Sail Training!
Local time: 16:00
Yesterday we left Ensenada at around 08:30 in the morning. It was sunny and you could barely feel any wind in your face. We went through the process of hoisting sails and straight away we dived into reefing drills followed by tacking. After 6 reefs and 12 tacks, we decided to settle into the watch system and embrace the night.
We knew from the forecast that we were expecting a front to come through at around 8pm local time, so we set the boat up in anticipation of the weather. At 19:55, in came the wind shift followed by heavy rain and 30 knot gusts. It was exhilarating! The night was then followed by isolated squalls that would hit you with strong gusts followed by light winds. So, not an easy night sailing but one to be proud of.
Unfortunately, we did have the green monster make an appearance, debilitating a couple of the watches, but everyone powered through and no one missed a watch.
With sunrise, the wind decided to die off completely and we went onto our drill for the day: what to do if you lose the rudder or steering cables. We tried different methods and deployed our drogue as an additional steering option. It was a great success and a valuable learning experience! We followed that up with a couple of theory lessons and gave the crew some time off. It was clear that we’re training hard, as it was just myself, Adam, and Delaney left on deck as everyone disappeared for a nap.
Now we’re cooking a mushroom risotto before we get into our watch system for the night. The wind is fluky but we’re luckily still moving, so if you wonder where we are going on the tracker: where the wind takes us.
Lots of love,
Alex | FALKEN Skipper
View more passage logs
People Get Ready!
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Among the Channel Islands
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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.