captain Jen, normally a skipper of one of the two schooners, Woodwind and Woodwind II in Annapolis, MD. This is also my first trans-Atlantic crossing.
Tonight (slightly after midnight), under wing and wing sailing, it feels more like we are sailing through the night sky than sailing through the water. There is a mesmerizing ocean swell that is rocking everyone to sleep below. On deck, for me, is this weird sail plan of the mainsail that is safely prevented almost all the way out on one side (think of a right triangle with the top pointing up to Orion), while the high-footed jib, aka “blast reacher,” is poled out in the shape of a rooftop where the top of the roof is pointed opposite of the main boom. It is a sight I have never seen. And now add endless stars with no moon and it feels like we are at the helm of a tiny spaceship, not a sailing ship, and more like a satellite. Amazing!
This was the cherry on top of a great day that included freshly baked focaccia by Manot. The talent of this crew is melding together so nicely and the routine from day to day has set in. We are about to hit 700 nautical miles sailed as I wrap up this report. Back to the spaceship—now I know why Andy got a tattoo of the Millennium “FALKEN” on his forearm.
— Jen
Photos are from our previous boat ICEBEAR, a 1991 Swan 59, sailing wing-on-wing as Jen described above.
FALKENCrew
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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.
Dolphins and Bioluminescence
We had a good run with the sails but weather has changed and we are once again chasing the wind. Everyone is getting a chance to practice helming in big swell; starting to get a feel of the wind and water and how it pushes and pulls the hull. A pod of dolphins came to visit at night, splashing in the bioluminescent water, and again in the day, dancing in the bow wake. For now enjoying the calmer sea state and falling asleep to the rumble of the engine and the gentle whooshing of the water on the hull.
Greetings from Lala Lemonshark
The brave crew is toughing it out and staying cheerful despite being tossed around. The engine is off and we are true sailing-main and jib. In the first 12 hours we saw two pods of Orca and four humpback whales, two of which were 20 yards off the starboard beam!