Arrival
July 13, 2024 | Day 6 At Sea | Arrival in Bergen
Our last day all together on FALKEN. Time to arrive in the big city of Bergen. We slipped the lines and motored up the fjord while eating a leisurely breakfast. The crew took turns packing their bags and cleaning their bunks, ready for departure. It’s just a short trip to Bergen, but it’s through beautiful islands dotted with wooden homes and boat houses. We were all captivated by the beauty of Norway.
We arrived in the big city and found our mooring, which had been booked, was being used by another smaller boat. We just about managed to secure FALKEN with the bow sticking out. FALKEN really is very big. We forget how big she is when we are sailing. It’s only when we moor her that we are reminded. Her rig towers above most vessels. The vessel in question moved and we warped FALKEN back into her place. We were right in the heart of the old city of Bergen, near the beautiful old dock houses.
Now came the sad moment to say farewell to our newfound friends. We all promised to keep in contact and go sailing again together one day.
Fair winds, shipmates!
- Jojo Pickering, Skipper S/Y FALKEN
JoJoPickering
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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.