20.29 Local Time // 60° 15' N, 005° 14' E
At the dock
On June 4, we reviewed our passage plan before our departure from the marina in Hjellested. Challenges for the day might include thunderstorms and increasing, gusting winds. We attached the staysail, then motored from the marina and hoisted the mainsail with one reef which is becoming a smooth team endeavor. We also raised the headsail. Sailing south, we used a relatively open area to practice and hone wind awareness including the wind vane, the tail tells, the wind on our faces, and the effect of the wind on the water. Next, we practiced points of sail by sailing in a triangle pattern.
As we neared the dock, we used our pickup skills to rescue a hat that had blown off! We returned to the marina and docked the boat with amazing efficiency, using the skills we’ve built over the last days. After our chores for the day were completed, we enjoyed time in the sauna before a delicious curry supper and prepared to head into more open water in the morning.
Katherine Glaser
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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.
Making the most of it
This passage has thrown pretty much every atmospheric condition imaginable at us. It reminds us not only of how much we’ve learned, but of how far we’ve literally come since that acceleration zone off the northwest corner of Oahu. The resilience this group has shown has been nothing short of incredible, and I couldn’t be prouder to be part of it. Maybe that’s why it’s the hardest passages we remember the most. Not because they were easy, but because they reminded us what we’re capable of.
