4°55.5' N 027°00.2' W
October 8, 2025 | 18:20 UTC | 4°55.5' N 027°00.2' W
First week offshore! Wow, first week offshore! Let's take this from the start. We departed from Salvador, after a great skipper meeting, during the afternoon in beautiful and great conditions. Nice wind and some waves (according to Tim, not more than a 1m…). After a fantastic pasta carbonara made by David, we started the night shift. Around 10 pm I started to feel a bit sick even though I had taken the medication. I knew that could be an issue but was not sure. Tried to contribute but could never go below deck, and I just realized that it has always been my wonderful mother being downstairs when we were out sailing during my youth.
Unfortunately, we were three people out of four in “Team A” that felt seasickness. However, everything's just fine when you work together, especially when you have Vilgot on your team! A big thank you to Vilgot and everyone else that worked so hard for us underneath the deck! You literally saved us! A person once told me about seasickness: “First it feels like you are going to die, then you want to die, and then suddenly it's gone.” After 20 hours it was gone and life onboard started!
Life on a sailing boat is about trust and taking care of each other. On this boat, we all have the same goal: to come safely to Gran Canaria and at the same time sail fast forward in an enjoyable way. It is therefore amazing to be on the water around the clock with people you have never met before, building up this happy ship with positive momentum and a high level of knowledge. Imagine doing yoga on the aft deck or sailing downwind in perfect conditions of sun, temperature, and wind, listening to your daughter's offline playlist on Spotify. That’s our amazing reality—every day! A fantastic constellation of people.
From a sailing perspective, this first week has been great. I was prepared for 20 days of upwind, but after two days we eased our sails and bared away. A great feeling to work with this mature lady, Adrianne, and see how much she loves the wind of 20 knots. We have had an average speed around 9 knots, which is quite good for a boat with a weight of 35,000 kg! Today we hoisted the gennaker—a 230 square meter sail—and she is moving forward as on rails. Happy ship!
I am also impressed with Eric and Tim, our skipper and first mate. Eric has fantastic knowledge of weather (taking us safely across the Atlantic) but also his modern leadership of communication, engagement, and involvement. Tim is the reason why I selected this trip, and I am certain that everyone who has been sailing with him knows what I mean. If you haven’t—you should, because he is just fantastic!
A huge thank you to everyone on the ship contributing and making this trip as good as it really is! Last but not least… the feeling of being disconnected. This is the first time I sit in front of a computer (been tricky before…). It is so good to be only “here” without disturbing electronic notices—something I will bring back home. Now I need to continue to do what I do every day: sail, eat, and sleep….
To my family back home—LYA ❤️♥️💜
Jim | ADRIENNE II Skipper
crew@59-north.com
View more passage logs
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!