20°04.9' N 024°43.7' W
October 14, 2025 | 17:20 UTC | 20°04.9' N 024°43.7' W
The Life Onboard as an Apprentice
One year ago, I met Andy and Mia at a boat show in Ellös, Sweden—a first encounter with NORDIC FALKEN and 59° North. After a long and interesting conversation for both parties, I applied to the apprentice program that 59° North started a few years prior. Half a year later, I took a flight down to Las Palmas, Gran Canaria, and my first apprentice passage started. This was half a year ago, and today I am doing my second apprentice passage with 59 North.
As a 19-year-old guy dreaming of one day working with ocean sailing, the life on both FALEKN and now ADRIENNE II is so much more than having the constant view of an endless horizon, magical sunrises and sunsets, good sailing, and meeting amazing people that you grow so close to during the passage. The skilled skippers and mates bring you excitement and knowledge about the world I am dreaming of working in. To learn about the weather from Erik, and Tim's knowledge about ADRIENNE II and different sailing stories, is amazing to listen to. As well as new experiences from the crew, such as Nicole's yoga and spirituality, Jim's experience in competition and the constant look for more speed when sailing, and listening to everyone's life stories!
Today is the 14th of October and the 14th day at sea. The sky is starting to turn blue and small cloud banks cover small parts of the blue ocean above us. The ocean beneath us has calmed down the last couple of days, and the comforting waves rock the boat while we make our way upwind towards our destination. With us now being in the last third of the passage, it is still important to take your reflections of life outside this 70ft boat and still take in the surroundings and enjoy every minute of what the ocean has to offer!
Dinner time is soon here for us, so I better get back to the galley to finish the Chili Con Carne that I am cooking!
Fair winds,
Apprentice/Chef Vilgot
Love to Mom and Dad!
crew@59-north.com
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Turning the corner
Yesterday found Falken on a Northward course, still heeled to port, climbing and falling over waves. Sunrise this morning found Falken in an entirely different condition, one familiar to her, but not yet to the current crew. And then a truly magic moment, a pod of dolphins at least fifty members strong came to dance on Falken’s bow wave. We are now joyfully headed northeast, on course toward our eventual destination of Prince Rupert. Falken has turned a corner.
Onwards and upwards
Today is set to be the calmest day of our trip so far, waves subdued, wind veering off more south-east, light clouds. What an exhilarating ride it has been, beating upwind non-stop directly north for 6 straight days! What ahead of us is a mostly downwind sail to Prince Rupert, but a very exciting one. This makes it an interesting few days going fast and closely watching the weather, and I’m very much looking forward to it. The crew is happy, everyone seems to be getting good rest, enjoying watches and time in between.
Quadruple digits!
We are still headed north away from Hawaii, though today we have started to veer ever so slightly east. Speaking of miles, we hit quadruple digits today and are currently 1051 nms into our journey to Alaska. 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. 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.