As we are waiting for the Northerly winds the crew has been working on line handling this morning. The crew has successfully set both the tri sail, storm jib, and the spinnaker pole on the dock.

This afternoon we discussed the weather forecast and the crew started working on our passage plan and pilotages out of Ponta Delgada and into Galway, with a potential stop in the Aran Islands. The weather forecast shows fresh Northerly winds on Monday, so we might delay our departure until Tuesday to have a slightly easier start into the trip

The sky cleared just before darkness fell and the crew had a final night to steer by the stars. Falken slipped along silently on an inky ocean and we slowly caught up with the last few boats of the ARC Europe who had left Bermuda four days before us.

We have had some fabulous nights on this crossing, allowing us to see the milky way in great detail. Along with many nebulae, star clusters, galaxies (all visible by naked eye), and of course, thousands of satellites, which make the sky feel strangely futuristic compared to the skies of my childhood. FALKEN, gliding effortlessly from one continent to another, under a hyper modern space age night sky, using “millennium” old technology. Seems to me like we are exactly at the right place at the right time.

Chris informed us that we will sail past Horta then tack to see if the wind will be more favorable on a starboard tack once the wind shifts. We undid the reefs to the Yankee and reef two in the main averaging 7.7 speed over ground for most of the morning. Dolphins, whales, and a nearby sailing vessel provided entertainment for the crew.

In another department, there has been a strong desire to see wildlife, and so far we have seen dolphins on multiple occasions, birds regularly, electric dolphins once (dolphins in bioluminescent algae). But yesterday definitely stood out as we were visited by a small group of whales just before sunset. A humbling few minutes, observing each other, before they disappeared again in the distance. 

FALKEN has maintained a steady pace of 8.6 speed over ground the last sixteen hours as we sail through to 1157 nautical miles. It has been bittersweet with completing the halfway mark to Horta yesterday. The crew had a celebration thanks to Manot for making ice cream for dessert.

We are sailing on the edge of a high pressure system. On my morning watch we shook all reefs and hoisted the Staysail. Beam reaching under full Mainsail, Yankee and Staysail Falken was cruising along at 9, 10 sometimes 11 knots. In the late afternoon the wind veered to a SWester Force 4 to 5 and we dropped the Staysail, eased the sheets and continued on a broad reach.

With 223 nm sailed in the last 24 hours, sailing has been fun and exciting. FALKEN is powered up nicely, and the crew are doing an amazing job helming, keeping her as if she were sailing on rails. Sailors often have their ways to mimic that sensation of the boat flying through the waves, underlined by their eyes brightening up in excitement. I am sure that these days spent together on FALKEN will be referred to under those terms more than once.

FALKEN is cruising right along at 8-9 knots and completing 484 nautical miles within the first three days of our voyage. The last twenty four hours have been tough with moderate sea state and wind speeds, but the crew has been in high spirits since the change in weather. The moderate winds have given us the opportunity to put up the staysail and Yankee along with a reefed main.

Before we left Bermuda we studied the weather and went through all the possible routing options. In the end, with all weather models predicting Northerly winds for the last three days of our trip, we decided to take the Northern route. This is adding some extra miles, but hopefully we will be in a better position for the predicted Northerlies.

A little under 24 hours ago, we slipped the lines from the fuel dock in St George, Bermuda. The excitement amongst the crew was palpable, and it didn’t take much to get a departure picture filled with bright smiles.

The crew is wrapping up their final moments in St. George’s Bermuda. This has been my first time traveling outside of America. My time here has been overwhelmingly positive from the 59 North Crew to the locals here on Bermuda.

Hello everyone! What a great day today has been. Everyone onboard is smelling extremely well and looking very fresh and the reason for that is that today we hove-to to have a mid-Ocean dip! That's right, we went in the water and had a beautiful swim and clean before jumping back onboard to carry on sailing.

Another day of stunning sailing onboard the good ship FALKEN, It has been fascinating to witness the change of temperature since our departure from Cuba and, although the sun has been present everyday since then, it has clearly cooled down to a lovely temperature, needing even a hoodie at night!

Another day is coming to an end as we watch the sunset go down over the horizon. The good news is that FALKEN is still doing over 9 knots which means we've done another 210 nautical miles + day! The bad news is that we're still going upwind....

What a first 24 hours run for FALKEN and her crew! We can see the skyline of Miami as I write this, which means that, with the help of the Gulf Stream, FALKEN has sailed over 214nm upwind in 24 hours, pretty impressive!

After a few days exploring the wonders of Habana, FALKEN and her crew are ready to set sail and point the bow to Bermuda… well just about. Chris and I are once again sailing together which means that most part of the passage is gonna be upwind!

Last day of sailing today as we rounded the most westerly point of Cuba late last night. Its back to the coaching of the helm as many of the crew experience upwind conditions for the first time.

You can imagine my surprise to be awoken suddenly, wondering what emergency may have demanded my appearance on deck with such urgency. Fiona had been sent to undertake the task feared by many before her as she delivered the news that I must leave my dreamy wonderland of much needed rest…