Wind!
The common consensus was that yesterday gave us a little bit of everything: squally weather with large downpours of cool rain, no wind, some wind, wind in the right direction, wind in the wrong direction, some birds, and a large birthday tuna caught by the birthday girl, Mary. As today brings less wind and the rumble of the motor, we have the opportunity to do some essential ocean skills, like making sushi and winch maintenance.
Being at sea is a great time to be reflective and listen to what comes up. FALKEN is definitely an example of why safe harbors are not meant for ships; she spent too long in the boatyard, left and unused before we even took on the project of her refit. Those months inside the shed felt never-ending, a goal in sight but difficult to comprehend. It’s been a while since I have been to sea, to do a long passage or an ocean crossing, and I’m starting to wonder if, like FALKEN, I am also not meant for marinas, boatyards, and safe harbors.
— Adam
Write your comments below and I’ll forward them to the boat with the daily update :)
— Mia (shore support)
FALKEN|Skipper&Mate
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”For some things, we will never be ready.” - Moana 2
After 852 miles of open ocean sailing, the crew of Falken dropped anchor in Moorea's Cook's Bay—not with a quiet glide in, but surfing down waves in a squall, breaking speed records and cheering each other on through the rain. What started as a plan to "just dip a toe" into offshore sailing turned into something harder to explain: the worse the conditions got, the more alive everyone felt. Turns out the question was never whether the crew was ready—it was whether they even needed to be.
Kauehi conundrum
Kauehi atoll was always on the itinerary—until the forecast made it a gamble not worth taking. Squalls, bommies, a tidal pass, and no clean escape route: sometimes the hardest call in sailing is the one that keeps you out of a place, not in it. The Tuamotus will have to wait.
Hove-to!
Falken is too fast—a problem most sailors would kill for, yet here we are, tacking back and forth across the Pacific just to kill time. A rogue low pressure system south of Tahiti has stolen the trades and scrambled our timing for the tidal window into Kauehi's pass, leaving us hove-to 45 miles short of our target in the Tuamotus. Salt licorice, dream sandwich debates, and a philosophical question about mermaid reproduction are helping pass the night.