2104 UTC | 17.30’28S 149.49’29W
Anchored
Even after a night on the town consuming blissful pina coladas, the crew rose early at around 6am. We had several missions to accomplish - getting Brian and Marie off to their flight, letting captain Mary have some well-deserved land time, and acquiring Pareos from local artisans.
Originally scheduled to depart in the evening, Brian and Marie’s flight was moved to 9:45am, so they took the only known taxi on the island off to their flight. Nat took a rest on the boat and floating in the beautiful bay where we were the only boat anchored. Andreea, Nick, Mary and Kate took off around the island on scooters rented the day before and found some fabulous snorkeling. Phoebe, Jude, Maddie and myself set off on foot towards the Pareo workshop
We believed we could hitchhike to the Parea shop, but called the owner to see if they could pick us up. We had some communication failures, believing they were coming to pick us up, but they never showed. Eventually Phoebe raised her thumb and showed a big smile, leading a local pickup truck to stop and give us a ride. On the island, hitchhiking is still fairly common. The truck had bench seating in the back, returning from dropping Mormons off for their Sunday church service. We offered money for the ride, which the driver refused. They just gave us a ride and showed us some island charm.
At the Pareo workshop, we had a tough time choosing which to buy - they were all very beautiful and full of color. Once Phoebe learned they accepted credit cards, I thought she was going to buy the whole store. I bought a beautiful blue with flowers for my daughter, and the artisan drew her name on the cloth.
We only had 40 minutes to get back and it would have been an impossible walk in that time. Phoebe asked the store owner’s husband to give us a ride and they obliged, returning us to Falken with plenty of time to spare.
Several of us then had a peaceful float in the bay around Falken and then prepared to pull up the anchor and depart for the passage to Moorea. The beginning of the passage had weak winds, but eventually we were able to turn the motor off and enjoy a peaceful late afternoon sail.
Ryan Boyd
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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.