I believe that there are many lessons to be learned from sailing, and one of them is the ability to adapt. Today tested the crew’s ability to adapt to weather; with the uncertain weather forecasts, we had to be patient. The morning started with light winds. We have been managing our expectations with the uncertain wind for the last few days. Chris informed us that we would sail past Horta, then tack to see if the wind would be more favorable on a starboard tack once the wind shifted. We undid the reefs to the Yankee and reef two in the main, averaging 7.7 speed over ground for most of the morning. Dolphins, whales, and a nearby sailing vessel provided entertainment for the crew. The smooth sea state also allowed the crew to get some well-needed rest during their off watch.
By 1100 local time, the wind started to shift unfavorably from our compass course of 110. We decided to follow our prior plan and shook out the last reef and tacked onto a course of 330 True. Within minutes, we realized that we could not sail high enough and would be following our previous course. We tacked back onto a port tack and decided it was time to motor. Before we fully committed to motoring, the crew prepared to stow the Yankee and bend on the Jib to have the option to sail higher in lighter winds. The motor was switched on at 1700 local time, and the Jib was fully bent on by 1730. With all hands assisting with the Yankee and Jib, they made quick work.
The day is winding down. The crew is happy to have more time line handling, and even more so for the hot shower. I can see the confidence and enthusiasm in the crew building during these sail maneuvers, and it has been a wonderful opportunity to watch everyone succeed in these moments.
- Athena
59ºNorthApprentice
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”For some things, we will never be ready.” - Moana 2
After 852 miles of open ocean sailing, the crew of Falken dropped anchor in Moorea's Cook's Bay—not with a quiet glide in, but surfing down waves in a squall, breaking speed records and cheering each other on through the rain. What started as a plan to "just dip a toe" into offshore sailing turned into something harder to explain: the worse the conditions got, the more alive everyone felt. Turns out the question was never whether the crew was ready—it was whether they even needed to be.
Kauehi conundrum
Kauehi atoll was always on the itinerary—until the forecast made it a gamble not worth taking. Squalls, bommies, a tidal pass, and no clean escape route: sometimes the hardest call in sailing is the one that keeps you out of a place, not in it. The Tuamotus will have to wait.
Hove-to!
Falken is too fast—a problem most sailors would kill for, yet here we are, tacking back and forth across the Pacific just to kill time. A rogue low pressure system south of Tahiti has stolen the trades and scrambled our timing for the tidal window into Kauehi's pass, leaving us hove-to 45 miles short of our target in the Tuamotus. Salt licorice, dream sandwich debates, and a philosophical question about mermaid reproduction are helping pass the night.