Hello Victoria! Arrival Day...
Monday, August 11, 2025, 09:30 Local time | Victoria, BC
Hello Victoria! So to look back… We had all sorts of conditions on this trip. We motored through narrow fjord-like passages and gazed upon the remotest of remote landscapes. We sailed in thermal breezes, cutting through dead flat seawater like a knife through butter, upwind in 15 knots. Wow, does Falken love that. We dropped the hook in the most WILD anchorage off Brooks Peninsula and experienced true, natural silence. How rare in our busy world.
After dropping the hook and 48 hours of sailing, the team pumped up the dinghy, headed to shore, hiked half an hour, and emerged from the lush Pacific Northwest rainforest to just the most incredible beach you have ever seen. Just us, and the Pacific Ocean. Of course, we went for a swim. And then, back to sea for a final hoorah—25-35 knots downwind for our last leg. It was when the fog lifted and the moon rose on our starboard bow, shining through the way home, that we realized… Wow… this is special. Yes, what we get to experience here really is special.
We agreed at the beginning of this trip that our priorities would be to be safe, have fun, learn, and get WILD—in that order. And, from the reflection last night that we shared as a team, I’m happy to share that we achieved the mission! More coastal trips like this have a way of igniting dreams, because they are closer perhaps to a lifestyle of a cruiser. It was wonderful to hear that so many of the crew are asking themselves the question that of course we want everyone to ask… ‘Do I want sailing to be a significant part of my life?’
Once again, this 59 North trip ends with new friends, freshly acquired wisdom, and a broader horizon for us all.
- Nikki | FALKEN Skipper
NikkiHenderson
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People Get Ready!
The last three days have been an intense (and intensely hot) period of discovery, practice, and planning. Because Adrienne II is not a 59N boat, there's been some extra setup and coordination needed including rigging all the sails that were out for repairs before we arrived. Its been a blast working alongside the 59N team getting to help them work things out on a less familiar boat in real time. Tomorrow morning we'll run through our Person Over Board training as the final pre-departure task, cast off and head out. Can't know all that it will be, but its going to be a great adventure out in the vast world with some pretty fantastic people.
Among the Channel Islands
In the wind shadow of SoCal we had a restful night with calm conditions ghosting through smooth seas. We’re getting ourselves in position for spicy weather tonight once we round Cape Conception, the seas build and the breeze freshens. It will be an upwind sail into an acceleration zone along a formable coast with few bailout points, Morro Bay being one. The crew is really gelling with lots of smiles and laughter on deck. Monterey is in our sights!
Day Two Delights
The seas were completely glassy with a gentle swell as we approached San Clemente Island, the southernmost of the Channel Islands. Everyone jumped in and marvelled at the lovely temperature and crystal clear, indigo-colored water. Before long the wind started to pick up, and we happily unfurled the jib and were sailing again. The afternoon has been gorgeous, cruising along at 5-6 kts, close hauled on a port tack in a gentle breeze, Catalina Island in the distance on our starboard side, and everyone is happy.