Pre-Departure
July 3, 2024
FALKEN // LEG 10 // Crew arrive - introductions and laughter
We have had a busy few days preparing Falken for her next trip from Galway, Ireland to Bergen in Norway. This included a deck wash and filling the water tanks from a fire hydrant. Then, to fill the tanks with diesel, a lovely man arrived in a little fuel lorry with tales of fishing under sail. The welcome here in Ireland has been wonderful.
The boat was ready and the crew arrived, excited and ready for our trip. Between sunshine and showers, we got to know each other, allocated bunks, did a deck walk, and a domestic brief. We ended the day with a great meal out in beautiful Galway. It is always so special how a new crew comes together and becomes a team. The magic has started. Let’s hope we have some great weather.
- Jojo Pickering, Skipper S/Y FALKEN
JoJoPickering
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People Get Ready!
The last three days have been an intense (and intensely hot) period of discovery, practice, and planning. Because Adrienne II is not a 59N boat, there's been some extra setup and coordination needed including rigging all the sails that were out for repairs before we arrived. Its been a blast working alongside the 59N team getting to help them work things out on a less familiar boat in real time. Tomorrow morning we'll run through our Person Over Board training as the final pre-departure task, cast off and head out. Can't know all that it will be, but its going to be a great adventure out in the vast world with some pretty fantastic people.
Among the Channel Islands
In the wind shadow of SoCal we had a restful night with calm conditions ghosting through smooth seas. We’re getting ourselves in position for spicy weather tonight once we round Cape Conception, the seas build and the breeze freshens. It will be an upwind sail into an acceleration zone along a formable coast with few bailout points, Morro Bay being one. The crew is really gelling with lots of smiles and laughter on deck. Monterey is in our sights!
Day Two Delights
The seas were completely glassy with a gentle swell as we approached San Clemente Island, the southernmost of the Channel Islands. Everyone jumped in and marvelled at the lovely temperature and crystal clear, indigo-colored water. Before long the wind started to pick up, and we happily unfurled the jib and were sailing again. The afternoon has been gorgeous, cruising along at 5-6 kts, close hauled on a port tack in a gentle breeze, Catalina Island in the distance on our starboard side, and everyone is happy.