12:00 UTC | 30°06.5N 158°31.3W
Sailing
Greetings from Falken, fast under sail in the Pacific!
After some initial adversity, we untied our lines and left the beautiful island of O’ahu behind as we set sail north on an adventure of a lifetime.
Lead by our outstanding team of our Captain Alex, first officer Adam, and apprentice Zoe, 8 eager crew from all walks of life and life experience performed their tasks brilliantly. Forgive any spelling errors, as I know everyone by verbal, not written name: Carla, Michael, Kurt…Jim, Daniel, Nikolai, Joe, and Corey.
After dinner tonight, the Hawaiian word for family (which I’ll likely mess up without the help of google) Ohana was mentioned. And that is exactly what we are - a family of strangers brought together by a passion for sailing and a love for the sea. Learning to care and serve one another. In humility, making each of us better and stronger.
The passage, while at its infancy, has delivered. The wind and seas, stars and sails all set the stage for a fantastic journey. Love and gratitude to all our friends, families, and supporters. None of this would be possible without you. We will see you on the other side with many stories to tell.
Until then, Godspeed and HOLD FAST!!!
Joe
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!