London
51.5055° N, 0.0754° W
September 3, 2024, 12:10 UTC | Tower Bridge
Truly stunned to be moored up right next to the iconic landmark Tower Bridge. I see the classic red buses driving over the bridge and we meet wonderful people living in a barge community right here on the river bank. They were real lifesavers for letting us raft up next to them when we didn’t make it to the lock of St. Katherine’s Dock in time.
We arrived at the mouth of the River Thames yesterday morning and started the engine, motoring up to London. We had dinner onboard while watching old wharf buildings and docks go by as we motored along. We ended the night with a well-deserved pint or two at a pub nearby.
The sailors onboard got this full day to explore London, which was a first for many of them. For the crew, today is a day for cleaning up the boat and prepping for sailing into the English Channel. We will be heading for a port of call on one of the Channel’s isles for some sightseeing before our final destination, Plymouth.
Hold Fast!
- David the apprentice
59ºNorthApprentice
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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.