18:35 | Prince Rupert, BC
In-Port
Good morning from Prince Rupert! Falken and her crew arrived safely into port last night around 8pm boat time, 10pm Prince Rupert time. Luckily, it’s light out at these latitudes until then.
We had a lovely last day of sailing. We approached Dixon Entrance early in the morning, which had been our primary waypoint since we left Oahu. Some spicy weather was anticipated, but luckily the 35kt gusts and 2.5 meter waves were no match for this expert crew. We could only see silhouettes of land because of the endless clouds, but the seagulls flying around and seals poking their heads up confirmed that the charts were correct and land was, in fact, within reach.
Most of the crew was on deck all day with the anticipation of a full night’s sleep ahead. The clouds cleared mid day and we had more blue sky than we had seen in two weeks. For the Pacific Northwest, it ended up being a downright sunny day, though Alex has much higher standards for what qualifies.
Dozens of islands covered in pine trees came into view in the foreground; larger mountains emerged further in the distance. It’s pretty amazing the leave such a distinct landscape like Hawaii and arrive to one that is nearly the opposite. The wind mellowed out as the sun went down and we entered more protected waters. The entire crew rallied to flake and stow three sails, and we readied lines and fenders for our arrival. We had an exceptionally smooth docking, despite it being Alex’s first time parking this year (!).
We had a very late dinner, toasted with celebratory champagne, and shared reflections of the trip. 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 certainly all enjoyed our full night’s sleep.
Now, everyone is scurrying around deep cleaning the boat. Everything is still damp, and in Prince Rupert there’s no chance of anything drying out anytime soon—us included. We’ll all return home significantly saltier than we were when we left, a mark of a passage properly sailed.
Zoe Peach-Riley
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Shooting Stars & Turtle Logs
Day three out of Ketchikan and FALKEN is running wing on wing down the outside of Vancouver Island. The temptation is to lie back in the cockpit and spend the night watching for shooting stars, but a diligent watch is always the first priority. So we keep a sharp eye out while the shooting stars keep us company through the night. The wildlife keeps coming: humpback and minke whales, five mola molas, dolphins, and a black-footed albatross. We are all feeling lucky for such conditions!
Pot dodging and whale watching
Duncan got us up to eleven knots at one point! The Ferriers also logged our first Orca sighting on their 3am-6am watch! This morning is a gift as the temps are just right and we finally have some blue sky and plenty of sunshine. It was a glorious few hours sailing before it inevitably died as forecast. I live in hope that by sunset tonight we’ll be back sailing as we emerge out of the lee of the island and the wind will be more westerly which lends itself to a better sailing angle.
We are off!
After two days of introductions, safety briefings and boat procedures we have departed Ketchikan. We are currently making a whopping 3.3 knots as there is very little wind in Nichols Passage. Adam fed us well last night with a delicious shrimp curry and Duncan was the winner of a sporty game of the card version Monopoly. With the scenic views and light wind it's quite peaceful out here.