2025-2 | FALKEN | Las Palmas - Antigua
Join FALKEN off the coast of Africa in Las Palmas for our classic, 3,000-mile downwind Trade Winds passage to the Caribbean! This is what you dream about — 'sail south until the butter melts, then turn right.' With the winter winds at our back, you can expect many days of spinnaker sailing and plenty of downwind helming experience. There will be tropical squalls to contend with and lots of beautiful, starry nights.
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:
January 15, 2025
Crew arrive to FALKEN at 1300 in Las Palmas, Canary Islands. 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.
January 17, 2025
Scheduled departure, weather dependent.
February 6, 2025
Latest date (12:00 noon) for crew to depart FALKEN from Falmouth, Antigua and Barbuda.
PASSAGE DETAILS
FALKEN will be berthed at Marina de Las Palmas, just in the main capital city of Gran Canaria. We will let you know the exact slip location shortly before you join the boat.
TRAVEL LOGISTICS
Las Palmas
Falmouth
Weather conditions
This is a classic milk run downwind passage—expect warm tropical air, steady trades filling in behind you, and a lively, rolly ride that settles into an easy rhythm as you trade the chillier Canaries for Caribbean sunshine.
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...
"59º North made my dream come true to cross an ocean via sailboat. Andy and Vilma taught me little lessons and big lessons of the sea, pushing me out of my comfort zone, which is exactly what I was hoping for. Thank you Andy and Mia for letting me, a rookie ocean sailor, live the experience of a lifetime and fueling future dreams. I hope to be crew on FALKEN once again and to keep learning."
"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."
"If you are thinking about reefing—reef! The same logic applies to sailing with Andy and Mia: if you are thinking about sailing with them, stop thinking and GO! Andy and Mia are great sailors, leaders, teachers, cooks, and warm, intelligent, accepting people. No matter how many blue water miles you have under your keel, you will be a better sailor after your trip on ISBJØRN."
"I highly recommend the experience of doing a passage on ISBJØRN. I gained valuable offshore experience on a fine boat, learned how Andy and Mia competently manage their boat, learned about celestial navigation, and had a great time doing it. Completing ISBJØRN's first back-to-back 200 mile day passage was a smokin' fast bonus!"
"Huge thank you to the 59º North Team, especially Captain Emily and First Mate Mia, for taking me and our crew safely across the Atlantic Ocean. A daunting dream turned into an amazing reality under the expert supervision of a skilled and experienced team, on the beautiful, fast, and well-equipped boat, FALKEN. I feel very grateful to have met and worked with the wonderful, international crew aboard. I learned so much and I'll be back for more!"
"I can’t say enough good things about the camp, August, and ISBJØRN. The format is perfect for someone like me—I’ve done some sailing, but not enough to feel comfortable on a passage. August is an amazing teacher and so patient! I learned an incredible amount and feel ready to take on a passage with 59º North."
"There are so few opportunities in our lives, unless we seek them out, for adventure, exploration, and personal challenge. Doing hard things results in personal satisfaction and makes life meaningful. If people don't understand that and want more creature comforts than 59º North trips offer, then they're not the right people for you. Keep doing what you're doing and there will be plenty of crew who share your values wishing to join you."
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
Made it to Antigua!
It is now Wednesday afternoon, February 5th. It feels like a long time ago that we made landfall in Antigua, when we spotted the glow on the horizon early in the morning and eventually saw the island of Antigua peak out of the water.
living in the “bubble”
It is easy to flip your mind over to shore life, and start to dream about that good burger or cold drink, family and friends that are in Antigua to greet us, a warm shower and a chance to stretch your legs beyond 65 ft! But we don’t want to burst this bubble, and have to remind ourselves to enjoy this very last moment of the open ocean, because before we know it, we will be back ashore again.
colors
We have sunrises of lemon yellow, pink fluffy clouds deep golden sunsets and the sea is a dark aquamarine blue rather than grey. The rain squalls with gusty winds seem to be behind us although maybe this is too early to say.
summer camp on steroids
As the saying goes…do something ever day that scares you…..try to imagine……..2 am, pitch black, sustained winds at 25 knots, gusts approaching 40 knots, ocean swell at 3m……there you are at the helm, hand steering this 65’ sailboat safely towards Antigua. White-knuckled, you wonder, what am I doing here????? After your watch, your crash into bunk with a great sense of accomplishment. Each time at the helm feeling more confident.
Routines
Life onboard has turned into a very nice routine, and we keep the boat clean and tidy, the morning watch vacuums the floors and clean the inside every day, the afternoon team scrubs the cockpit, and Emily (skipper) and I take turn cleaning the heads daily. After dinner, the on-watch take turns to do the dishes and clean up the galley, and you would be surprised how clean the boat is after nearly 2 weeks at sea with 11 people on a 65 feet space.
the skipper
The word “skipper” can evoke various thoughts and expectations from people who have different levels of sailing experience, particularly offshore sailing experience. Some people who have experience solely with day charters may consider a skipper’s responsibilities to be limited to showing up on time, getting off the dock, setting the sails, anchoring, playing the music, and getting the party crew back safely at the end of the day.
scott’s lifelong dream
This has been a life long dream to sail an ocean. I can’t imagine any better way of fulfilling such a dream as signing onto FALKEN as a working crew member. The boat is safe, fully prepared, rigged, equipped for whatever Mother Nature can throw at us. With Emily and Mia in charge and all of us as willing crew, it is a marvelous experience that I will forever treasure
jeannette “the brave”
Our dear Brandon has already introduced all of our crew and he named me Jeannette ‘the Brave” turning fears into memories. And this can’t be more accurate because that is exactly how it feels for me. I have been wandering quite a long time what offshore sailing is for me, is it my dream or is it a nightmare? Am I made for this or I just want to want this? Can I handle THE ocean?
Trade winds
Once we ‘turned the corner’ and started to head west, we have been in proper trade winds, with winds 20-25 kts, and many squalls around. Not so much rain, but clouds that had brought winds in the 30-35 kts and occasional upper 30. FALKEN has been a rocket ship with two reefs in the main and a partially furled Yankee, surfing down the waves at 12-13 kts at times, with many speed records over 14 kts. I think Vilgot hold the ‘official record’ at 15.3 kts
whales
Well yesterday’s crew delight was a sighting of numerous whales. I happened to be cooking dinner at the time and so my only experience of them was a photograph taken by Kevin. This was probably a good thing because upon seeing both their size and proximity, let’s just say I had a slightly different facial expression to that of the majority.
THE TEAM
Our skipper is Emily, a brave sailor with knowledge to rival the eldest of veterans. And yet, she isn’t doom and gloom, her way or the highway, but has enough charisma to make even Davy Jones chuckle with glee. Her first mate, Mia, continues this trend. Bringing smiles a plenty, mirth of the merry, and stories. Stories of heroism, endurance and humor. Passing the time as we dawdle away in mother nature. Which leads me to the youngest of the group, the apprentice, Vilgot. Who shouldn’t be considered any less wiser because of his age. For he too brings experience in bundles, stories in droves, and enthusiasm in spades.
milestones
For me, the key to managing a long passage is to set small wins or milestones and tonight the distance to waypoint finally dropped below the 2000 mark. The appearance of the waning moon has made anticipating the swell a little easier but nonetheless the crew are adapting to a bigger sea on the beam and fickle winds that can be quite gusty at times.
savoring every moment
Think about that for a moment. It affords all of us the chance to get a real feel for this boat, and to hone our helming skills. Last night, the conditions allowed us to steer for some hours by the glow of the stars, before the clouds came across the night sky and our focus shifted to the compass.
dolphins and asteroids
The last 24 hours have been amazing though, sailing in almost a flat sea, with a gentle swell rolling in. Dolphins coming by visiting us at the bow many times a day. And yesterday the evening watch saw what they thought was an asteroid, the sail lit up and a bright light lit up the sky for a few seconds
THE APPRENTICE
After sailing on FALKEN from Ellös to Marstrand I submitted my application and ended up on this Atlantic passage from Las Palmas to Antigua. I could not be more excited and great full to learn from the professional staff working for 59º North and meet all of the amazing crew for this passage, it is truly a dream come true!
gybing into position
The next goal is to reach 20N ahead of the building swell that is the result of a deep low well north of us and its associated fronts. From there we should be able to sail directly towards Antigua albeit responding to the later forecasts as we proceed.
settling in
We are now settled in nicely onboard, but it usually takes a couple of days until everyone have caught up on their sleep and a fully emerged in the watch schedule of being awake a few hours at night, and nap during the day.