Wind or no wind?
50º 08’18 N, 127º 41’379 W
Friday, August 8, 2025, 22:00 Local time | 50º 08’18 N, 127º 41’379 W
When we slipped lines from Prince Rupert two days ago, the wind forecast was not very promising. But looking at the bigger picture, it was clear that we would sail through the border of two bigger weather systems, as well as all the thermal winds that might or might not turn up, depending on cloud cover, etc. So all in all, not looking too promising, but also pretty predictably unpredictable. And as things go, we just ended up sailing for a good portion of it. Beautiful upwind sailing in nice and easy winds up to 20 kts. Perfect to enjoy FALKEN's small tacking angles.
Sailing did end up great, but who am I kidding, sailing only was the cherry on top of an otherwise amazing day. After a few sightings of whales the past few days, we passed by a pod of orcas today, shortly before seeing a beautiful and impressively large sunfish. The wildlife has been stunning to say the least. So it only seemed normal to have otters swim around the anchored boat in the evening, while munching on their food.
Difficult to make this day any better it seems. But better it got indeed. My personal highlight: as we anchored in this wild little bay, we drove the dinghy over to the beach and followed a grown-over trail through the wildest rainforest I had ever seen. After walking for a bit over 30 minutes, we arrived on the other side—a beach of white sand so large it would have been an adventure in itself to walk the full length of it. It took us less than a minute to make up our minds and go for a swim in the fresh Pacific Ocean water. Truly a dream of a day.
- Manot | FALKEN Mate
ManotBerger
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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.