Day 1
What a first 24 hours run for FALKEN and her crew! We can see the skyline of Miami as I write this, which means that, with the help of the Gulf Stream, FALKEN has sailed over 214 nm upwind in 24 hours—pretty impressive! Last night was a tough one as we found ourselves battling with a sea state produced from wind against the current. It was choppy, windy, and very uncomfortable, but FALKEN and her crew managed to punch through it like champs.
Today started with more of the same, but the wind has been calming down, and now we find ourselves with a beautiful day, sailing along at 10-11 knots as everyone starts to get their sea legs. The weather is looking favorable for us, as it should start veering to the south between tonight and tomorrow, meaning we will be able to ease the sails, go quicker, and be even more comfortable.
Weather-wise, it looks like we're going to have to take the long route around pretty settled high pressure, but the weather router is indicating a pretty epic sail!
- Alex
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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.
