Day 4
June 21, 2024 | 14:00 UTC
The wind picked up yesterday from the southwest, and we have since been sailing wing on wing on a fairly deep course of 150 degrees to the apparent wind. As the swell picked up progressively from behind, helming became more and more challenging for the crew, some of whom have never sailed in such conditions. Over the span of 24 hours, the improvement is remarkable—the learning curve is steep. We could say we have gone from “steering the boat left and right” to “trimming the rudder for waves and gusts.” In the meantime, we have gone back to “flying” mode, covering 213 nm in the last 24 hours without even trying. It feels like it would be difficult to do less. In a few more hours, we’ll be past the halfway point, 600 nm in.
What has been remarkable on this leg, particularly, is the abundance of wildlife around us. It has been said in previous blogs, but as we saw a group of whales (that we are still trying to identify) very close by yesterday, I’ll mention it again. It remains one of the most beautiful and impressive things I have been given to see. Out here, it truly feels inhabited, and we are just passing guests.
- Manot
ManotBerger
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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.