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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Kärt barn har många namn
A dear child goes by many a name, or as we say in Swedish "kärt barn har många namn". This is the case for many a person, but also some species, not least the Mahi mahi, which also goes by dolphin fish, golden mackerel, and dorado, among others. Soon, we could see the fish jump, a hundred feet or so behind the boat, and as I kept reeling, a beautiful Mahi appeared under the surface. Manot showed us how to clean and fillet it, and after a complete team effort two large fillets are now in the freezer of Adrienne II.
Cast off the lines
When we awoke it was overcast but the Brazilian sun quickly burned the clouds away and we were left with blue skies. We reviewed some safety procedures, cleaned the boat and had an exciting Person Overboard (POB) recovery. Once we were underway spirits soared as we pointed the bow toward the Canary Islands. As I write this we are heading upwind and dealing with all that involves, and working into our first watches. It is hot, a bit bumpy but we are sailing!!
People Get Ready!
The last three days have been an intense (and intensely hot) period of discovery, practice, and planning. Because Adrienne II is not a 59N boat, there's been some extra setup and coordination needed including rigging all the sails that were out for repairs before we arrived. Its been a blast working alongside the 59N team getting to help them work things out on a less familiar boat in real time. Tomorrow morning we'll run through our Person Over Board training as the final pre-departure task, cast off and head out. Can't know all that it will be, but its going to be a great adventure out in the vast world with some pretty fantastic people.