17°25.8' N 026°47.7' W
October 12, 2025 | 22:15 UTC | 17°25.8' N 026°47.7' W | Looking back at 2000 miles sailed
02:00 - We all gathered in the cockpit to celebrate another milestone—2000 nautical miles sailed through the Atlantic. As we enjoyed our 2am 2000-mile cheesecake, we reflected on how far we have traveled. But really, how far is 2000 miles? It is hard to grasp such a distance. On land, we might drive that far in just a couple of days, or by air in only a few hours. But moving at a slow pace, traveling outside the sight of any land and having nothing as a reference, all we have seen for 12 days is waves and clouds; the sun, the moon, and stars. If it weren't for GPS and our knot log, we would have nothing to truly judge just how far 2000 miles is.
Maybe we could measure the distance by days? But out here, days have little meaning as they run together. None of us even know what day of the week it is anymore. And time on a clock is a blur as we sleep a few hours at a time, then get back up for our watches. Night and day, the cycle continues.
Perhaps 2000 miles is best measured by our growth. As a crew, we have adapted to our life on the sea and to our responsibilities aboard Adrienne. Over the last 2000 miles, we have grown together as a crew, no longer strangers from around the world, but friends who share stories, dreams, worries. Friends to lend support, to share a laugh, to cook with, to point out and savor the wonders we behold of the sea and sky. Together as crew, we have learned how to coax little bits of speed out of the sails, find a more favorable course direction, or smooth her motion to move us closer to our destination. We have grown into a crew that jumps into action when the wind gusts over 35 kts, overpowering the boat and heeling far over. We know it is time to reef in the main even while being doused by the waves.
Ultimately, 2000 miles have culminated in the grand experiences we’ve had. Experiencing being treated to a visitor from the deep during dinner last night—a whale 30 meters off the port side, rising above the surface of the waves and disappearing back into the sea. Feeling the excitement of leaving the doldrums today and entering the refreshing trade winds. Exiting the doldrums marks the end of a chapter of our journey, a chapter full of exceptionally sweet moments and extremely sweaty moments as well from the heat. I won’t miss trying desperately to get bits of sleep in the heat of 31 degrees Celsius (88 degrees F) in the forward bunks, which we now appropriately named the sauna. I will miss but treasure the experience and enjoying the presence of the power in the doldrums. Watching in real time what Captain Erik taught us of the meteorology specific to this part of the world. We admired the power and beauty of towering cumulonimbus clouds as they welled up to great heights and then dumped rain below, releasing strong gusts of wind.
We will never forget the still nights of endless stars and the bright Milky Way, and Mother Ocean’s bioluminescence star show in the water. And the night the yellow moon rose over the clouds that left all of us speechless for 20 minutes, soaking in the stillness and grandeur of the moment, feeling so small in the midst of such stunning luminosity.
The 2000-mile stone marks the close of the doldrum chapter and the beginning of the next. I still don’t have an answer of how far 2000 miles of ocean is. But I can say we have savored the journey, the experiences, and friendships of our journey thus far. And we are looking forward to what the next thousand miles bring us as we near our destinations in Gran Canaria.
Lance | ADRIENNE II crew
crew@59-north.com
View more passage logs
Ketch us if you Kan
Falken is soon to carry on our preferred route of South, back to (hopefully) warmer climates. We’re all excited to set off and see more of this wild landscape as we head down to Victoria. A thermal trough over Vancouver combined with an offshore high pressure creating funneling NW’ly winds means it is due to be pretty fruity on the 9th. This passage is just under 600 miles, relatively short for Falken, but I’m sure we’ll be kept entertained with dramatic scenery, wildlife and weather!
Final Blog
Falken and her crew arrived safely into port last night around 8pm boat time, 10pm Prince Rupert time. Some spicy weather was anticipated, but luckily the 35kt gusts and 2.5 meter waves were no match for this expert crew. We had an exceptionally smooth docking, despite it being Alex's first time parking this year (!). We all agreed that this was a very special group of people—I for one am so impressed with how everyone stayed so positive, helpful, and appreciative of humor despite an arguably challenging passage. We'll all return home significantly saltier than we were when we left, a mark of a passage properly sailed.
Lessons and a Gift
The biggest lesson is the helm. The lesson here is that even if you don't think you can do it over and over again with no sleep, cold and damp, it has to be done and so it can be done. Flying fish are cool, dolphins are really really cool, but the coolest of them all are the whales. And most of all Alex: "Find your center Carla. Always know where your center is so you can come back to it". He means the helm but it applies to life as well.