HOW'D WE END UP IN CABO?!
2014 Ship’s Time
Dockside, Cabo San Lucas
This wasn’t the plan.
FALKEN made landfall at Cabo San Lucas late on Saturday night. Under a half-moon and clear skies - a welcome respite after the gnarly night Friday - we were in afterburner mode, sailing fast in flat seas on a close-reach, 10 knots and then some, effortless steering. FALKEN loves a close-reach, and with the big yankee and full mainsail we were on fire. As the land neared, the wind spilled off the desert hillsides and the waves subsided in the lee, and man, what a sail.
I love sailing into a new place, especially at night. There’s nothing like it. We got closer and closer to the coast, the land dropping straight into the sea, so there was no off-lying dangers or anything stopping us from doing a fly-by right along the shoreline, the twinkling lights of the houses and hotels growing brighter as we neared. We followed the 30m depth contour along the southern coast and prepped the staysail for short-tacking into the harbor, which never happened because the wind died just as the famous rock-arch at Cabo hove into view. It ended up being a short motorboat ride into the anchorage, which gave us time to strike the sails and furl the main, which is no easy task on FALKEN with her enormous boom and 200-lb main.
We anchored next to a couple super yachts just after midnight, broke out the traditional champagne for our toast and did a round of glues & glows before everyone collapsed into bed at 0200. Next morning we moseyed into the marina and we’ve been in Cabo ever since. We’re supposed to be in La Paz, another 130-miles up the coast and Into the Sea of Cortez!
While ocean sailing is always unpredictable, this time it was preventable. When I first made this schedule, way back in the spring of 2024, I had originally planned to end the trip in Cabo and set the mileage as 800 miles from San Diego. I have a spreadsheet that then advises me on how many days to make the passage, which I then tweak to account for weather patterns, etc etc. Well, when I changed the port to La Paz, I forgot to change the mileage, and therefore ended up short on days. That, combined with our very light-wind passage (until that wild 40-knot frontal passage!) made for a late arrival into a port we never intended to stop at.
All that said, Cabo has everything we need. Great tacos at some small restaurants in town (once we walk far enough to escape the tourist throngs); excellent chandleries and services, a good marina and sea lions barking their heads off as the fishing boats come into the harbor. It’s a hectic place for sure, but these trips are all about adventure and the unknown, and so I’m making the best of it. I’ve been running around the harbor and town the past couple days to get to know the place, and despite the masses, it’s a beautiful spot. Sometimes there’s a valid reason why tourists flock to particular places.
The next crew arrive on Saturday, and I’m off to the Bahamas to meet my dad and help him take his Grand Banks 42 KODIAK from the Abacos down to the Exumas. I’m handing the reins of FALKEN over to Mary. Delaney & Jake, both WOODWIND crew, are onboard as Mate and Apprentice respectively.
Follow along for the next long passage to Costa Rica!
// Andy
View more passage logs
Ketch us if you Kan
Falken is soon to carry on our preferred route of South, back to (hopefully) warmer climates. We’re all excited to set off and see more of this wild landscape as we head down to Victoria. A thermal trough over Vancouver combined with an offshore high pressure creating funneling NW’ly winds means it is due to be pretty fruity on the 9th. This passage is just under 600 miles, relatively short for Falken, but I’m sure we’ll be kept entertained with dramatic scenery, wildlife and weather!
Final Blog
Falken and her crew arrived safely into port last night around 8pm boat time, 10pm Prince Rupert time. Some spicy weather was anticipated, but luckily the 35kt gusts and 2.5 meter waves were no match for this expert crew. We had an exceptionally smooth docking, despite it being Alex's first time parking this year (!). We all agreed that this was a very special group of people—I for one am so impressed with how everyone stayed so positive, helpful, and appreciative of humor despite an arguably challenging passage. We'll all return home significantly saltier than we were when we left, a mark of a passage properly sailed.
Lessons and a Gift
The biggest lesson is the helm. The lesson here is that even if you don't think you can do it over and over again with no sleep, cold and damp, it has to be done and so it can be done. Flying fish are cool, dolphins are really really cool, but the coolest of them all are the whales. And most of all Alex: "Find your center Carla. Always know where your center is so you can come back to it". He means the helm but it applies to life as well.