It’s the morning of the Caribbean 600 here! All quiet on the docks, except for the divers polishing our hull. It’s going to be a slower race, with the wind forecast 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’re on the home stretch towards Barbados, 30 miles from the northern tip of the island, the loom of the lights ashore now visible off the port beam. FALKEN is still under spinnaker, our second straight night flying the big pink kite by the light of the moon, and we’re getting our money’s worth tonight. We are flat out FLYING, easily averaging 11 knots in the lulls and hitting surfs over 16. It’s the ride of our lives tonight with the moon bright overhead, stars all around and a perfect tradewind breeze at the perfect angle propelling us through our own outer space.

This will be the night that sticks with me from this crossing. I just got off the helm after my half-hour stint, fingertip steering, keeping the luff of the spinnaker just in line with Orion’s belt. In the lulls I’d head up a couple degrees until the belt disappeared, then soak down in the puffs until I could see the entire constellation. Normally at night you’d use the steaming light to illuminate the kite and check trim, but with not a cloud in sight, the light from the stars is plenty to keep tabs on the big spinnaker without ruining the illusion that we’re actually our own little spaceship hurtling through the galaxy.

We’ve slowed down a touch today with some lighter winds, but are still above our 200 miles per day threshold over the past 24 hours. You get spoiled when you top out at 220+! We’ve crossed the 400-mies-to-go barrier. While it’s still a long way off, talk has begun of landfall and arrival procedures. I’ve been quick to quell it to keep people in the moment, but by dinnertime tomorrow night it’ll be inevitable

The last 24 hours have been spectacular for many, many reasons.One, the breeze picked up to make the conditions perfect for surfing down small mountains of waves. We have an ocean swell going that makes it feel like you rise up from earth and then surf down the wave. When it feels like a big one and the speed starts escalating, the crew start cheering while calling out top speeds. At the helm you can feel when the transition goes from sailing THROUGH the water to surfing ON the water and that’s when the top speeds come.

Welp, that’s not only the first time I’ve eaten ice cream offshore, but also the first time I’ve eaten hand-made ice cream on a boat! Manot outdid himself in the galley last night, spending several hours whipping — literally — a batch of homemade chocolate ice cream together by hand. I’m not even sure how he got the recipe. Nonetheless, to celebrate crossing the halfway mark yesterday, we had hand-made chocolate ice cream for dessert tonight, topped with fresh, cold pineapple, and what a treat.

As if to top off the day with one last highlight, Jen and Rene served up a lovely couscous at sunset, with spices that Rene brought us straight from Morocco.This was our first true sunset, after the northeasterlies finally managed to clear the dusty haze that has now clouded the horizon for days. And as the day merged into the moonless night, the stars appeared brighter than ever before, revealing our Milky Way.

Flyin’ the Kite! The stargazing continues on what’s been a series of completely cloudless nights since we departed Mindelo. We’re over 850 miles distant from the dusty shores of Cape Verde and yet the sky remains hazy with the orange tint of Saharan sand. FALKEN hasn’t seen a drop of rain in weeks.

It is the start of day 5, which is officially the longest I have ever sailed at one time without seeing land. I am Captain Jen, normally a skipper of one of the two schooners, Woodwind and Woodwind II in Annapolis, MD. This is also my first trans-Atlantic crossing.

Tonight (slightly after midnight), under wing and wing sailing, it feels more like we are sailing through the night sky than sailing through the water. There is a mesmerizing ocean swell that is rocking everyone to sleep below.

Day 3 today, the day it always turns around, even for the worst of the seasick. Sara had been feeling less than 100% since the start, but props to her for continuing to stand her watches and do her stints at the helm. Tonight was her first full meal at dinner and the first time she actually felt like herself. I’ve long said that it takes three days for everyone to acclimate to life offshore, whether seasick or not

Today was a project day for me. Last night I’d spent my midnight watch sorting out why the watermaker was only giving us half the expected output (easy solution — clogged pre-filters). Now I wanted to figure out why the Watt & Sea wasn’t outputting the full amount of amps I’d expect at 8 knots boat speed, and why it was making a horrendous vibration, despite the new motor I’d installed just before departure.

We left Mindelo in a dusty haze around 1000 after a leisurely breakfast and after checking off the last of the pre-departure items. As expected, the winds built in the channel and by noon FALKEN was surfing down waves and touching 14 knots, with just the mainsail set. Windspeeds topped 30+ in the sharp acceleration zone where the gentle trades are squeezed between the high peaks of the neighboring islands and shot out like a cannon.

I was surprised to find half the Sahara desert at the top of the mast today during the routine rig check. I was also surprised at the elevator ride the crew on deck gave me. Rene and Veiko jumped my primary halyard at the mast while Sara and Nigel took up slack aft on the winch, and I barely had to climb. Each heave sent me 6-feet up the mast in one big jump, and I had a bird's eye view of Mindelo.

Anyway, from the 'Calima' dust storm they sailed through on the last passage, the sand has accumulated on lines and rigging aloft where we couldn't wash it off and everything is stained red (including now my shorts).

Just as we thought we had run out of luck the breeze has shifted and lifted and Falken is making her way by wind power once again.

This really has been a multi-faceted passage which the crew have responded to with constant energy and enthusiasm. Each and every one of them can now confidently helm downwind without coaching and a less vigorous sea state has certainly helped development.

Another day is coming to an end as we watch the glare of the sun disappear through the sandy haze in the air.

The highlight of today has to be the stuff happening on deck, we all had a good clean and showered with the deck shower and immediately after we witnessed a couple of whales coming to say hi. After that we had different lessons on trimming followed by a delicious dinner.

Well what a difference a day makes! From 3 reefs and a partial jib to full sail and eventually reverting to the trusty iron sail as the wind finally disappeared this evening.The crew have been having a ball and feeling jubilant to have conquered some rather large seas and fairly fruity gusts over the last 24 hours. Any sickness has abated and the laughter continues to emanate from across the hull. Even the dolphins showed up to wish the crew congratulations for having taken on the might of mother nature at her finest.

Last night was some of the most epic sailing I’ve had in the last year, with one gust at 40 knots of True Wind Speed and FALKEN surfing down some pretty impressive waves with 3 reefs and doing impressive speeds! We have covered over 270nm in the last 28 hours! The crew have all been superstars and have handled the helm like pros, even if it is the first time offshore for a few of them.

The feeling of excitement has been growing amongst the crew as we finish preparing for our voyage to Mindelo. Today was all about weather briefings, routing, and pilotage and looking at some of the other safety equipment that Falken has to offer. The crew took some last minute down time to pick up any luxury items, and local shopkeepers commented on how many boats were waiting out the weather for a more favourable window.

There can be no better feeling than that of watching a new team come together, except perhaps when the team in question are about to embark on one of life’s last true adventures. For many sailors, the opportunity to push the boundaries from coastal sailing to embarking upon an ocean passage is beyond comprehension. So when the chance arises, it isn’t a surprise to find a group of like minded individuals that bond very quickly to form a very natural nautical family.

Just gotta say, these past 5 days with the FALKEN crew on the boat were like living in a dream. Chris, Libby, Mark, Kelley, Rich, and Tim, you guys made it epic.

In our crazy world, it's so easy to be stuck thinking about the past or stressing about what's next. But man, being in the moment, staring at stars, catching sunrises and sunsets – that's what’s all about!