Playa Flamingo, Costa Rica
In-port
Yesterday was filled with cleaning, passage prep, taking inventory, and a wee bit of time in the pool here at Marina Flamingo. As I was brushing my teeth before bed, Alex and Adam called me up on deck to tell me I should go flying with JC and Teresita the following morning, just as they had done right before I arrived. JC and Teresita are joining us for the passage to the Galapagos, and live just down the road from Playa Flamingo.
I was hesitant, only because I signed on to be of use, not to (literally) fly away and leave Alex and Adam to fend for themselves whilst provisioning. They assured me that it was “just grocery shopping” (an understatement) and asked me “when else are you going to have the chance to fly in a gyrocopter?” (a more valid point).
Two other crew members on this trip, Jeremy and Gayle, joined as well. I was with JC, who flew me up and down the coast, pointing out beaches, islands, the surrounding towns, and estuaries. As a map nerd, it was so awesome to get a bird’s eye view of this landscape. I wish I could share more photos.
Most of all, I was shocked at how smooth the ride was for such a small machine! Perhaps JC is just a pro pilot.
We all enjoyed a lovely coffee on the beach in Tamarindo, after which I was dropped off at Falken to resume my actual duties. These are duties that I feel lucky to have, though— I’m certainly embracing the current Falken sauna. It helps that Adam keeps our water bottles full of ice—an in-port luxury.
I’m so excited to meet the rest of the crew. While the time in the marina and in the sky has been lovely, I’m ready to set sail!
Zoe (Apprentice)
View more passage logs
Tahiti-Taha’a and a birthday
Bora Bora who? Leg 6 crew are aboard and setting their sights on the lesser-known gems of French Polynesia — Taha'a and Huahine — where vanilla farms, manta rays, and drift coral snorkels await. The new anchorage booking system is a noble idea in theory, though its website appears to share the reliability of the wind, which has cheerfully decided to blow from exactly the wrong direction. It's upwind sailing, birthday cake, and uncharted territory from here.
”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.