23:20 UTC | 28°44.587’ N 058°84.368’W
Navigation table, Adrienne II
Bright sunny day, warm, somewhere in the North Atlantic (see tracking map). Blowing 15 to 25 knots.
Hello friends and family, Adrienne had a mellow departure from Simpson Bay just about 4 pm on Sunday.
Apparently in the two days since then we’ve sailed over 375 miles. We’ve averaged over 8 kts in seas that are light but make themselves big once they wash over the deck, and sometimes over the biminis.
The first 24 hours included a bit of everything, from the excitement of going under the raised bridge, to a magnificent weather briefing by Captain Erik, raising of the main and cutter jib (staysail) — then cruising south of Sint Maarten, then coming around to get on a course sort of aimed for the Canary Isles.
Monday evening we had a weather/routing brief as we ate a delightful meal. Lots of questions, and as with anything about weather and waves and humans, it’s all subject to change. And healthy banter about the solutions.
We have one small reef in the main. Haven’t set the genoa yet, really no need with the great trade winds.
Tuesday morning until now (3 pm local) we’ve been rain-blessed with stellar sailing conditions. The breeze is such that we’ve been sailing close-hauled, and bearing off to a broad reach when we can.
In the run-up to lunch the helm person did not see the large wave we were heading for.
When our good steed Adrienne II came up from the wave several crew on the foredeck got sloshed.
In addition to the great weather and sailing, we’ve also discovered outstanding shipmates and crew. I met a few of them in town before getting aboard: Linda, from Texas, veteran ocean sailor; Bert, flown in from outside Berlin, now a retired oil person with lots of long-distance trips under his belt with many more planned; Simon, flown in from the UAE, has sailed on plenty of sailing boats and is hoping for inspiration to get a boat of his own; Bartek, from Poland, also into software; Knut, in from the Netherlands, also in the software field.
Your writer has varied boating background — but is excited to see what it feels like to sail across the ocean. I came aboard with lots of questions to see how their solutions might fit on my own boat.
At the end of the day we have the chance to comment on the glums and glows.
As to the glums: some of my shipmates have been suffering from mal de mer and there’s been a few technical issues, yet our excellent crew of Erik, Delaney, and Anton leap into action when called for. You can’t ask for anything more. So those problems could also be seen as glows.
Other glow experiences to speak of today is the joy when a crew-mate rallies out of his seasickness, or the captain hand-delivers just the perfect wrap while you’re at the helm.
// Molly, ADRIENNE II Crew
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Shooting Stars & Turtle Logs
Day three out of Ketchikan and FALKEN is running wing on wing down the outside of Vancouver Island. The temptation is to lie back in the cockpit and spend the night watching for shooting stars, but a diligent watch is always the first priority. So we keep a sharp eye out while the shooting stars keep us company through the night. The wildlife keeps coming: humpback and minke whales, five mola molas, dolphins, and a black-footed albatross. We are all feeling lucky for such conditions!
Pot dodging and whale watching
Duncan got us up to eleven knots at one point! The Ferriers also logged our first Orca sighting on their 3am-6am watch! This morning is a gift as the temps are just right and we finally have some blue sky and plenty of sunshine. It was a glorious few hours sailing before it inevitably died as forecast. I live in hope that by sunset tonight we’ll be back sailing as we emerge out of the lee of the island and the wind will be more westerly which lends itself to a better sailing angle.
We are off!
After two days of introductions, safety briefings and boat procedures we have departed Ketchikan. We are currently making a whopping 3.3 knots as there is very little wind in Nichols Passage. Adam fed us well last night with a delicious shrimp curry and Duncan was the winner of a sporty game of the card version Monopoly. With the scenic views and light wind it's quite peaceful out here.