sunrise
November 3, 2025 | Sunrise!
Yesterday we slipped our lines from St. Francis Yacht Club—thank you Jason for hosting us—and we squeezed past the sandbar at the entrance, hoisted our main, and slowly glided with the tide under the Golden Gate Bridge. What a view! I love when our adventures take us to such iconic places and we get to experience these landscapes to the fullest.
After the thrill of the bridge, we unfurled our headsail and started sailing. First, we had to get through the “potato patches,” as the locals call it—an area where shallow water mixes with big offshore swells and generates some steep waves. After clearing it, we had lunch and enjoyed the views as Falken sailed at 8 knots in 9 knots of wind. The wind lasted until the afternoon and then completely left us, forcing us to turn the engine on to make some more ground south.
We then spent the night furling and unfurling the Yankee as the wind filled and dropped, making the most of it. As I’m typing this, the fog has made an appearance. We’re drifting at 2 knots, trying to squeeze anything out of the little breeze we have, and we’re enjoying some coffee. We’ve just had a stunning sunrise in a very still ocean, and there’s a great vibe onboard.
Lots of love,
Alex | FALKEN Skipper
laline96@gmail.com
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HMS Night Watch Party
Wing on wing worked well until the wind shifted then the helm became the cone of despair for our night watch crew of three (H, M and S) Alex made the decision to drop the pole, shifting wing on wing to a close reach. Wind increased to low teens and speed picked up to a flying pace. Day spent wandering toward Ensenada. Alex, Adam and David got us into port under another starry night.
No Kitemares Today
After a night marked by sudden wind accelerations peeling off Point Conception, and a vibrant, pulsating sky blistered with shooting stars, the off-watch woke to commotion on the foredeck. The wind had gone light and the swell had tapered just enough to raise the spinnaker. The sail filled with an urgent pop, the sheet strained and Falken charged down the face of the next wave. By mid-day, we doused the spinnaker and set our minds to the more precise task of safely punching through a gap in the notorious Cortez Bank. The border to Mexico looms ahead.
The California coast
We had a very lively first day of sailing with steady winds between 25 and 30 kn gusting to mid 30s. All of the crew got experience at difficult downwind helming as we covered 200 nautical miles in the first 24 hours. This morning brings winds in the teens and calmer seas. The sun is still shining, and the green monster has been slayed by those afflicted!