Hello from the mid-Atlantic! Day 12 at sea, 2150 nm sailed, about 860 nm to go.
Sleep-Eat-Sail-REPEAT. It has been over a week since we have seen another boat. It is truly amazing to be on this small sailing vessel, surrounded by thousands of miles of ocean. Meanwhile, our entire life is happening on board FALKEN. The 11 of us have our daily routines that revolve around the watch system. We all take turns at the helm, we sleep, we eat, we clean, we learn, we support each other—all under the expert and caring supervision of our Skipper Emily and First Mate Mia.
The days and nights blend together into one continuous watch schedule. In this intense and close environment, you get to know your crewmates very well—like summer camp on steroids. We are people from different countries and experiences, connected by our love of sailing and adventure. Deep friendships are formed by this shared unique opportunity to sail across the Atlantic Ocean.
As the saying goes, do something every day that scares you. Try to imagine: 2 am, pitch black, sustained winds at 25 knots, gusts approaching 40 knots, ocean swell at 3m—there you are at the helm, hand steering this 65’ sailboat safely towards Antigua. White-knuckled, you wonder, what am I doing here? After your watch, you crash into your bunk with a great sense of accomplishment. Each time at the helm, feeling more confident.
As we are in the final stretch of our passage, there is a lot of chat about cocktails, beer, wine, and FOOD! Mia has done a superb job with provisions and meal planning, but of course the fresh provisions are now gone. What I wouldn’t do for a crunchy and juicy apple right now.
I am truly grateful to have this opportunity and thank you to my family and friends for their support. It has been a once in a lifetime experience. Thank you to 59 North for their professionalism and for creating this exceptional opportunity.
Thanks to all friends and family for the comments on the blog! We read them daily at dinner and it gives us encouragement to push through the final miles. We miss you all. We will all have lots of stories and photos to share when we get home—so many, so brace yourselves! :)
Jillian
Oakville, Ontario, Canada
crew@59-north.com
View more passage logs
The sun sets on another journey
The hardest part of sailing across French Polynesia wasn't the night watches, the heat, or the open ocean — it was the prospect of being trapped on a small boat with a group of strangers. First-timer Natalie boards as a self-described land crab and discovers that the sea has a way of reshaping both your sea legs and your assumptions. What follows is dolphins, sharks, the Milky Way in full technicolour, and a crew that somehow made the whole thing better than she ever imagined.
A Day in Huahine
Hitchhiking with Mormons, hunting for Pareos, and saying goodbye to crew — all before most people finish their morning coffee. A pina colada hangover is no match for a full agenda on a small island where the only taxi has already left with your friends. The question is whether you can pull it all off and still make the tide.
Going Coconuts!
From a muddy anchor bow to a heeling, wind-charged run past Taha'a's reefs, Falken's crew earned every knot of the passage to Huahine-Iti. Scooters, a near-miss dog, a mosquito ambush, and a crocodile lurking at the dock rounded out a day that had no business being as good as it was. The coconut nut is, in fact, a really big nut—and somehow that tracks perfectly.