SAILING
Good evening from Falken! Dinner is in the oven and I just woke up from an excellent afternoon nap. I’ve spent a lot of time feeling hot on this boat, and cozying up in my sleeping bag has been a welcome new experience on board.
We are still headed north away from Hawaii, though today we have started to veer ever so slightly east. By ever so slightly I mean five degrees, but hey, that still counts. It’s been a sunny day, which has been a nice switch up after several days of straight cloudy, overcast skies.
The crew’s spirits seem to improve with each day, mine included. I’ll be honest, there was a roughly 72 hour period where I was questioning if I’d ever step foot on a sailboat again. Alex says it’s a good sign that I wasn’t yet questioning life itself. Jokes aside, I can say with certainty that all of the previous times I’ve been queasy on boats have been quite tame, and this was real deal. Anywho, the majority of us who faced the green monster head-on have persevered and are (mostly) all smiles now. I expect those smiles will only become more common as we chip away at our upwind miles. I can only pray that my dad, who’s on board, will forgive me for roping him into such an ordeal…
Speaking of miles, we hit quadruple digits today and are currently 1051 nms into our journey to Alaska. The flying fish and seabirds have been fewer and far between as we enter colder waters. Other exciting sights include lots of random fishing buoys and a lone (luckily empty) boot. It’s birthday week on board too— we celebrated Adam’s 25th birthday yesterday with brownies, Margaux’s today, and have another birthday tomorrow (dare I say my own). Alex, Adam, and I have had many fun surprises up our sleeves, including cans of Coke with dinner a few days ago and ice lollies (more commonly known as popsicles) tonight.
The sea state continues to calm down, and the famous North Pacific high is just out of our reach. The next few days will be a delicate dance of riding the outskirts of the high while avoiding the pesky low pressure systems that are dancing nearby. Luckily, I have full confidence that Alex will do everything in his power to get us sailing downwind as soon as is physically possible. In his very wise words, we need to get north but not too far north, stay south but not too far south, continue heading east but not too far east, and avoid going west but also stay west. Piece of cake!
Love to all!
Zoe
Zoe Peach-Riley (Apprentice)
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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.