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
View more passage logs
Seasickness
But maybe, I thought, with some drugs I could stay ahead of it. The first 48 hours I felt horrible. But luckily with 3 health care professionals on board and in a very encouraging environment, my body found its way. Anyway, someone offered me a patch (unavailable in Canada) and someone else gave me some pills for nausea and now I feel much, much better.
Dolphins and Bioluminescence
We had a good run with the sails but weather has changed and we are once again chasing the wind. Everyone is getting a chance to practice helming in big swell; starting to get a feel of the wind and water and how it pushes and pulls the hull. A pod of dolphins came to visit at night, splashing in the bioluminescent water, and again in the day, dancing in the bow wake. For now enjoying the calmer sea state and falling asleep to the rumble of the engine and the gentle whooshing of the water on the hull.
Greetings from Lala Lemonshark
The brave crew is toughing it out and staying cheerful despite being tossed around. The engine is off and we are true sailing-main and jib. In the first 12 hours we saw two pods of Orca and four humpback whales, two of which were 20 yards off the starboard beam!