2023-9 | FALKEN | Lunenburg-St. Pierre-St. John's
The Passage
Rough itinerary
All 59º North passages are very much subject to weather. We pick our routes based on the "correct" time of year to be sailing in the different regions we visit, and we always build-in enough time to give us some margin for weather windows. The skipper has final say on departure dates and weather windows, but generally speaking, the intinerary for this passage will look like this:
July 15, 2023
Crew arrive to FALKEN at in Lunenburg, Canada. FALKEN orientation followed by crew dinner. All crew stay onboard FALKEN.
Prep Days
Between the joining and departure dates, all pre-passage preparation, provisioning, and safety briefings will be completed. The specific pre-departure schedule will be outlined and posted onboard FALKEN by the skipper.
July 17, 2023
Scheduled departure, weather dependent.
July 23, 2023
Latest date (12:00 noon) for crew to depart FALKEN from St. John's, Canada.
TRAVEL LOGISTICS
Lunenburg
Lunenburg has been a familiar landfall for 59º North, marking the completion of five of our recorded passages here between 2015 and 2023. Isbjørn made this her destination three times, including a run from Annapolis in 2015 and a longer North Atlantic route via St. John's and St. Pierre in 2016, before Icebear closed a passage here in 2019 and Falken followed in 2023.
Set on Nova Scotia's South Shore, Lunenburg is one of the best-preserved planned British colonial settlements in North America, its brightly painted waterfront and grid of steep streets earning UNESCO World Heritage status in 1995. Since the mid-18th century the town lived by the sea, first through the Grand Banks fishery and then as a renowned shipbuilding center. It was here, in 1921, that the legendary racing schooner Bluenose slid down the ways, a vessel so celebrated it still graces the Canadian dime. The working harbor retains its authentic character, with wharves, boat sheds, and traditional wooden vessels alongside a still-active waterfront.
Crew with a day or two ashore can tour the Fisheries Museum of the Atlantic, housed in a former fish-processing plant, where historic schooners and dories line the docks. The reproduction Bluenose II is often berthed nearby, and the Big Boat Shed offers a glimpse into the craft that built her. Wandering the colorful old town rewards anyone drawn to maritime heritage and classic sail.
Airport Info
Halifax Stanfield International Airport (YHZ) is the closest major airport, located about 2 hour drive to Lunenburg.
St. John's
St. John's has ended three of our recorded passages, our first landfalls there in 2016 and 2019 aboard ISBJØRN and ICEBEAR, both arriving from Lunenburg, followed most recently by FALKEN in 2023 after a stop at St. Pierre. That is the passage history we have logged here, spanning 2016 to 2023.
St. John's, on the eastern tip of Newfoundland, is one of the oldest European-founded settlements in North America and a natural landfall for anyone crossing to or from the North Atlantic. Its harbour is reached through the Narrows, a slender gap between steep cliffs that opens suddenly into a sheltered basin ringed by the coloured rowhouses of the city. Signal Hill rises above the entrance, crowned by Cabot Tower; the site is famous both as a centuries-old fortification guarding the only way in and as the place where the first transatlantic wireless signal was received in 1901.
Crew with a day or two ashore can climb Signal Hill for a commanding view back down through the Narrows, follow the coastal footpaths along the headlands, and explore a working waterfront where fishing vessels, coasters and visiting yachts share the same tight harbour. The surrounding Avalon coast is rugged and cliff-bound, with seabird colonies and small outport coves scattered along it—an evocative introduction to the fog, rock and deep maritime history that define this corner of the Atlantic.
Airport Info
St. John’s International Airport (YYT) is the primary airport, located about 10 minutes from the city center, with flights mainly connecting to other parts of Canada.
Weather conditions
Expect a cool, brisk passage with the North Atlantic showing her lively side—likely some fog, shifting breezes, and a few unsettled patches, so dress warm and be ready for a properly invigorating sail up the coast.
In-depth analysis, by WRI
WHY 59º NORTH?
ambitious sailing schedule
We sail upwards of 20,000 miles per year in all oceans of the world, and in over 200 passages, we've only been late by one day, one time! We've been able to accomplish this by properly planning our trips with enough time for weather windows, and allowing a few days in port between trips for staff to recover, re-provision and complete routine maintenance (most charter companies allow only a single day turnaround, which is insane!).
Every 4-5 trips we build in a 'fuse', where we have a 2-3 week maintenance period allowing us to take care of the boats in normal circumstances, or give a buffer should we get delayed by unforeseen circumstances prior to this break.
The best boats
We take pride in the maintenance of all of our boats, and hold ourselves to extremely high standards. We buy sails that will last for tens of thousands of miles, while holding their shape (unlike standard dacron); we carry lithium battery banks with high-output alternators so there's less time running the engine to charge at sea and killing the vibe; we carry enough sails to sail the boat to the conditons, whether that's heavy weather or light weather, to give you the full experience.
WOMEN BUNKS GUARANTEED
As a woman sailor, you will never be alone on a 59º North passage. We guarantee at least two women on every passage, and save those bunks before they sell out. If they don't sell, they're given away to women apprentices - yes, we put our money where our mouth is.
In fact, we rarely ever have to. 59º North passages have always been 'mixed' - not only by gender, but also by age, nationality, background, you name it. Back around 2022, we had a few prospective crew wondering if they'd be the only woman onboard. As that had almost never been the case, we decided there and then to guarantee it.
Our staff are also mixed gender as often as is logistically possible, and several times per year, on both boats, we run All-Women's passages, staffed and crewed entirely by female sailors to help further empower an often overlooked demographic at sea.
Professional, well-paid staff
Adventure sailing is the highest calling for most aspiring skippers who truly want to sail. Unlike superyachts, who spend most of their time in port, we spend most of our time at sea, and the real sailors who want to work in that envrionment are attracted to it.
Sadly, the industry-standard pay is extremely low, and offers little in the way of a safety net, or provisions for having family back home. We want to change that.
All of our professional staff are paid well above industry rates, and we sail on rotations of usually 6-week stints, so those of us with families and small kids ashore can be present as parents and partners while still living our dreams.
The truth is, most of us would do this job for free, and that's part of the "supply & demand" that sets the salary rates in our industry.
But at 59º North we value people above all else, and that starts with our staff, many of whom have been with us for years and will be familiar faces to those who return to sail with us again and again.
knowledge & community
When you sign-on to sail with us, your journey to ocean sailing starts the minute you click "Submit" on your signup form when we start the preparation process with you to go to sea. That includes:
- Extended FREE trial in our Quarterdeck seam'nship community & knowledge-base.
- Series of 3 newsletters leading up to your passage, including specific packing lists, gear discounts with our partners (including 25% off everything at Helly Hansen).
- 1-1 comms with Andy, Mia & August and our skippers if you have any questions before your trip.
Once you join the boat, you'll see why people sail with us again and again. But your experience doesn't end when the passage is over. You'll get:
- Exclusive earned patches for different milestones you've earned with us at sea.
- Sea-service letter/signed logbook if you're looking to earn miles towards a license.
- A final newseletter with photos and other useful information, including a copy of the handwritten logbook you kept while on the boat.
Why it costs what it costs...
Imagine you’re craving a burger.
On the same street, there are two restaurants. Both serve burgers. One is mass-produced to be fast & cheap. The other is made with carefully sourced ingredients by people who genuinely care about making a great burger (even great veggie burgers!). The bun is baked that morning. The onions are pickled in-house. The beef comes from a local farm. Every little detail is curated & intentional.
On paper, both have pretty much the same ingredients: a bun, a patty, cheese, onions, pickles and some sauce. They’re both burgers.
But nobody would argue that they taste the same or provide the same experience.
Offshore sailing is, weirdly, similar. You get out what you put in, and we put in a lot of effort to cross oceans in safety, in style, on-time and with passion.
At 59º North we obsess over and invest in the details: experienced career skippers, beautifully maintained boats & meticulous preparation, small crews, "teachable moments" and a culture of camaraderie.
Those choices cost more.
We know they’re worth it.
The end result of our "burger" is that it'll be the best-tasting burger you've ever had, literally life changing. Yes, you'll cross oceans, but the overall experience is what you'll remember for years to come, and what you'll want to return again and again for.
That's one tasty burger.
Hold Fast,
Andy | Skipper & Co-Founder
THE BOAT


Farr 65
'
FALKEN
'
🇬🇧
FALKEN is ideally set up for long-distance offshore sailing. We fully rebuilt the boat in 2022 to our exacting specifications and with the help of legendary yacht designer Bob Perry. She's comfortable belowdecks and each crew has their own dedicated sea berth & gear locker. On deck she has a huge cockpit which easily seats 10 people for our daily meals offshore, and allows for plenty of room to move about when handling lines and trimming sails. She's also easy to maintain, fast and fun to sail! FALKEN sails with 8 crew plus a Skipper & Mate and the occasional apprentice.












