January 20, 2025, 20:26 UTC | 20º 41.5’ N / 020º 17.6’ W | The Apprentice
Good evening! We are still heading south to get down to 20º N as I write this. We have light winds of 8-13 knots and the engine is on to help us get away from the high pressure over us. We are doing a consistent 7 knots and since we started this passage in Las Palmas, we have done 553 nautical miles.
Jillian is at the helm, Kevin, Janette, and Paulo are sitting in the cockpit watching the mesmerizing sky of stars, and the other watch team (Scott, Sarah, Derek, and Brandon) are hopefully able to get some sleep before waking up at 21:45 local boat time to get ready for the watch switch!
The person writing this blog for you is Vilgot, the apprentice on FALKEN, and I thought it would be interesting for you to get to know me—a 19-year-old guy from Sweden on his first gap year after high school, ending up crossing the Atlantic with 59º North on NORDIC FALKEN.
I met Mia and Andy at a local boat show in Sweden approximately one year after I saw FALKEN in Isafjordur, one of the most northern villages in Iceland. Seeing FALKEN in Isafjordur was during one of my two passages with the training tall ship T/S GUNILLA, a high school training vessel that takes students around the world while they are studying regular subjects like science or social studies. It was during these two trips that I got totally obsessed with ocean passages.
I was introduced to the apprentice program at the boat show that 59º North started a couple of years before and knew that this was something I had to apply for. After sailing on FALKEN from Ellös to Marstrand, I submitted my application and ended up on this Atlantic passage from Las Palmas to Antigua. I could not be more excited and grateful to learn from the professional staff working for 59º North and meet all of the amazing crew for this passage—it is truly a dream come true!
Enough about me! The day has been amazing, loads of sun, and with a warm day, the first shower for the entire crew couldn’t have fit any better. Right after the showers, the crew gathered in the cockpit for dinner and, as usual, had our “Glums and Glow” list for the day. There were almost zero “Glumps.” At the end of dinner, we had our first switch of the local boat time to adapt to the sunrise and sunset as well as the local time in Antigua, so we are now one hour behind UTC.
Everyone seems to be settling in well after these few days, and I heard that crew had started to read some books off watch. Seems like a few habits from home are settling in on the boat!
That’s it for today! Hold Fast!
From Vilgot the Apprentice and the entire crew!
P.S. We read the comments from the blog at dinner and the crew loved them, so keep the comments coming and we’ll read them again at dinner time!
59ºNorthApprentice
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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.