Food
April 17, 2026 | Food!
With two thirds of this passage complete already, I have been reflecting upon the gargantuan task of provisioning and meal planning, and the learning curves in relation to food as our voyage has progressed. Any professional sailor responsible for provisioning will have felt the nagging fear that there simply isn’t enough food for the duration, no matter the level of planning. Add to that the unknown variable of how much the crew will consume (this can vary massively), and the whole management of stores concept becomes an epic undertaking.
We consume the meats first in order of safe storage, starting with chicken, then moving through the pork and beef, and relying on the trusty cured sausages to keep things interesting further along. Vegetables most certainly have a hierarchy in terms of longevity, with cabbages, carrots, onions, and potatoes lasting longest. A good old-fashioned coleslaw is always well received in latter days and is a refreshing option in the heat of the tropics.
Keeping the snack cupboard refreshed and making sure the day fridge has plenty of lunch options are daily considerations, alongside topping up the breakfast cereals and rotating dry stores from the less convenient parts of the boat to the more accessible areas within the galley. Cooking for 11 people in this heat with a following sea is a constant workout and on average requires two and a half hours for a decent dinner prep. The dangers of boiling water and hot oil are ever present, and traffic through the galley needs careful management.
This is just one of the many aspects of running a safe and efficient boat, but given that on a sailing boat, the crew are the engine, providing healthy, nutritious, and varied meals is a vital component that is often overlooked.
As each day passes, the task of being creative gets trickier and the notion of reaching a restaurant becomes more and more enticing. Not long now!
- Emily | Mate on FALKEN
EmilyCaruso
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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.