SAILING
Good evening from Falken! Dinner is in the oven and I just woke up from an excellent afternoon nap. I’ve spent a lot of time feeling hot on this boat, and cozying up in my sleeping bag has been a welcome new experience on board.
We are still headed north away from Hawaii, though today we have started to veer ever so slightly east. By ever so slightly I mean five degrees, but hey, that still counts. It’s been a sunny day, which has been a nice switch up after several days of straight cloudy, overcast skies.
The crew’s spirits seem to improve with each day, mine included. I’ll be honest, there was a roughly 72 hour period where I was questioning if I’d ever step foot on a sailboat again. Alex says it’s a good sign that I wasn’t yet questioning life itself. Jokes aside, I can say with certainty that all of the previous times I’ve been queasy on boats have been quite tame, and this was real deal. Anywho, the majority of us who faced the green monster head-on have persevered and are (mostly) all smiles now. I expect those smiles will only become more common as we chip away at our upwind miles. I can only pray that my dad, who’s on board, will forgive me for roping him into such an ordeal…
Speaking of miles, we hit quadruple digits today and are currently 1051 nms into our journey to Alaska. The flying fish and seabirds have been fewer and far between as we enter colder waters. Other exciting sights include lots of random fishing buoys and a lone (luckily empty) boot. It’s birthday week on board too— we celebrated Adam’s 25th birthday yesterday with brownies, Margaux’s today, and have another birthday tomorrow (dare I say my own). Alex, Adam, and I have had many fun surprises up our sleeves, including cans of Coke with dinner a few days ago and ice lollies (more commonly known as popsicles) tonight.
The sea state continues to calm down, and the famous North Pacific high is just out of our reach. The next few days will be a delicate dance of riding the outskirts of the high while avoiding the pesky low pressure systems that are dancing nearby. Luckily, I have full confidence that Alex will do everything in his power to get us sailing downwind as soon as is physically possible. In his very wise words, we need to get north but not too far north, stay south but not too far south, continue heading east but not too far east, and avoid going west but also stay west. Piece of cake!
Love to all!
Zoe
Zoe Peach-Riley (Apprentice)
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Day Four: The boat has figured us out
By day 4, things start to get into a rhythm that starts to look like a small community onboard. It’s when personalities start to flourish, when people start losing themselves and start to realize that they don’t really care about a lot of things! I’m pretty sure the disconnection from the internet starts aligning our inner selves. Clearly everyone has gotten their sea legs by now, and even the boat seems to have understood the type of crew she has now. I love to see how people start fitting into different roles with their peers and the boat itself.
Kärt barn har många namn
A dear child goes by many a name, or as we say in Swedish "kärt barn har många namn". This is the case for many a person, but also some species, not least the Mahi mahi, which also goes by dolphin fish, golden mackerel, and dorado, among others. Soon, we could see the fish jump, a hundred feet or so behind the boat, and as I kept reeling, a beautiful Mahi appeared under the surface. Manot showed us how to clean and fillet it, and after a complete team effort two large fillets are now in the freezer of Adrienne II.
Cast off the lines
When we awoke it was overcast but the Brazilian sun quickly burned the clouds away and we were left with blue skies. We reviewed some safety procedures, cleaned the boat and had an exciting Person Overboard (POB) recovery. Once we were underway spirits soared as we pointed the bow toward the Canary Islands. As I write this we are heading upwind and dealing with all that involves, and working into our first watches. It is hot, a bit bumpy but we are sailing!!