26° 2' N, 58° 55' W
February 12 | 26° 2' N, 58° 55' W | Day 3
We’re getting into the groove. It’s our fourth day at sea, and we’re still on our high side, sailing upwind toward the north. By now, we’re all getting used to living in a world that’s constantly tilted. Cooking, cleaning, and even using the bathroom in a space that feels like a ski slope has become part of the adventure. Sailing “the wrong way” across the Atlantic has its challenges, but the only one completely unbothered is Adrienne. She’s loving it, stretching her legs a few times close to 10 knots—not bad for a 42-year-old lady.
Today, the first showers were taken after one crew member remarked, "I smell like a diesel engine." Not exactly sure what he meant, but we were definitely due for a cleanup. We also tested our luck with fishing, but with no success—unless you count the seaweed we caught, which, unfortunately, wasn’t edible. Better luck next time.
A few sail changes were made during the night—furling in the jib, deploying the genoa, taking reefs in, and shaking them out again—all under the bright light of the moon and a sky full of stars. Sometimes, it really makes you wonder if we’re all living in a simulation.
All of the crew impresses, both with their sailing skills and their care for the boat. It’s almost as clean and tidy as when we left the docks.
Dinner is now almost ready—chicken stew with rice. Looking forward to a full stomach and some much-needed rest in a few hours.
See you on the high side!
- Tim Danielson
crew@59-north.com
View more passage logs
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.