start -4 hrs
19 February 2024
It’s the morning of the RORC Caribbean 600 Race here! All quiet on the docks, except for the divers polishing our hull. It’s going to be a slower race, with the wind forecasted to drop off by Wednesday morning as it gets sucked into a low developing up north. So we will be thankful for the clean bottom!
We started 59º North Offshore Racing as a branch out from 59º North’s flagship product of offshore passages—because we all felt it was a no-brainer to combine my (Nikki’s) experience and passion for racing with the 59º North family and brand, so we can share this amazing side of sailing. Offshore racing can—like sailing itself—be elitist. 59º North Offshore Racing is all about opening doors. We’re opening the racing door to the wider sailing community by offering a significant amount of training before the race in order to train the crew up so that they are safe and competent against the rest of the fleet, who are mostly fully pro teams.
I put amateur in inverted commas because that’s at the beginning! It’s amazing to see how this crew, and all the crews, will develop and learn and grow into a solid team. Cannot wait for the race. Please track us and send us messages. It really feels amazing to know we are not only bringing these nine crew along, but also all of you!
- Nikki
NikkiHenderson
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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.