02:50 UTC | 37.10N 122.36W
Sailing
The Pacific is giving us “the shimmer” - with a still flat sea seven hours out of San Francisco Bay, we’re motoring south along the shipping channel, with an hour to go to what teases now as a stunning sunset against wispy clouds. Throughout this first day of Falken 11 the sails have unfurled and been furled again as skipper Alex tries to fill them a meager breeze indeed. But no matter - we are laughing and getting to know one another and the specialness of this boat, taking the left over swells from hurricane Maria as gentle reminders to keep the faith in the power of the Pacific.
And what better to do when we’re poking along than throw a line off the stern and jump in the sea. An unexpected early benefit to this non-stop voyage, with crew sucking in air at the shock to the system the very cold water brings, then smiles of satisfaction.
We’ve seen a few whales traveling along the route, and an otter that was sadly just a buoy. We’re all learning to log the stats and feelings and some of us are remembering the names of sails and halyards that were learned but then forgotten in disuse. Everyone is very generous to help a mate, share the helm, double up to “sweat” the halyard.
My first watch will be from 9-12 tonight when a few of the models predict our wind will kick in. Could it be I’ll be rigging in the dark with my watch team? It’s the first open ocean sail for many of us and it’s a thrill to anticipate all the new experiences we’ll have.
Lynn
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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!
Farewell by dolphins
We headed out of the marina in Monterey CA at about 10AM in sunny weather to meet winds of ~20kts and 3m smooth swell with long periods. FALKEN is surfing along the coast of California, ship’s time 1PM as I write. As we motored out into the bay, we were wished farewell by a pod of dolphins nearby and a couple of whales in the distance. Though, unfortunately one crew member met the green dragon in the swell.
The Human Factor
Thus our existence slowly reverted to a much simpler form of being. We start to notice the smaller things, we start looking up and around, we start observing our thoughts. Sailing can be a great social accelerator. Sharing hardship and milestones, friendships are born and evolve at a speed that would seem impossible from land. And after those three weeks spent with you, I am getting ready to leave our vessel with the profound conviction that those bonds will stay with us for the rest of our lives.
