Epic Downwind!
By 8am we had our big pink spinnaker flying and managed to keep it all the way until the afternoon when the breeze died off and our iron sail (aka the engine) made an entrance for a few hours. Some of the highlights of today include sighting a pot of Orcas about 5 boat lenghts from us, spotting the Southern Cross….
The first 24 hours in the Pacific have been absolutely magic. Last night was one for epic sailing. FALKEN powered along at 15+ knots in 35 knot winds, surfing down some steep waves as we lost sight of Panama in our stern. As the night passed, the breeze eased off and we were able to shake out our 2 reefs and go back to full sails by sunrise.
By 8am we had our big pink spinnaker flying and managed to keep it all the way until the afternoon when the breeze died off and our iron sail (aka the engine) made an entrance for a few hours. Some of the highlights of today include sighting a pod of Orcas about 5 boat lengths from us, spotting the Southern Cross and the North Star in the same sky, and the bioluminescent water that makes us feel like we’re floating in space.
Right now we’ve got the engine back on after drifting for a couple of hours taking in the starry skies. As we move further south, the weather is becoming a bit more unpredictable and with the ITCZ in sight we are expecting some thunderstorms and light winds in the next couple of days.
Everyone is well onboard and we’re all in a state of “drift,” lost in all of the magic surrounding us.
Love to all—Alex, FALKEN Skipper
P.S. If you are reading this blog, please write some comments in the section below and we’ll send it over to the crew to read. I am sure they will love it :)
Mia & Andy (shore support on Leg 5, Panama to Galapagos)
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By Alex. FALKEN Skipper | After a windless night drifting between Santa Catalina and San Clemente Islands, we finally managed to find the wind! As soon as the breeze filled in, Adam had just wrapped up his great lesson on boat-keeping and manuals,
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By Alex. FALKEN Skipper | Yesterday we left Ensenada at around 08:30 in the morning. It was sunny and you could barely feel any wind in your face. We went through the process of hoisting sails and straight away we dived into reefing drills followed by tacking. After 6 reefs and 12 tacks, we decided to settle into the watch system and embrace the night.