0209 UTC | 32º 28.9’N 120º 03.07’W
Sailing
Falken has almost rounded the Channel Islands and is cruising along splendidly about 100 miles offshore. Though several models predicted some slightly fresher winds today, we were met with a consistent 18-20 kts of pure bliss. Falken is truly a dream to sail in these conditions — her acceleration down waves fueling yelps of glee on deck and her gentle rocking lulling those down below to sleep.
With such pleasant conditions, I’ve actually found that I have to force myself to get enough sleep. It’s simply such fun sailing! While no marine life was spotted today, we did have a very small, quite precocious bird with us for a few hours. The little guy was comfortable with us from the jump, drinking water out of Lynn’s palm, landing on my head, and even standing squarely on the helm whilst I steered— perhaps a subtle message that my steering was subpar (?).
The crew is equally comfortable with each other. To be fair, that usually happens on 59º North trips, but that gelling sometimes takes several days. Not with this group! It seems that from the moment we left the dock in San Francisco, there has been much laughter and conversation amongst everyone. The group has helped me with my (very tragically British) book of crossword puzzles, though Lynn is clearly the crossword queen and I would truly be lost without her. Between Jason’s questions, Jeff’s peculiar riddle (or was it Chris?), Ryan’s culinary offerings, and Maestro Alex’s whiteboard sessions, no one has been left bored nor hungry.
The plan is to gybe in a few hours and begin our approach to Ensenada. For tonight, we’re all planning to soak up our last full night at sea. With a new moon and clear skies, the stars have been incredible. As much as I do appreciate the jokes and intellectual musings, I equally appreciate the natural, silent moments we share at night, all of us on watch gazing up above to the shooting stars, constellations, and planets putting on their quiet show.
Love to all!
Zoe Peach-Riley (Apprentice)
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One little bird!
Falken has almost rounded the Channel Islands and is cruising along splendidly about 100 miles offshore. Though several models predicted some slightly fresher winds today, we were met with a consistent 18-20 kts of pure bliss. It seems that from the moment we left the dock in San Francisco, there has been much laughter and conversation amongst everyone. The plan is to gybe in a few hours and begin our approach to Ensenada. As much as I do appreciate the jokes and intellectual musings, I equally appreciate the natural, silent moments we share at night, all of us on watch gazing up above to the shooting stars, constellations, and planets putting on their quiet show.
Birds and glows
The sun brought new wind and we were soon putting up the Yankee (jib) and turning off the motor. During the evening tradition of sharing “glums and glows” that follows the crew dinner, our Mate Ryan proclaimed it a “champagne sailing” kind of day. As Alex noted this evening, life goes by so fast that one of the very best things about his line of work is enjoying the passage of time in the slow lane of an ocean passage. But by tomorrow, the green blobs in the weather sailing app indicate we’re going to pick up some significant northwesterly winds and we’ll take them ever further south to the Channel Islands latitude. We’re all super excited for the knots to climb and to see Falken really run.
Golden Day
The Pacific is giving us “the shimmer” - with a still flat sea seven hours out of San Francisco Bay, we’re motoring south along the shipping channel, with an hour to go to what teases now as a stunning sunset against wispy clouds. Throughout this first day of Falken 11 the sails have unfurled and been furled again as skipper Alex tries to fill them a meager breeze indeed. We’ve seen a few whales traveling along the route, and an otter that was sadly just a buoy. It’s the first open ocean sail for many of us and it’s a thrill to anticipate all the new experiences we’ll have.