22:00 UTC | 05°46.9 N 87°33.8W
Sailing!
It was a Dark and Stormy (in the distance) night. The Milky Way and stars filled the sky. Falken continued south by southeast, with a course of 200 degrees. We were guided by the Southern Cross off the bow, and approximately 35 Brown Boobies who were hitching a ride. Dolphins creating streaks of bio illuminances. After sunrise and breakfast, Alex led an hour of instruction on Celestial Navigation, and how to operate the sextant. From late morning to mid afternoon, the seas remained calm and flat until about 1430. The wind picked up to about 12 knots as we passed Isle de Cocos at 1545. At 1630, engine went off. The smell of dinner being created by Adam in the galley filled the breeze, and we will be sailing off into the sunset tonight with ice cream!!!
Joe
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Shooting Stars & Turtle Logs
Day three out of Ketchikan and FALKEN is running wing on wing down the outside of Vancouver Island. The temptation is to lie back in the cockpit and spend the night watching for shooting stars, but a diligent watch is always the first priority. So we keep a sharp eye out while the shooting stars keep us company through the night. The wildlife keeps coming: humpback and minke whales, five mola molas, dolphins, and a black-footed albatross. We are all feeling lucky for such conditions!
Pot dodging and whale watching
Duncan got us up to eleven knots at one point! The Ferriers also logged our first Orca sighting on their 3am-6am watch! This morning is a gift as the temps are just right and we finally have some blue sky and plenty of sunshine. It was a glorious few hours sailing before it inevitably died as forecast. I live in hope that by sunset tonight we’ll be back sailing as we emerge out of the lee of the island and the wind will be more westerly which lends itself to a better sailing angle.
We are off!
After two days of introductions, safety briefings and boat procedures we have departed Ketchikan. We are currently making a whopping 3.3 knots as there is very little wind in Nichols Passage. Adam fed us well last night with a delicious shrimp curry and Duncan was the winner of a sporty game of the card version Monopoly. With the scenic views and light wind it's quite peaceful out here.