Our last day was spent at an idyllic anchorage in West Holandes Cays, snorkelling the very much alive reefs and executing halyard swings from the boat—probably not quite the normal 59N trip but we’re all enjoying playing cruisers! After a rather dismal forecast of little wind, we got lucky and found ourselves on a comfortable close reach averaging 8 knots. Wonderful sailing... not so great for my anticipation of a slow sail to coincide with a daylight arrival to the busy shipping lanes! Unfortunately, or fortunately, the wind died off a couple of hours ago and we’ve been ticking along under engine for the final few hours. Despite the peaceful sailing disappearing, the stars have stayed and everyone’s enjoyed viewing the Southern Cross and shooting stars.
Hard to believe we’re only just over halfway of this trip and the Pacific marks our end point. This will be my third time through the canal but each time it’s impressive to see what is essentially a boat escalator! Our crew have been incredible, a lovely culture is on board and all have been reading up on the canal. Dave’s promised a 400-slide PowerPoint show on the subject, which should keep us busy whilst waiting for our transit date!
- Mary Vaughan-Jones, FALKEN Skipper
FALKENCrew
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”For some things, we will never be ready.” - Moana 2
After 852 miles of open ocean sailing, the crew of Falken dropped anchor in Moorea's Cook's Bay—not with a quiet glide in, but surfing down waves in a squall, breaking speed records and cheering each other on through the rain. What started as a plan to "just dip a toe" into offshore sailing turned into something harder to explain: the worse the conditions got, the more alive everyone felt. Turns out the question was never whether the crew was ready—it was whether they even needed to be.
Kauehi conundrum
Kauehi atoll was always on the itinerary—until the forecast made it a gamble not worth taking. Squalls, bommies, a tidal pass, and no clean escape route: sometimes the hardest call in sailing is the one that keeps you out of a place, not in it. The Tuamotus will have to wait.
Hove-to!
Falken is too fast—a problem most sailors would kill for, yet here we are, tacking back and forth across the Pacific just to kill time. A rogue low pressure system south of Tahiti has stolen the trades and scrambled our timing for the tidal window into Kauehi's pass, leaving us hove-to 45 miles short of our target in the Tuamotus. Salt licorice, dream sandwich debates, and a philosophical question about mermaid reproduction are helping pass the night.