Rain
6º45’S, 106º15’W
April 13, 2130 Ship’s Time | 6º45’S, 106º15’W | Second Reef in the Mainsail & Reefed Jib Top
The word association for this passage thus far would most definitely be rain. I had read a lot about the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) prior to this trip as a former Pollywog who spends very little time near the equator. The meeting point between the NE and SE trades, also commonly referred to as The Doldrums, is known for its distinct lack of wind and unending rain. With the help of WRI, some satellite weather images, and our trusty GRIBs, we were able to very accurately predict the point at which the wind-deprived sector ended, as well as where the Southern Equatorial Current started to give us a push.
The one thing that still continues to perplex me is the sheer amount of rain we’ve faced along the way. Five plus times a day the boat (and therefore the crew) get a very thorough freshwater wash-down. One of the watches on board has deemed itself “Squall Team 6” due to the thousands of gallons of rain they’ve taken on the chin as we enter our seventh day.
At sea, it’s no surprise that some resources are usually conserved — this can mean electricity and data — but none of that here. Our radar is running almost 24/7 with a strategy that has shifted more from avoiding the storms to just knowing where they are when all you can see outside is the compass and faint glow of the masthead tricolour. The key to forecasting which showers hit us has been looking into the prevailing wind direction and paying attention to the weather about 15-30º to the left of the true wind, the obverse of my Northern Hemisphere brain. New GRIB files are downloaded when available, but I still can’t seem to explain how far-reaching this rain has been, or if and when we’ll be out of the majority of it.
The other thing with this rain is how the majority of it seems benign—just largely wet. As an East Coast US sailor, I’m no stranger to large pop-up thunderheads and downbursts of 40kts, but the vast majority of these storms have not been this. Only on a few occasions has the rain brought the cold, dense wind (and shifts) that I tend to associate with it.
In spite of all this, FALKEN achieved a 232nm run in 24 hours yesterday, averaging 9.66kts—and all of this was just with the poled-out Yankee foresail. The crew has absolutely been sending the boat—my glow for today was how everyone is driving like they stole it. Andy and I both predicted landfall on the 25th, and every day gets a little closer to that being a massive underestimate, not to jinx anything…
All in all, so far this has been an incredible navigational learning experience that I will never forget—or dry from.
- Aidan Gray | 59º North Apprentice
andy@59-north.com
View more passage logs
Ketch us if you Kan
Falken is soon to carry on our preferred route of South, back to (hopefully) warmer climates. We’re all excited to set off and see more of this wild landscape as we head down to Victoria. A thermal trough over Vancouver combined with an offshore high pressure creating funneling NW’ly winds means it is due to be pretty fruity on the 9th. This passage is just under 600 miles, relatively short for Falken, but I’m sure we’ll be kept entertained with dramatic scenery, wildlife and weather!
Final Blog
Falken and her crew arrived safely into port last night around 8pm boat time, 10pm Prince Rupert time. Some spicy weather was anticipated, but luckily the 35kt gusts and 2.5 meter waves were no match for this expert crew. We had an exceptionally smooth docking, despite it being Alex's first time parking this year (!). We all agreed that this was a very special group of people—I for one am so impressed with how everyone stayed so positive, helpful, and appreciative of humor despite an arguably challenging passage. We'll all return home significantly saltier than we were when we left, a mark of a passage properly sailed.
Lessons and a Gift
The biggest lesson is the helm. The lesson here is that even if you don't think you can do it over and over again with no sleep, cold and damp, it has to be done and so it can be done. Flying fish are cool, dolphins are really really cool, but the coolest of them all are the whales. And most of all Alex: "Find your center Carla. Always know where your center is so you can come back to it". He means the helm but it applies to life as well.