Wind!
Sunday, June 10, 2025 | Wind of all kinds
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
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— Mia (shore support)
FALKEN|Skipper&Mate
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Birds and glows
The sun brought new wind and we were soon putting up the Yankee (jib) and turning off the motor. During the evening tradition of sharing “glums and glows” that follows the crew dinner, our Mate Ryan proclaimed it a “champagne sailing” kind of day. As Alex noted this evening, life goes by so fast that one of the very best things about his line of work is enjoying the passage of time in the slow lane of an ocean passage. But by tomorrow, the green blobs in the weather sailing app indicate we’re going to pick up some significant northwesterly winds and we’ll take them ever further south to the Channel Islands latitude. We’re all super excited for the knots to climb and to see Falken really run.
Golden Day
The Pacific is giving us “the shimmer” - with a still flat sea seven hours out of San Francisco Bay, we’re motoring south along the shipping channel, with an hour to go to what teases now as a stunning sunset against wispy clouds. Throughout this first day of Falken 11 the sails have unfurled and been furled again as skipper Alex tries to fill them a meager breeze indeed. We’ve seen a few whales traveling along the route, and an otter that was sadly just a buoy. It’s the first open ocean sail for many of us and it’s a thrill to anticipate all the new experiences we’ll have.
Seasickness
But maybe, I thought, with some drugs I could stay ahead of it. The first 48 hours I felt horrible. But luckily with 3 health care professionals on board and in a very encouraging environment, my body found its way. Anyway, someone offered me a patch (unavailable in Canada) and someone else gave me some pills for nausea and now I feel much, much better.