Pre-Departure
July 3, 2024
FALKEN // LEG 10 // Crew arrive - introductions and laughter
We have had a busy few days preparing Falken for her next trip from Galway, Ireland to Bergen in Norway. This included a deck wash and filling the water tanks from a fire hydrant. Then, to fill the tanks with diesel, a lovely man arrived in a little fuel lorry with tales of fishing under sail. The welcome here in Ireland has been wonderful.
The boat was ready and the crew arrived, excited and ready for our trip. Between sunshine and showers, we got to know each other, allocated bunks, did a deck walk, and a domestic brief. We ended the day with a great meal out in beautiful Galway. It is always so special how a new crew comes together and becomes a team. The magic has started. Let’s hope we have some great weather.
- Jojo Pickering, Skipper S/Y FALKEN
JoJoPickering
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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.