Wednesday, July 16, 2025 | Safely at Sea
Our morning starts with the wind easing to about 12 knots, with FALKEN making 7 knots on a deep reach north. The sea has flattened, and we can see the vastness of the Pacific all around us. Then, an alarm pierces the silence! A distress signal from a neighboring ship, perhaps? No—a tsunami warning for the Alaskan coast has just been issued. Evidently, an earthquake somewhere in the Pacific has triggered this alarm, while we experience nothing but calm seas and a few sea birds flying in parallel with FALKEN.
A quick look at the chart reveals we have 1,400 miles under our keel and roughly 1,000 miles to Prince Rupert! Surprisingly, we are now only 750 miles south of the Aleutian Islands, yet to begin our right turn on top of the Pacific High. This turn, or gybe, in the middle of the Pacific will point us east-northeast and towards the shores of Canada, and to Prince Rupert.
Life on board FALKEN has taken on its circadian rhythm, with the crew well adjusted to round-the-clock watches and sharing stories of the day that result in endless laughter. Amazing that we have all just met last week! How quickly, offshore and disconnected from the digital world, this environment speeds the formation of friendships with your crewmates—it seems you have known them for months, not just days.
Tomorrow, day 9, brings the gybe on top of the Pacific High to point us east. It will mark the bittersweet turning towards Prince Rupert and the last 1,000 miles of our voyage.
As we were just about to post this, we had a friendly shark encounter! We’re gonna need a bigger boat…
Doug
crew@59-north.com
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The Penultimate Blog from Adrienne II
After 20 days, and 3000+ nautical miles, we're back on land. The motley crew of Adrienne II, consisting of 7 happy amateurs supported by 3 professionals, have completed an epic journey many dream of but few realize. So much of this trip has been about being present - with nature, with each other, with this boat. My biggest takeaway from this trip is the amazing crossing of the ITCZ (Inter Tropical Convergence Zone). We all hope you've enjoyed the blog as much as we've enjoyed creating it.
Mother Nature, you’ve outdone yourself!
It’s been a great experience to have a non-traditional trans-Atlantic, as it’s been packed with genuinely cool features. The Doldrums!! A place sailors have been talking about for centuries. The unpredictability is what made it such an exhilarating experience. While some might be frightened or alarmed by this kind of weather, I was embodied with a sense of calm and awe. There’s something wildly beautiful about being reminded how small you are, while feeling so incredibly alive.
A Heavenly High
As you have probably figured out at this point, the drug of choice on board is, of course, celestial navigation- an art which has hooked offshore sailors for centuries. Once addicted, navigators will emerge from down below only to get their fixes two times per day, and spend the rest of their days and nights down below doing complex spherical mathematics. On Adrienne II, our skipper is our dealer. I must confess that I myself gave in to the strange urge which I’ve felt witnessing my crewmates practice this fine art, and yesterday felt an amazing sensation as I was able to wield the sextant for the first time and with it, bring down the tip of our starboard spreader to the top of our front sprayhood, presicely measuring the angle between the two (35deg, 38,8’ min). This afternoon, Naxo then showed me how to get my fix from the very sun itself - and I now fear there is no turning back.