June 23, 2024 | 2100 UTC
We are making steady progress towards Ireland. We reached 1,000 nautical miles roughly an hour ago and FALKEN has yet to slow down. Today the crew was greeted with a variety of weather as we are sailing on the outskirts of a low-pressure zone. The morning was filled with a thick, cool fog and calm seas until 0902 UTC when the swell began to pick up again. In the afternoon, we had a brief moment of clarity as we gybed to a starboard tack. The warm weather and sun allowed the crew to enjoy the good weather window before we were engulfed in fog again shortly after dinner. Nonetheless, the crew remains in high spirits through the weather. The crew has made tremendous strides in helming, especially with the sea state today. I am thankful to have this experience with them and to watch the crew develop in confidence in just under a week. As we are nearing the coast of Ireland, the crew is prepping for FALKEN’s arrival into Galway. Most of the crew found the raising of the Ireland flag bittersweet, as it is an indication of the crew's success during the passage as we near the end.
- Athena
59ºNorthApprentice
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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.