airplane mode
We had a true taster of upwind sailing last night. By that I mean we spent 12 hours sailing almost nowhere! Between shifting winds, oil rigs, and unpredictable ocean research vessels, we sailed 100NM to get 30 miles closer to Amsterdam! The crew didn’t mind though. It was fun to get some tacking practice in and put the training of our first day to good use.
This morning I was reminded of how fulfilling it is to see people you coach start to gain confidence. As I was making scrambled eggs down below, the gang on deck were discussing how to make the boat go faster. Impressively, I managed to keep my nose out of it. One of them quoted, “When in doubt, let it out,” and lo and behold, after a decisive ease of the main and a transferring of the jib to the outboard lead, the boat picked up three knots! Proud skipper moment. Good job Jaime, Anne, Rach, and Kellye.
For anyone who is following us, the crew have opted to turn their phones on flight mode until we all agree we are ready to let the outside world in. So, to loved ones and followers, thank you for allowing us the bliss of living in our watery bubble for a little while longer.
— Nikki
NikkiHenderson
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.