2025-11 | FALKEN | Victoria-San Francisco All-Women's Passage
FALKEN will head into familiar waters as she sails on our annual ALL-WOMEN’S PASSAGE from Victoria, BC to San Francisco, where part of our shore support team is based! Experience the wonders of nature, encounter diverse marine life, and witness the transition from the serene tranquility of the Pacific Northwest to the vibrant energy of California's iconic San Francisco Bay. A solid 750 miles of offshore sailing awaits with our team of women professional sailors leading a group of like-minded women on a bucket-list ocean passage.
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:
August 17, 2025
Crew arrive to FALKEN at 1300 in Victoria, 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.
August 19, 2025
Scheduled departure, weather dependent.
August 25, 2025
Latest date (12:00 noon) for crew to depart FALKEN from San Francisco, United States.
TRAVEL LOGISTICS
Victoria
San Francisco
Weather conditions
Expect a cool, brisk passage down the Pacific coast—plenty of wind on the beam to keep her sailing nicely, with lively seas, gray skies, and likely fog rolling in, so layer up and settle into a proper offshore rhythm.
In-depth analysis, by WRI
WHY 59º NORTH?
ambitious sailing schedule
The best boats
WOMEN BUNKS GUARANTEED
Professional, well-paid staff
knowledge & community
Why it costs what it costs...
"In 11 days on the North Sea with a crew of 9 women, 59 feet of boat, 1350nm, and two episodes of heaving-to, we gained experience that would take years to acquire alone. The mentorship, leadership, training, and kindness from the crew at 59º North helped us become better sailors by leaps and bounds. Sharing this journey with sailors from around the world was pure joy, and every passage with 59º North is a legacy of knowledge we benefit from."
"I really didn’t know what to expect on my trip. I knew it was going to be about 800 miles, the Bay of Biscay is notoriously challenging, and there was a remote possibility of orca attacks. Thankfully, we were safe, but the Bay of Biscay did not disappoint, and we logged more than 1,000 miles. Our skipper and mate, Nikki Henderson and Emma Garschagen, far exceeded any expectation I had, and at no time did I ever feel unsafe, which allowed me to fully take in every experience. I learned a ton, had a great time, and left with a new sense of confidence that I never expected."
"This trip across the North Sea from Bergen (Norway) to Oban (Scotland) was awesome! It offered hands-on learning about navigation, lots of sail handling, and a wide range of weather, wind (up to 35 knots!), and sailing conditions. Jon Amtrup is a highly experienced skipper—and he helped me fill in the gaps!"
"This was my second trip with 59º North, my first being a fantastic heavy weather crossing of the Irish Sea on ISBJØRN. I signed up for the Canary Islands to Caribbean trip, thrilled to be chosen as crew. The attention to detail in equipment, vessels, and crew at 59º North is world class, making ocean sailing both safe and unforgettable. I will definitely be sailing again with 59º North."
"I have so many great memories from this sailing experience, and so much of that was because of our skipper, Mary, and first mate, Delaney. Mary was incredible: approachable, present, knowledgeable, and always calm, with a quiet confidence that made everyone feel safe and comfortable. She frequently studied the GRIB files and always considered the best course of action to keep her crew happy and safe. She kept us informed each day with clear explanations of passage changes and weather. She never wavered in providing gentle reminders about safety on board. It never once crossed my mind that we were not in good hands. Delaney was equally wonderful. She and Mary were perfectly in sync as leaders, communicating calmly, respectfully, and often with great humor. Delaney was always smiling, quick to laugh, and showed clear respect for Mary’s decision-making while bringing her own steady presence to the crew. Virginia, our intern, and I spent less time together due to our shifts. However, in the few interactions we had, we shared some amazing life perspectives that I will always remember. Together, they created the full offshore sailing experience I hoped for: a combination of education, safety, leadership, and kindness. The only problem is that they have now set a very high bar for future sailing experiences. When I reflect back on the passage, I have no ‘glums’ at all."
"Gathering with 10 other like-minded women aboard FALKEN was amazing! I learned more than I ever expected from Nikki and Emma. Being 'allowed' to mess up and actually learn from your mistakes without anyone getting stressed was freeing! I'd recommend this trip to any women with a desire to sail."
"Before 59º North I didn't know my bowsprit from my binnacle and suffered from low sailing esteem. After two weeks of 59º North, what a difference! As a longtime podcast listener, I arrived for my Bermuda to Horta transatlantic with high expectations, and they were all not just met but exceeded. I could not imagine a skipper and mate more professional and enthusiastic than Andy and Emma."
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.
packing lists & notes
Final Debrief
By Nikki, FALKEN Skipper | Each ‘final debrief’ has its own personality - this one particularly entertaining, as every so often a song would be turned up on the speaker and the girls would launch into a sailing inspired dance. Followed by more roars of laughter, and then back to another grounding, inspiring reflection. Many of the women shared how tough they had found the trip at certain moments, and how empowered they now feel after realizing - wow - “I am stronger than I thought I was.”
Whales, Radar and gratitude
By Nikki, FALKEN Skipper | As the world turned dark grey, the clarity of the top of the mast and anywhere beyond the railings of the boat disappeared we realized that the last part of our trip we actually saw was a wildlife show. Gratitude was the word.
Wanderers
By Hannah, FALKEN crew | At this moment we have sailed 545 miles south at 175 degrees and are currently crossing into the offshore waters beyond California. We are sailing wing and wing down wind, or as the French call it-butterfly-with fair winds and following seas that roll up to 10 feet.
thanks mother nature
By Nikki, FALKEN Skipper | Around mid morning, the fog cleared and the North Westerlies gently started to fill in and by dinner time we turned off the engine and started to sail. It was a wonderful, peaceful, gentle day. Thanks Mother Nature. You are warming us ladies in softly.
Reflecting on the wows
By Nikki, FALKEN Skipper | I’m writing from WOW island (ok I renamed it slightly - Wouwer Island officially). But, it does feel wow! Wow; so beautiful. Wow; so quiet. Wow; we are alone in paradise. I cannot believe somewhere so close to Seattle and Vancouver can be so peaceful, so empty.
Big first day!
By Mia, FALKEN 1st Mate | This passage is one of our ‘All-Women passages’, something we started a few years ago. I remember so well when me, Nikki & Emma planned the first one in 2022 on ICEBEAR, and here we are, on the other side of the world with a group of 11 amazing women ready to set sail in the big ocean!