34º11.5 N, 121º03.8 W
November 5, 2025 | 1400 LT/2200 UTC | 34º11.5 N, 121º03.8 W | Dolphins & Calm Seas
The seas have calmed down a lot from last night, giving us a much more comfortable ride as we head east on a starboard tack. A couple of hours ago we encountered a pod of 20-25 dolphins leaping from the sea at right angles to us; they passed under the keel and went off towards the open ocean. Spirits on watch are high, as most of us managed to get a decent chunk of sleep despite pounding waves earlier in the morning. Cirrostratus clouds are shielding us from direct sun while letting in lots of light and flashes of arctic blue sky. No traffic lately besides the dolphins and a curious petrel. Hopes are high that in the next day or so we can try some down-wind sailing, weather permitting. Many of us are using the calmer weather to practice our photography, and plans are already being made for a round of fancy margaritas in Ensenada.
Margaret H. | FALKEN Crew
FALKENCrew
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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.