20º 29.8’ N / 040º 23.40.9’ W
January 26, 2025, 20:46 UTC | 18:46 Ship’s Time | 20º 29.8’ N / 040º 23.40.9’ W | Scott’s Lifelong Dream
By early Sunday morning, we have the 3rd reef in the main with the wind off our starboard quarter. After two days of heavier weather helm, the crew is presented with a perfectly balanced sail plan. The winds are still 25-38 knots, but we are back to fingertip control on the wheel. Watch B heads off to bed at 0200, and Watch A has the task of rigging the spinnaker pole through the night to allow us to sail wing on wing. This gives us the ability to sail another 20 degrees downwind, giving us a course to steer directly towards Antigua.
As the sun rises in the east, the clouds are pushed away and we are presented with a beautiful sunny day. The winds abate and are now 20-25 knots. The temperatures are becoming warmer as each nautical mile slips beneath our keel. I felt today was a reset for the FALKEN crew. We all commented how tired we were yesterday. Adrenaline from helming was keeping us awake, and as the pressure came off, we all went to our berths tired but content, knowing that the boat would gently rock us off to sleep.
As I sit on deck writing today’s blog, the yankee is poled out and FALKEN is a freight train running down the track pointed directly towards Antigua. What else is going on? Sarah is stretching and doing her yoga on the cockpit floor, Brendan is reading about sail trim in the yacht master’s book, Derek is on the helm, and I am enjoying and appreciating our time at sea. Our crewmates are blissfully sleeping on their six hours off to the gentle rocking of the boat.
I also feel that all of us have settled into life at sea. All outside influences have long been forgotten as we focus on standing watch, drinking tea, hydrating, eating when you can, and sleeping at every opportunity. This has been a lifelong dream to sail an ocean. I can’t imagine any better way of fulfilling such a dream as signing onto FALKEN as a working crew member. The boat is safe, fully prepared, rigged, and equipped for whatever Mother Nature can throw at us. With Emily and Mia in charge and all of us as willing crew, it is a marvelous experience that I will forever treasure.
The only thing that would make it better would be sharing it directly with my family. However, in this regard, we have found the balance of coastal cruising on our own boat in the Pacific Northwest, with me (Dad) getting his ocean miles through 59 North. I will leave the blog here with a big thank you for all the family and friends sending us their best wishes. As information, we read the comments at mealtime in the cockpit with all crew.
Scott
Calgary, Alberta, Canada (now 1765 nm offshore - mid Atlantic)
crew@59-north.com
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The Penultimate Blog from Adrienne II
After 20 days, and 3000+ nautical miles, we're back on land. The motley crew of Adrienne II, consisting of 7 happy amateurs supported by 3 professionals, have completed an epic journey many dream of but few realize. So much of this trip has been about being present - with nature, with each other, with this boat. My biggest takeaway from this trip is the amazing crossing of the ITCZ (Inter Tropical Convergence Zone). We all hope you've enjoyed the blog as much as we've enjoyed creating it.
Mother Nature, you’ve outdone yourself!
It’s been a great experience to have a non-traditional trans-Atlantic, as it’s been packed with genuinely cool features. The Doldrums!! A place sailors have been talking about for centuries. The unpredictability is what made it such an exhilarating experience. While some might be frightened or alarmed by this kind of weather, I was embodied with a sense of calm and awe. There’s something wildly beautiful about being reminded how small you are, while feeling so incredibly alive.
A Heavenly High
As you have probably figured out at this point, the drug of choice on board is, of course, celestial navigation- an art which has hooked offshore sailors for centuries. Once addicted, navigators will emerge from down below only to get their fixes two times per day, and spend the rest of their days and nights down below doing complex spherical mathematics. On Adrienne II, our skipper is our dealer. I must confess that I myself gave in to the strange urge which I’ve felt witnessing my crewmates practice this fine art, and yesterday felt an amazing sensation as I was able to wield the sextant for the first time and with it, bring down the tip of our starboard spreader to the top of our front sprayhood, presicely measuring the angle between the two (35deg, 38,8’ min). This afternoon, Naxo then showed me how to get my fix from the very sun itself - and I now fear there is no turning back.