March 24, 2025 | Sailing through the doldrums!
2:30 am: I am waking up for the next watch, a smile crosses my heart. We are under sail… in the middle of the doldrums. I take the helm, feel the breeze on my face, marvel at the ease with which FALKEN moves upwind, and wish this—somewhere between the Colombian coast and the wide Pacific—could go on forever. An added layer is keeping me warm.
12 noon: Time to start the next watch. The sun is scorching and we are back on motor. There comes our great skippering team with a wonderful idea: the pool is open! We all go for a refreshing dip and lounge in our towels on deck, marveling at the exquisiteness of our surroundings and the joy of sharing the moment. I am reminded that it is about the journey, even if the destination is Galapagos.
- Nina Z. | FALKEN Crew
P.S. If you are reading this blog, please write some comments in the section below and we’ll send it over to the crew to read. I am sure they will love it :)
- Mia & Andy (shore support on Leg 5, Panama to Galapagos)
FALKENCrew
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People Get Ready!
The last three days have been an intense (and intensely hot) period of discovery, practice, and planning. Because Adrienne II is not a 59N boat, there's been some extra setup and coordination needed including rigging all the sails that were out for repairs before we arrived. Its been a blast working alongside the 59N team getting to help them work things out on a less familiar boat in real time. Tomorrow morning we'll run through our Person Over Board training as the final pre-departure task, cast off and head out. Can't know all that it will be, but its going to be a great adventure out in the vast world with some pretty fantastic people.
Among the Channel Islands
In the wind shadow of SoCal we had a restful night with calm conditions ghosting through smooth seas. We’re getting ourselves in position for spicy weather tonight once we round Cape Conception, the seas build and the breeze freshens. It will be an upwind sail into an acceleration zone along a formable coast with few bailout points, Morro Bay being one. The crew is really gelling with lots of smiles and laughter on deck. Monterey is in our sights!
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.