Where is the winD?
Latitude: 9º28’ S
Longitude: 133º47’ W
April 22, 2200 Ship’s Time | Approx. 9º28’ S, 133º47’W | Broad Reaching with Full Main and Jib Top
Well, well, well… Who could’ve foreseen that the most uncertain part of this trip would be the 300nm to landfall? In a way that was forecast by the GRIB models we’ve been downloading underway, it does look like the SE trades are taking a holiday for the remainder of the week, and it’s forced us to get a little creative aboard FALKEN. We’re currently reaching north to try and take advantage of some slightly friendlier current, as well as generate a little apparent wind.
With a boat of this size, with a sail that carries this much inertia by itself, the main swinging from side to side in low winds sends a shock through the entire boat that I can only compare to playing the game “Operation” poorly… or maybe that one scene in the movie 127 Hours? It’s a shock that you can feel in your teeth, and it’s certainly neither enjoyable for the crew nor good for the equipment.
For the most part, we’ve crushed this passage. As I type this, we’ve just crossed into 2900nm sailed in 14 days and 7 hours, which is an average of a little less than 8.5 knots. It does feel a little unfortunate that, of course, it’s the last little stint where we lose the pressure, but as Andy has said to me, “sailing is not about focusing on the things outside of your control.” We continue on with a strategy of chipping away at the miles to land, hopefully with a more optimistic update in the near future!
I also thought it would be fun to share some of the ETA predictions from the crew. We wrote these on the day we left, long before we knew of the days of ITCZ-driven rain ahead, or the beautiful 7-day stretch of 9kt average days. Times are local to Marquesas and arrival is when we are sails down and tied up.
Hilary - April 23rd @ 11:30
Kimberly - April 24th @ 09:00
Scott - April 24th @ 16:00
Emily - April 25th @ 06:00
Aidan - April 25th @ 10:00
Jim - April 26th @ 10:00
Dennis - April 26th @ 15:20
Andy - April 26th @ 16:00
Udo - April 27th @ 20:30
Ted - April 28th @ 02:30 (where’s the faith, Ted???)
Make sure to follow along to see who is going to end up with a free drink at the bar!
- Aidan Gray
P.S. Write in the comments who you think will win!
59ºNorthApprentice
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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.