Day 1
38°29.68N 26°17.58W
June 18, 2024 | 06:30 UTC | 38°29.68N 26°17.58W
The boat is already smelling of coffee as I am getting up. Passing by the port aft bunks, I see them already empty and made to perfection. In the galley I hear a few quiet “good mornings” as I greet the still sleepy but visibly excited crew. An hour and a half to go before everyone meets on deck. A last phone call, a last stroll down to the shore heads, we are on the doorstep of an adventure.
0800, everyone meets on deck. Chris quickly distributes roles and we get the lines ready to slip. A few moments later we tie up at the fuel dock. There, things slowed down for one last time—waiting for our turn, filling our tanks, chatting, waiting… and finally slipping the lines.
1200, we are sailing! Some of the brightest smiles that I have seen were from people taking the helm of a cool boat like FALKEN for the first time. And today was no exception—all the time spent waiting for this day to arrive after first making the plans, all the excitement, maybe a bit of nerves, then realizing how easy it is to steer, the power, the speed, yet it feels so light… bright smiles!
Later, still smiles. We are sailing upwind, in 10-12 knots of wind. It’s perfect. The sea is smooth, steering is easy, we are gliding. Somewhere at sea in the setting sun, the smell of baking vegetables is spreading through the boat… What a lovely day! - Manot
ManotBerger
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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.