Day 6
There's nothing like tinned pineapple and peaches with yoghurt to start the day, and the on-watch took great delight in the refreshing treat as we watched the sun rise. The wind keeps teasing us with a direct course to Port Antonio before switching direction and forcing us to come higher. Nonetheless, we should be arriving early tomorrow, having made exceptional time along the way. Natalie has been educating us about the tragic situation in Haiti as we head north into the Jamaica Channel and pass between the two islands. It's hard to sit in the tranquility that we are so very privileged to be experiencing and picture the chaos, fear, and humanitarian crisis taking place just 45 nm away. – Emily
EmilyCaruso
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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!