Day 7
June 1, 2024 | 1857 UTC
Our last few weather forecasts have been uncertain. As we are getting closer to the Azores, we have been monitoring a shallow low that keeps shifting in unpredictable ways from day to day. The center, originally predicted east of the Azores by the time of our arrival, is now predicted to be west of the islands, seemingly at our exact latitude. This means that a big no-wind zone could lie just ahead of us. Our point of sail for the next few days will now depend on the movement of that center. If it stays as predicted, we might have to motor for a while. If it moves north by just a few miles, we could have some favorable westerlies, but if it moves south, we might end up beating upwind for some time. As of the time that I am writing this, we have good wind from the NNE, which indicates that we are in the northwestern quadrant at the moment. We will keep a close eye on the evolution of that system, as our ETA in Horta will depend on it, as well as our comfort onboard.
In another department, there has been a strong desire to see wildlife, and so far we have seen dolphins on multiple occasions, birds regularly, and electric dolphins once (dolphins in bioluminescent algae). But yesterday definitely stood out as we were visited by a small group of whales just before sunset. A humbling few minutes, observing each other, before they disappeared again in the distance.
- 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.