Day 3
July 8, 2024 | Day 3 At Sea | The Outer Hebrides
Last night we had a stunning sail through a patch of rain clouds and managed to dodge them all. As Port watch handed over, their instructions were to “keep the speed, chase the rain clouds, try and beat their speed record of 10.2 kts, and keep your fingers off the engine buttons!” Sadly, the wind died shortly after this and we did have to start motoring.
We made the most of the calm day by motoring close to the west coast of the stunning Outer Hebrides. This positioned us well for when the wind returned, but it also tempted the crew to mutiny as the draw of Scottish whisky was discussed.
The area was teeming with wildlife and we all saw lots of puffins! They are such beautiful and comic birds, and a bit scared of Falken, so they quickly dived as we passed. The team saw many seals, some dolphins, and the scenery was amazing.
The sun was out and we managed to spend a few hours on deck without oilskins. We even got the sextant out and everyone had a go at taking a sight.
The wind came back in the evening and we are now having a memorable sail in the long midnight sun. It doesn’t get dark anymore!
- 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.