Made it to Antigua!
17.0167° N, 61.7833° W
February 5, 2025 | Falmouth Harbor, Antigua
It is now Wednesday afternoon, February 5th. It feels like a long time ago that we made landfall in Antigua, when we spotted the glow on the horizon early in the morning and eventually saw the island of Antigua peak out of the water. The last bit of the journey was absolutely amazing—the wind picked up a bit and, with a reefed main and poled-out genoa, we sprinted towards our ‘finish line’ without much effort. By now, the crew were all comfortable on the helm and it was truly a magical last night under the stars.
Though many of us were excited about everything that landfall brings—a warm shower, burger and a drink, family waiting on the dock—the list can go on. But many of us were also aware that this adventure we have shared the last 2+ weeks was about to come to an end.
We made landfall early morning on the 2nd of February and pulled into Antigua Yacht Club. We had family waiting on the dock for some of the crew, and to our crew’s delight, a bag of ice with COLD beer in it (Thank you Adam!). We tied up to the dock and the first thing that needed to be done on arrival was to clear the crew into the country. Emily walked over to English Harbor to the customs office with all passports. In the meantime, we sprayed down the decks and scrubbed off the salt that had been accumulating throughout the journey. I must admit though that this boat was VERY clean on arrival—our daily clean down below and in the cockpit had paid off.
Once Emily came back, we all went ashore for some well-deserved showers and eventually dinner ashore! Crew have been enjoying the islands the last few days and some have had family fly out for an extended vacation, while others jumped on the plane to go home to their loved ones.
Thank you all for a great Trans-Atlantic. It has been fun to share our passage with so many people at home and all the comments have been read during dinner time (we get email daily from our shore support). If you have not yet made a comment and have been reading the blog, this is your chance :)
- Mia and the FALKEN crew
mia@59-north.com
View more passage logs
The Penultimate Blog from Adrienne II
After 20 days, and 3000+ nautical miles, we're back on land. The motley crew of Adrienne II, consisting of 7 happy amateurs supported by 3 professionals, have completed an epic journey many dream of but few realize. So much of this trip has been about being present - with nature, with each other, with this boat. My biggest takeaway from this trip is the amazing crossing of the ITCZ (Inter Tropical Convergence Zone). We all hope you've enjoyed the blog as much as we've enjoyed creating it.
Mother Nature, you’ve outdone yourself!
It’s been a great experience to have a non-traditional trans-Atlantic, as it’s been packed with genuinely cool features. The Doldrums!! A place sailors have been talking about for centuries. The unpredictability is what made it such an exhilarating experience. While some might be frightened or alarmed by this kind of weather, I was embodied with a sense of calm and awe. There’s something wildly beautiful about being reminded how small you are, while feeling so incredibly alive.
A Heavenly High
As you have probably figured out at this point, the drug of choice on board is, of course, celestial navigation- an art which has hooked offshore sailors for centuries. Once addicted, navigators will emerge from down below only to get their fixes two times per day, and spend the rest of their days and nights down below doing complex spherical mathematics. On Adrienne II, our skipper is our dealer. I must confess that I myself gave in to the strange urge which I’ve felt witnessing my crewmates practice this fine art, and yesterday felt an amazing sensation as I was able to wield the sextant for the first time and with it, bring down the tip of our starboard spreader to the top of our front sprayhood, presicely measuring the angle between the two (35deg, 38,8’ min). This afternoon, Naxo then showed me how to get my fix from the very sun itself - and I now fear there is no turning back.