0249 UTC | 15° 22.86’S 144° 39.98’W
Sailing
It’s the evening of our fifth day of this passage and Falken is hove-to about 45nm northeast of Kauehi, our target in the Tuamotos. We weren’t quite swift enough to make the 10am slack we need to transit Kauehi’s southern pass today, and need to stall until our window tomorrow morning. A funky low pressure system lingering just south of Tahiti is to blame, and sucked the energy out of the usually reliable easterly trades yesterday.
On the bright side, it has been smooth sailing today—almost too smooth. We’ve been trying (and mostly failing) to slow Falken down all day, putting in extra reefs and heaving to. We even tacked back and forth a few times, retracing her bubbly trail, just to waste some time. Funny, isn’t it, how hard it is to strike sailing perfection. I’ll admit it’s hard to be mad at Falken for being too fast, though.
In any case, no one is too upset about some extra time out here, especially once the sun falls behind the main sail and the cockpit is shaded. Boobies have been circling us all day, perhaps buying time themselves, and the wind has been quite refreshingly on our beam. We’ve been treated to some lovely rain showers and even a rainbow or too (attached photo creds to Amy). Many fun treats have been passed up today too, to include cold papaya that Mary squirted with lime, lychees, Angry Birds branded Pringles, cucumber from a friendly local in Ua Pou, and salt licorice that Mike brought to share. At least twice a day, pomelos make their way up as well, and I for one am surely safe from scurvy given how many I’ve eaten.
It certainly still feels like open ocean out here, despite the presence of the ‘dangerous archipelago’ surrounding us. I’m excited to see a few atolls firsthand, and hopefully (weather dependent) have a chance to explore Kauehi as well. For tonight, I’m content with modified hove-to watch duties, which apart from keeping an attentive eye on the horizon and sails, will likely consist of conversations about dream sandwich combinations or whether mermaids (theoretically speaking, of course) give live birth.
Love to all!
Zoe
Zoe Peach-Riley (Apprentice)
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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!
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.
