Next stop…
Latitude: 07°23.7'S, Longitude: 153°41.2'W
Sunday, June 11, 2025 | 09:55 Boat Time | 19:55 UTC
Pos. 07°23.7S 153°41.2W
Last night I came on watch and, for once, there wasn’t a single squall in sight. The engine was on, the moon was shining, and a light breeze was present. We decided at that point to turn the engine off and try to sail with the little breeze there was. FALKEN started gliding silently into the night at a speed of 3 knots, but with barely any sea state to throw her around, it was like being in space for a while. The wind gods must have appreciated our efforts, as only 30 minutes later the wind picked up and FALKEN followed it like a bird.
I’ve just woken up for my day watch. The sun is shining, there is a good 15-knot breeze, and FALKEN is powering along at 9-10 knots. We’re officially in the trade winds, and it feels good, because at one point our ETA was 215 days and 3 hours.
Yesterday we made the decision to aim for Christmas Island instead of Palmyra Atoll. The reasoning for this is our timeline and how aiming for Palmyra would put us against the trade winds—not ideal. It also means a bit more time for us to explore one place and a more comfortable ride to the Hawaiian Islands.
It’s still hard to realize in what part of the world we’re sailing. I keep transporting myself back to the Polynesian people sailing from island to island like we go to the supermarket, and it makes me wonder what incredible navigators and full-round adventurers and sailors they were.
Our ETA to Christmas Island should be some point between Saturday and Sunday. Expect no connection, and we’re going to keep our watch on boat time, as otherwise we will lose a day to the timeline. We will explain on another blog, but for now, looking forward to dropping the anchor in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.
Lots of love,
Alex
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Mia (shore support)
laline96@gmail.com
View more passage logs
HMS Night Watch Party
Wing on wing worked well until the wind shifted then the helm became the cone of despair for our night watch crew of three (H, M and S) Alex made the decision to drop the pole, shifting wing on wing to a close reach. Wind increased to low teens and speed picked up to a flying pace. Day spent wandering toward Ensenada. Alex, Adam and David got us into port under another starry night.
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!