Routines
20º 00.9’ N, 046º 05.9’ W
January 28, 2025 | 11:52 UTC | 09:52 Ship’s Time | 20º 00.9’ N / 046º 05.9’ W
It is now mid-morning onboard FALKEN. Jeanette has made me and her Team A a wonderful breakfast; she turned last night’s mashed potato leftovers into amazing quesadillas with some cured ham, cheese, and piri piri hot sauce from Portugal! Kevin said it reminded him of home. It was so good that she had to make us all a second round. The watermaker is running and it is soon time for a shower. There is no shower inside FALKEN, but there is one on the aft deck, so we all take turns for a fresh rinse, and soon the entire boat will smell good!
Last night we passed our 2000 nm sailed, and we also have less than 1000 nm to go to Antigua. The last couple of days have been amazing sailing with the pole out, surfing downwind on the gentle swell. Occasionally we have squalls roll over us; they often bring some stronger winds, and I think Derek was at the helm during the strongest and had wind in the lower 40 knots for a few minutes. The wind is a bit more easterly now and yesterday we gybed. Vilgot and Paolo were up on the foredeck gybing the pole, while Emily took the helm. First we roll up the yankee, then gybe the pole, gybe the mainsail, and set up the pole on the new side. It takes some time to make sure all lines are run correctly. The boat is set up perfectly with a reefed main out to starboard, and a poled-out yankee to port. She is very balanced and easy at the helm.
It is now getting warmer during the days, especially when the sun peeks through the clouds. We have had more clouds than expected during this passage (quite nice because it keeps the temperatures down), but last night we were treated to an amazing sunset. Brandon sat up at the bow and soaked it in, while Scott was at the helm, steering into the sunset with a big grin on his face.
Life onboard has turned into a very nice routine, and we keep the boat clean and tidy. The morning watch vacuums the floors and cleans the inside every day, the afternoon team scrubs the cockpit, and Emily (skipper) and I take turns cleaning the heads daily. After dinner, the on-watch takes turns to do the dishes and clean up the galley, and you would be surprised how clean the boat is after nearly two weeks at sea with 11 people on a 65-foot space. Our outer gear is kept in the wet lockers, and the personal gear either in the bunks, our personal locker, or the numbered pockets we have by the companionway (perfect for sunglasses, headlamp, water bottles, sunscreen, etc.).
Yesterday it looked like we had a 59º North book club onboard; everyone except Sarah at the helm had a book in their hand. Team B started a push-up challenge during their watch. I joined in but not sure if Sarah has been convinced yet. Everyone takes a few minutes every day though to do some stretching. We take turns hand steering the entire way, usually 30 minutes at a time, and that itself is a good workout, both for the body and for the brain!
Thank you all for following our adventures—less than 1000 nm to go now!
Cheers from Mia and the FALKEN crew
mia@59-north.com
View more passage logs
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.