ENJOYING THE ROUTINE
0115 UTC | 17 11.540’ N. 102 44.487 W.
Sailing
There be whales…..This morning we had the pleasure of seeing a small pod of Orca’s in the distance. Following all had a chance for a shower in Falken’s “tub”. We were treated with more sea life as dolphins were dancing in our bow-wake.
Food has been great, with skipper’s fresh baked boat bread and the telling of a sea-yarn by our mate.
- Scott
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We held out as long as possible sailing the wrong direction in light winds this morning. Eventually we had to make the call to roll up the Yankee and start the engine.
We had fun regardless, as we tend to do on the mighty ship Falken. We sang songs from our favorite musicals, played a weird version of rock, paper, scissors, and found out the story behind many turns of phrases that originated with sailing.
I promised I’d commence Sunset Poetry this evening, and treated everyone to The Sea Slug Cocktail. A classic in the Schooner world. Can’t wait to see who goes next!
We now enjoy the sunset and hope for wind.
Love to my family xx
Delaney
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Lessons and a Gift
The biggest lesson is the helm. The lesson here is that even if you don't think you can do it over and over again with no sleep, cold and damp, it has to be done and so it can be done. Flying fish are cool, dolphins are really really cool, but the coolest of them all are the whales. And most of all Alex: "Find your center Carla. Always know where your center is so you can come back to it". He means the helm but it applies to life as well.
Making the most of it
This passage has thrown pretty much every atmospheric condition imaginable at us. It reminds us not only of how much we’ve learned, but of how far we’ve literally come since that acceleration zone off the northwest corner of Oahu. The resilience this group has shown has been nothing short of incredible, and I couldn’t be prouder to be part of it. Maybe that’s why it’s the hardest passages we remember the most. Not because they were easy, but because they reminded us what we’re capable of.
Passages and Purposes
As of today, Falken has taken us over 1800nm across the North Pacific. We’ve learned about water-makers, starter motors, furling, taking in and letting out reefs, easing and grinding, weather and wind, helming by course and by wind angles, and the difference between rest and sleep. For now, the latest challenge is to stay in the moment. The memories we’ve made here are priceless, even if we only connected for a few moments on our various paths in this world. So few people get this opportunity to “go dark” and live simply for a moment.