53°41.729’ N, 130°07.008’ W
Wednesday, August 6, 2025
Local Time: 6:45pm | Position: 53°41.729’ N, 130°07.008’ W
Introducing one of our WILD intrepid explorers, Andre, for this afternoon’s blog:
Stereotypical Alaska
We all know that stereotypes can be, at best, unfair and even sometimes downright wrong. This trip is my first time in Alaska and it’s a safe bet that I had some preconceived notions about what Alaskan scenery would be like. And let me tell you, it’s exactly how I imagined: remote, rugged, expansive, mountainous, green, cloudy, foggy, rainy, beautiful, WILD. Stereotypical Alaska, am I right?
Day 1 of our journey started promptly at noon with crew introductions and a couple hours of orientation and safety from Skipper Nikki, mate Manot, and apprentice Lovis. Then, much to everyone’s delight, we learned we were leaving that same day to motor to a nearby anchorage. We were settled into the three-hour motor when someone yelled, “WHALES!” We were 90 minutes into our first day and Alaska already delivered with two whale flukes breaching the water. Stereotypical. After that excitement, we glided into a gorgeous and secluded bay, dropped the anchor, ate dinner, and went to bed.
Day 2 started early, weighing anchor at 5:30am for a day of motor sailing to Prince Rupert, BC to check in with Canadian customs. It was nearly non-stop rain but we all kept spirits up, always on the lookout for more sea life. We made good time to Prince Rupert, but as can happen, it was another three hours until the Canadian Border agents made it to our vessel to clear us into Canada. It was late and still raining, so we made the team decision to spend the night at the dock in Prince Rupert. Another delicious meal, some card games at the salon, and another peaceful night of sleep. Oh, be sure to ask your loved ones if they were the ones who got accidentally locked out of the marina. They might have a funny story for you.
Day 3 is still unfolding, but so far we’ve practiced crew overboard drills, been treated to sunshine, enough wind to sail, and the spectacular scenery of the Inside Passage. Oh, and just as I finish writing this, WHALE!
Oh, Canada, here’s to hoping our beliefs about the rest of our adventure hold true.
- Andre | 59º North Crew
FALKENCrew
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A last hurrah
Under the dome of stars in a moon-less sky, each of us during our time at the helm used the most rudimentary celestial navigation, keeping a star or two lined up with the mast as a helper to following the heading range. It was a whole crew event to set the spinnaker, reef the mainsail and practice the heave-to in case of man overboard. Alex stressed that the key to success in all of these crucial activities is preparation. It was hugely satisfying to accomplish these tasks through teamwork. We share a constant good hearted back and forth full of stories, one-liners and comebacks that also means constant laughter.
One little bird!
Falken has almost rounded the Channel Islands and is cruising along splendidly about 100 miles offshore. Though several models predicted some slightly fresher winds today, we were met with a consistent 18-20 kts of pure bliss. It seems that from the moment we left the dock in San Francisco, there has been much laughter and conversation amongst everyone. The plan is to gybe in a few hours and begin our approach to Ensenada. As much as I do appreciate the jokes and intellectual musings, I equally appreciate the natural, silent moments we share at night, all of us on watch gazing up above to the shooting stars, constellations, and planets putting on their quiet show.
Birds and glows
The sun brought new wind and we were soon putting up the Yankee (jib) and turning off the motor. During the evening tradition of sharing “glums and glows” that follows the crew dinner, our Mate Ryan proclaimed it a “champagne sailing” kind of day. As Alex noted this evening, life goes by so fast that one of the very best things about his line of work is enjoying the passage of time in the slow lane of an ocean passage. But by tomorrow, the green blobs in the weather sailing app indicate we’re going to pick up some significant northwesterly winds and we’ll take them ever further south to the Channel Islands latitude. We’re all super excited for the knots to climb and to see Falken really run.