pre-departure
June 16, 2024 | 16:30 UTC
The new crew of eight joined myself, first mate Manot, and apprentice Athena aboard Falken yesterday at 1300 to sail from Ponta Delgada, Azores to Galway, Ireland. After a friendly introduction to the staff, the boat, and the forthcoming passage, we dove straight into the domestic briefs followed by the essential safety briefs: fire, flooding, abandoning ship, gas safety, dismasting, and the on-deck orientation.
After a delicious meal at a local restaurant and an early night, we commenced the safety brief this morning with winch safety, lifejackets, and a Man Over Board (MOB) drill. Lunch gave everyone a chance to recharge and digest all the information thrown at them over the past 24 hours.
This afternoon we discussed the weather forecast, and the crew started working on our passage plan and pilotages out of Ponta Delgada and into Galway, with a potential stop in the Aran Islands. The weather forecast shows fresh northerly winds on Monday, so we might delay our departure until Tuesday to have a slightly easier start to the trip.
Everyone is excited to leave and looking forward to the 1200nm passage. Fair winds and a following sea.
- Chris
ChrisKobusch
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Shooting Stars & Turtle Logs
Day three out of Ketchikan and FALKEN is running wing on wing down the outside of Vancouver Island. The temptation is to lie back in the cockpit and spend the night watching for shooting stars, but a diligent watch is always the first priority. So we keep a sharp eye out while the shooting stars keep us company through the night. The wildlife keeps coming: humpback and minke whales, five mola molas, dolphins, and a black-footed albatross. We are all feeling lucky for such conditions!
Pot dodging and whale watching
Duncan got us up to eleven knots at one point! The Ferriers also logged our first Orca sighting on their 3am-6am watch! This morning is a gift as the temps are just right and we finally have some blue sky and plenty of sunshine. It was a glorious few hours sailing before it inevitably died as forecast. I live in hope that by sunset tonight we’ll be back sailing as we emerge out of the lee of the island and the wind will be more westerly which lends itself to a better sailing angle.
We are off!
After two days of introductions, safety briefings and boat procedures we have departed Ketchikan. We are currently making a whopping 3.3 knots as there is very little wind in Nichols Passage. Adam fed us well last night with a delicious shrimp curry and Duncan was the winner of a sporty game of the card version Monopoly. With the scenic views and light wind it's quite peaceful out here.