January 27, 2025, 02:45 UTC | The Skipper
Eleven days have passed since the crew boarded NORDIC FALKEN in Las Palmas, and we’ve covered 1,778 nautical miles together under the leadership of our fearless skipper, Emily Caruso. The word “skipper” can evoke various thoughts and expectations from people who have different levels of sailing experience, particularly offshore sailing experience. Some people who have experience solely with day charters may consider a skipper’s responsibilities to be limited to showing up on time, getting off the dock, setting the sails, anchoring, playing the music, and getting the party crew back safely at the end of the day. The crew on FALKEN has witnessed how Emily’s responsibilities go way deeper and wider. She has done an amazing job managing all aspects of our transatlantic adventure to ensure our safety and positive experience.
Emily has been reassuring to everyone with her style of communication, counseling, mitigation, coaching, instruction, navigation planning, weather forecasting, training, and safety protocols. But being the leader of eleven people on board a 65’ sailboat in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean means she also has to leave the cockpit and navigation station and make sure the rest of the ship is tidy and working efficiently. She has been particularly focused on several routine mechanical items that have come up on the trip (as they always do on boats), ensuring the heads have been kept tidy, stepping in as a Michelin chef delivering warmed meals at 6:00 pm on the dot every night (a highlight for many of us), and generally keeping us entertained with fantastic stories from her sailing adventures.
If you are family or friends checking the blog to see how your loved ones are doing on this adventure, just be assured that they are in great hands with Emily and everyone is feeling safe, secure, and appreciative of this fantastic opportunity!
Kevin Bresser, Austin TX
crew@59-north.com
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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.