Steph and Ken, by far the most novice sailors on this trip, notched their first offshore overnight—though not without suffering a bit (maybe more than a bit in Steph’s case) of what we’ll just call “Neptune’s Revenge.” Despite that, we both bounced back quickly, and Steph, as we speak, is capably steering her first rotation at the helm.
The seas have been pretty big and rolling, at least from this novice’s point of view, and the winds are at levels that would keep me off my local lake. But Falken is solid, fast, and stable, and the crew—both pros and clients—are capable, experienced, and great company!
At the moment, we’re flying main (2nd reef), staysail, and yankee, and barreling along at about 9 knots. No glums. All glows from this sailor.
- Ken Tothero | FALKEN Crew
FALKENCrew
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”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.
Hove-to!
Falken is too fast—a problem most sailors would kill for, yet here we are, tacking back and forth across the Pacific just to kill time. A rogue low pressure system south of Tahiti has stolen the trades and scrambled our timing for the tidal window into Kauehi's pass, leaving us hove-to 45 miles short of our target in the Tuamotus. Salt licorice, dream sandwich debates, and a philosophical question about mermaid reproduction are helping pass the night.