22:00 | 04° 39.2’N 094°04.04’W
Sailing
Oh, The Places You’ll Go. A Book by Dr. Seuss.
I find myself making passage between exotic locations on Falken for the 5th time. Blessed with great friends and having been in the right place at the right time a couple times, I have come to deeply treasure this type of exploration and adventure.
Trips with 59º North build confidence and experience doing things that might seem difficult or dangerous to those reluctant to take the plunge, but the most valuable lesson I have learned on all these trips is that planning and preparation make these trips routine, but with a plan for all types of emergency should they arise. I had no worry/jitters/concern prior to departure, just anticipating getting settled, hauling anchor, and sailing a reach for a following sea. (It was a little more upwind than a reach, but this story makes the “Southern Cross” lyrics work).
On these trips, we have young and old, new sailors, and old salts. Everyone can learn something from our peers (as well as the staff), and has something to share. I am often asked by others who can’t imagine doing this if I know people on the boat. The literal answer is almost always ‘no’. However, over these 5 trips, I have come to understand that those that embark on this type of offshore expedition have many of the same qualities and values, so they are in fact people I know, but haven’t met yet. The same is true with this crew today.
As of now, we are anticipating bearing off from South-West to West-South-West, after successfully “Making for the Trades on the outside, and the downhill run to(wards) Papeete”.
-Adam Baker
Adam Baker
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Day Four: The boat has figured us out
By day 4, things start to get into a rhythm that starts to look like a small community onboard. It’s when personalities start to flourish, when people start losing themselves and start to realize that they don’t really care about a lot of things! I’m pretty sure the disconnection from the internet starts aligning our inner selves. Clearly everyone has gotten their sea legs by now, and even the boat seems to have understood the type of crew she has now. I love to see how people start fitting into different roles with their peers and the boat itself.
Kärt barn har många namn
A dear child goes by many a name, or as we say in Swedish "kärt barn har många namn". This is the case for many a person, but also some species, not least the Mahi mahi, which also goes by dolphin fish, golden mackerel, and dorado, among others. Soon, we could see the fish jump, a hundred feet or so behind the boat, and as I kept reeling, a beautiful Mahi appeared under the surface. Manot showed us how to clean and fillet it, and after a complete team effort two large fillets are now in the freezer of Adrienne II.
Cast off the lines
When we awoke it was overcast but the Brazilian sun quickly burned the clouds away and we were left with blue skies. We reviewed some safety procedures, cleaned the boat and had an exciting Person Overboard (POB) recovery. Once we were underway spirits soared as we pointed the bow toward the Canary Islands. As I write this we are heading upwind and dealing with all that involves, and working into our first watches. It is hot, a bit bumpy but we are sailing!!