16.35 BOAT TIME | 08° 10.1’ S 114° 16.9’ W
Sailing
We are operating on a 3-on, 6-off watch schedule and some of the times are better than others. Please read on for a totally subjective and not at all data driven tiering of our watches by Kate. Disclaimer: views stated here do not represent that of the entire crew and/or staff and some are hotly contested, but I have claimed authorial privilege so my word will stand.
BOTTOM TIER
0900-1200:
- Pros: None.
- Cons: It is too hot, there is no shade, this watch gave me heat exhaustion, I am personally biased against it!
1200-1500:
- Pros: You might as well be on watch as there is no shade anywhere on the boat and it is too hot. Sometimes Zoe makes a little lunch treat.
- Cons: Again, it is too hot.
APPLE WATCHES:
- Why do people have these, they are ugly and also they make you see/respond to text messages in a timely fashion? Could never be me.
MID TIER
0300-0600:
- Pros: A beautiful night watch, loads of stars, nice and quiet, our bird friend arrived on it last night.
- Cons: Weird sleeping before and after, you’re sorta hungry but not really.
0000-0300:
- Pros: Also a very nice night watch.
- Cons: Marginally less weird sleeping than 3-6a but still not ideal.
1500-1800:
- Pros: Shade!!! Glorious shade comes over the cockpit and we all come out to glory in it and have a delicious dinner. The speed record was also set on this watch.
- Cons: You watch everyone else eat dinner while you are at the helm until Ken (top tier crew member) finishes his dinner and takes pity on your hungry stomach to come helm while you eat. You then have to do the dinner dishes and get all sweaty before trying to sleep.
2100-0000:
- Pros: You got a little post-dinner nap, a beautiful night watch, you can look forward to some good sleep afterwards .
- Cons: You are very tired by the end of this one.
MY CLASSIC TIMEX:
- Pros: Tells the time, looks cool.
- Cons: On my kitchen table at home instead of being useful here.
ADAM'S WATCH:
- Pros: Tells him when to relieve me on the helm.
- Cons: Apparently cannot be updated to tell the correct hour of time, can only be relied upon for the minutes which is fine because that is all I need.
TOP TIER
0600-0900:
- Pros: Starts with stars (depending on where in the time zone we are), ends with sunrise. No need to be slathered in sunscreen yet.
- Cons: Sleeping after is kind of annoying.
1800-2100:
- Pros: Starts with sunset, ends with stars. Full bellies, everyone else goes to nap, nice and quiet.
- Cons: None so far, it is beautiful and my favourite.
This concludes the tiering of watches; thank you for your time and attention.
Kate
View more passage logs
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.