lines slipped
January 6, 2025, 08:35 UTC | Lines Slipped
Departure Day! It's 8:30 in the morning and the crew on FALKEN is doing the final prep before departure. Crew arrived on the 4th to sunny Lagos. We knew some weather was coming in on Sunday, so we put all crew to work straight away (after a cup of tea—when you have Brits onboard, tea breaks are taken very seriously) and hoisted the Yankee. Great teamwork to learn how to work together and operate the winches! After a nice dinner ashore, we were all pretty tired, but as usual, not everyone slept that great the first night—lots of new noises, new people, and some dock lines moving around.
Yesterday we started our briefings on deck and were very thankful to have the Yankee up. The wind increased during the day and the rain started late morning. After the front had gone through, the wind eased off and I went up the rig to do a final rig check before departure. Even a little bit of sunshine came through while I was up there.
After some more chat about the passage and dinner onboard, we all went to bed after what felt like a very long day, even though it was only 8:45 pm when the lights went out. More rain overnight, but we are hoping for a sunny day as we depart Lagos!
/ Mia
mia@59-north.com
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The Penultimate Blog from Adrienne II
After 20 days, and 3000+ nautical miles, we're back on land. The motley crew of Adrienne II, consisting of 7 happy amateurs supported by 3 professionals, have completed an epic journey many dream of but few realize. So much of this trip has been about being present - with nature, with each other, with this boat. My biggest takeaway from this trip is the amazing crossing of the ITCZ (Inter Tropical Convergence Zone). We all hope you've enjoyed the blog as much as we've enjoyed creating it.
Mother Nature, you’ve outdone yourself!
It’s been a great experience to have a non-traditional trans-Atlantic, as it’s been packed with genuinely cool features. The Doldrums!! A place sailors have been talking about for centuries. The unpredictability is what made it such an exhilarating experience. While some might be frightened or alarmed by this kind of weather, I was embodied with a sense of calm and awe. There’s something wildly beautiful about being reminded how small you are, while feeling so incredibly alive.
A Heavenly High
As you have probably figured out at this point, the drug of choice on board is, of course, celestial navigation- an art which has hooked offshore sailors for centuries. Once addicted, navigators will emerge from down below only to get their fixes two times per day, and spend the rest of their days and nights down below doing complex spherical mathematics. On Adrienne II, our skipper is our dealer. I must confess that I myself gave in to the strange urge which I’ve felt witnessing my crewmates practice this fine art, and yesterday felt an amazing sensation as I was able to wield the sextant for the first time and with it, bring down the tip of our starboard spreader to the top of our front sprayhood, presicely measuring the angle between the two (35deg, 38,8’ min). This afternoon, Naxo then showed me how to get my fix from the very sun itself - and I now fear there is no turning back.