pre-departure
37.1042° N, 8.6741° W
January 5, 2024
Lagos, Portugal
I am sitting onboard FALKEN in Lagos. It’s January 5 and tomorrow is the official start of the 2024 season. Andy and I came down to Portugal on the 30th to have a mini-vacation with our son Axel, celebrate the new year, and let Axel play on FALKEN and explore the beaches. Ever since we first came to Portugal in 2012, it has held a special place in our hearts, and it was great to show it to Axel this time.
After our last passage in November, FALKEN has been on the hard in Portimao getting a few upgrades and some well-deserved love after a busy 2023 season. Adam and Alex arrived on Tuesday night; Adam finished some projects on FALKEN and Alex will be our skipper for this leg. We splashed on Wednesday and motored over to the marina—no sails, since they have been at the sailmaker getting looked over and cleaned. The sails came back and we figured it was best to put them on straight away, after giving the boat a good scrub to get rid of the boatyard dust.
Rain was scheduled for Thursday, and high gusts on Friday, so Wednesday evening looked to be the best option to get the main back on. As soon as we got it ready, it started to rain, and halfway through the wind picked up, but we muscled it on anyway and were happy to get the job done. The boat is now provisioned, cleaned, and ready for crew to come tomorrow. We have been following the weather and it looks like a Sunday departure to avoid some stronger headwinds on the 12th. We will get another look at the weather tomorrow and passage plan together with the crew.
Now it’s time for a shower, dinner, and a good night’s sleep!
——
January 6
Crew arrived today at 13:00 to FALKEN. After a few days with rain on and off, we had clear sky and beautiful weather today. Back in 2019, every single time crew arrived to the boat, it rained. Thankfully, we had sunshine today and we started the day by walking around the deck from bow to stern showing everyone the boat, followed by safety briefings down below.
We had dinner ashore booked at 6:30—early for the Portuguese, but since we are departing tomorrow, an early bed will be nice! Lots of happy chats around and we didn’t leave the restaurant until 9 pm. Time for bed now and up bright and early for coffee and breakfast. The aim is to depart around lunchtime. We’ll sit down after breakfast to look at the route, check the GRIBs, and make a plan for the passage south to Las Palmas.
Cheers from Mia and the FALKEN crew
mia@59-north.com
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The Penultimate Blog from Adrienne II
After 20 days, and 3000+ nautical miles, we're back on land. The motley crew of Adrienne II, consisting of 7 happy amateurs supported by 3 professionals, have completed an epic journey many dream of but few realize. So much of this trip has been about being present - with nature, with each other, with this boat. My biggest takeaway from this trip is the amazing crossing of the ITCZ (Inter Tropical Convergence Zone). We all hope you've enjoyed the blog as much as we've enjoyed creating it.
Mother Nature, you’ve outdone yourself!
It’s been a great experience to have a non-traditional trans-Atlantic, as it’s been packed with genuinely cool features. The Doldrums!! A place sailors have been talking about for centuries. The unpredictability is what made it such an exhilarating experience. While some might be frightened or alarmed by this kind of weather, I was embodied with a sense of calm and awe. There’s something wildly beautiful about being reminded how small you are, while feeling so incredibly alive.
A Heavenly High
As you have probably figured out at this point, the drug of choice on board is, of course, celestial navigation- an art which has hooked offshore sailors for centuries. Once addicted, navigators will emerge from down below only to get their fixes two times per day, and spend the rest of their days and nights down below doing complex spherical mathematics. On Adrienne II, our skipper is our dealer. I must confess that I myself gave in to the strange urge which I’ve felt witnessing my crewmates practice this fine art, and yesterday felt an amazing sensation as I was able to wield the sextant for the first time and with it, bring down the tip of our starboard spreader to the top of our front sprayhood, presicely measuring the angle between the two (35deg, 38,8’ min). This afternoon, Naxo then showed me how to get my fix from the very sun itself - and I now fear there is no turning back.