0156 UTC | 15 25.096’ N 097 14.629’ W
Sailing
Lloyd wished it to be known that this blog was written before the Super Bowl.
Happy Super Bowl Sunday. I had booked this adventure long before I found out my beloved Seattle Seahawks would be any good, let alone playing in the game. Such is life, and I wouldn’t change a thing. I believe I have convinced most of our crew to join me in my rooting interest, while I receive sporadic updates via satellite.
Enough of all that.
I want to talk today about community. We get to know the crew we stand watches with quite well. One of the Falken Crew, Jake (who is wise well beyond his 27 years), put a thought into my head. Talking about his adventures exploring our country via a camper van, he said he had discovered something. All of his experiences meant just a bit less because he was solo; he was not sharing them with others.
An experience is greater when it is a shared experience.
On this leg on Falken, Jake and Delaney are the only two who had previously met, having worked together on the schooner Woodwind. The other nine of us had never met. We are a group who has come together for a common adventure, working towards common goals. Through all of the highs and lows of this trip, we have formed bonds and friendships. This sense of community has amplified what is already a wondrous adventure — an experience made richer because it is a shared experience.
This aspect has been a pleasant surprise.
// Lloyd
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Lessons and a Gift
The biggest lesson is the helm. The lesson here is that even if you don't think you can do it over and over again with no sleep, cold and damp, it has to be done and so it can be done. Flying fish are cool, dolphins are really really cool, but the coolest of them all are the whales. And most of all Alex: "Find your center Carla. Always know where your center is so you can come back to it". He means the helm but it applies to life as well.
Making the most of it
This passage has thrown pretty much every atmospheric condition imaginable at us. It reminds us not only of how much we’ve learned, but of how far we’ve literally come since that acceleration zone off the northwest corner of Oahu. The resilience this group has shown has been nothing short of incredible, and I couldn’t be prouder to be part of it. Maybe that’s why it’s the hardest passages we remember the most. Not because they were easy, but because they reminded us what we’re capable of.
Passages and Purposes
As of today, Falken has taken us over 1800nm across the North Pacific. We’ve learned about water-makers, starter motors, furling, taking in and letting out reefs, easing and grinding, weather and wind, helming by course and by wind angles, and the difference between rest and sleep. For now, the latest challenge is to stay in the moment. The memories we’ve made here are priceless, even if we only connected for a few moments on our various paths in this world. So few people get this opportunity to “go dark” and live simply for a moment.