SALTY SEA DOGS
0629 UTC | 13 46.2’N 095 01.0’W
Sailing
After today, I think we can safely say we now have a salty crew—both literally and figuratively.
At 6am this morning, we were lolling around, motoring in 2 knots of breeze in moderate seas with 6–7s between waves (gross). Then, as we sailed into a very red sunrise, with a rather ominous stretch of cloud, the long-promised Tehuantepec winds arrived. Forecast: 28 knots consistent, gusting into the 30s. Of course, the winds took on the unofficial staff motto of under-promise and over-deliver.
We knew it was going to be a bumpy, wild ride, and it very much delivered. A crew that have previously excelled at eking out the best of 6 knots of wind have now helmed amazingly in 40 knots TW and knocking on 5m swell.
We timed it perfectly, that as the sun came up we were approaching a big ol’ cloud that marked the start of the real increase in breeze, and were through the peak and into a relatively mellow sea state again by dinnertime.
It’s been a long day for everyone, as the watch system was very much ignored in favour of being on deck, despite the walls of water frequently being sent into the cockpit. As such, I’ve asked each of the team for a quick sentence on today to help me out:
Delaney — ‘Sailing today—each wave brought a new mystery behind it.’
Christine — ‘Standing at the back of the boat, helming during the heaviest part of that passage was awesome. Huge waves and feeling the power of the boat!’
Jake — ‘The amazing way Falken handled this kind of weather, as if it was a walk in the park—it was awesome.’
Robert — ‘This is going to sound cheesy, but I was really grateful for the opportunity to experience another passing of the glory of creation. This was beautiful, and I’m so insanely grateful for the opportunity.’
Mike — ‘Sailing into the red sunrise this morning, our reefs tucked in, approaching a dark cloud ready to face whatever it brings. Accompanied by a brown booby on the bow and dolphins leaping around us. Today just showed how we come together as a crew and just get on with it.’
Marbella — ‘I can do hard things!’
Scott — ‘Pushing the boundary today, and driving the experience higher. I have not been in this heavy sea state before, even in the Atlantic, so this was a great experience.’
Jake and Lloyd were sensibly sleeping when I asked, but I think this gives a pretty accurate portrayal.
Everybody did brilliantly; this crew are so good at just taking whatever is thrown at them. Big thank you to Delaney and Jake too—they were beaming throughout the day, and it is so good to see people loving what they do.
I’m writing this as we approach midnight—the sea state has calmed down enough that I’m risking my phone on deck [note: the photo at the top of this blog was from similar conditions during FALKEN's sea trial in the English Channel in January 2023]. Sorry we don’t have a photo to portray the conditions we had today—it was simply too soggy for that!
In a few hours we’ll be back to the norm of light-wind sailing, and I have officially promised showers in the morning. What a day.
// Mary
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Today marks day 6 of one of the most epic passages I've decided to take on. There is something wildly exciting and equally calming about being surrounded by nothing but ocean. I get to watch the entire rhythm of the world shrink down to wind, weather, watches, and 10 humans trying to get a sailboat to another continent. I'm not sure if former bloggers have noted, but this passage is HOT as balls. We continue to laugh, learn, and sweat.
She’s a big ship on a much bigger ocean2335
We also have faced the fact that although Adrienne is a very big ship, she sails over a much, much bigger sea. We all recommitted to being more attentive - treating our watch as a verb not a noun. We might feel comfortable handling Adrienne, but we're not on cruise control and this is no highway. I had not realized to what degree sailing the open ocean requires a daily commitment to awareness, intention, and vigilance. I'm glad for all of us my tutorial was clear but relatively mild.
Day Four: The boat has figured us out
By day 4, things start to get into a rhythm that starts to look like a small community onboard. It’s when personalities start to flourish, when people start losing themselves and start to realize that they don’t really care about a lot of things! I’m pretty sure the disconnection from the internet starts aligning our inner selves. Clearly everyone has gotten their sea legs by now, and even the boat seems to have understood the type of crew she has now. I love to see how people start fitting into different roles with their peers and the boat itself.
