gybing into position

January 19, 2025, 12:30 UTC | Gybing into Position

I’m already having to ask the team what day it is despite being just 48 hours into our epic passage. We started on a mission south with a view to getting below the high pressure that is about to dominate the waters south of the Canaries. Speed is up and down, and we completed our first gybe with the pole yesterday afternoon. The west that we banked took us clear of the Moroccan coast and allowed us to gybe for a second time this morning, setting us back on a SSW course towards Cape Verde.

The next goal is to reach 20N ahead of the building swell that is the result of a deep low well north of us and its associated fronts. From there, we should be able to sail directly towards Antigua, albeit responding to the later forecasts as we proceed.

Derek and Jillian are practicing bringing the sun down to the horizon with the sextant as I type. Sarah is updating our paper charts with the latest fix, and the crew are all lunching on noodles as the watches change over once again.

Last night, the disco jellyfish entertained us with a light display as they bounced off of FALKEN’s hull and left a stream of glowing balls astern of us. I’d say we were well settled into the watches already, which is a very good sign of things to come.

— Emily