2026-1 | FALKEN | San Diego-La Paz
(Note that we offer a % discount if you pay by cash/bank transfer.)
Join FALKEN in San Diego to start the 2026 Pacific season! After a short off-season break over the holidays, FALKEN will be back in action for the reaching sail south to Mexico and into the Sea of Cortez, making landfall in La Paz on the Baja California Peninsula. This will be 59º North’s first foray into the famed Sea of Cortez, and everything we’ve heard about it makes us very excited! Here’s your chance to be the first crew to sail to the Sea of Cortez with us!
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 18, 2026
Crew arrive to FALKEN at 1300 in San Diego, United States. 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 20, 2026
Scheduled departure, weather dependent.
January 25, 2026
Latest date (12:00 noon) for crew to depart FALKEN from La Paz, Mexico.
TRAVEL LOGISTICS
San Diego
La Paz
Weather conditions
Expect a brisk, lively passage down the Baja coast—cool and breezy with the prevailing northwesterlies often at your back, generally settled but with a few spirited days at sea before you slip into the warmer, calmer embrace of the Sea of Cortez.
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...
"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!"
"Great time sailing on FALKEN with Alex, Adam, and Zoe from Hawaii to B.C.! The passage took about 2 weeks, with beautiful sunrises and sunsets, dolphins, whales, fast speeds, and big waves. FALKEN handles rough weather with ease, and the experienced staff made this passage a piece of cake. By the end of the trip, I was already looking at next year’s openings to sign up for!"
"Mark and I signed up for a multi-night sailing adventure and ended up with a life-altering week of utter delight. Alex and Mia created an atmosphere of trusting, loving community the second we boarded FALKEN, and we still can’t believe how they trusted us with their beautiful boat and the crew’s lives. We learned about sailing, charting, trimming sails, and working in teams with strangers, and experienced everything from flat calm to huge swells, dolphins, and whales. We’ve been off the boat for four days and are already obsessed with going on another leg—what a week, 59º North!"
"It was an honor to be onboard FALKEN for her crewed maiden voyage. We sailed in challenging conditions on our 5-day romp in the English Channel, with the crew rising to the occasion inspired by our skipper, Nikki, and first mate, Alex. If you want to experience real-world offshore life under expert supervision with like-minded folks, look no further than 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."
"I had always wanted to do an ocean crossing but never felt comfortable doing it myself. Experiencing a bucket list item with 59º North was deeply special and has me considering how I can design my life for more adventures like this. Thank you for creating 59º North and allowing others to experience the magic of the seven seas!"
"Wow! Andy, Mia, and the team run an extraordinary offshore program for new and experienced sailors alike. Their deep and wide-ranging knowledge of sailing provides anyone an opportunity to learn. The memory of sailing with 20+ knots of wind under a full moon across 8-10' seas is one I will carry with me forever."
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
COASTING DOWN BAJA
Mary and I joked that this was probably the longest lead-up to a passage we’ve ever had - we arrived into San Diego on Saturday, January 10, deliberately a bit early as it’s the first trip of the year and we needed to recommission FALKEN after a 5-week layover.
BONUS SAILING
The wind filled in between 1100-1200 today, right on schedule with the GFS weather model, and by lunchtime we were sailing.
FLYING THE KITE + DOMESTIC CHORES
Each day we rotate through who cooks the meal (I was on chili duty tonight, my specialty), who cleans the heads (that’s done on whoever has the 1930-2230 watch.
TUNA TUNA FISH
It’s tuna time on the good ship FALKEN.
DEEPWATER SWIMMING
Swimming in 10,000-ft deep water...yes please!
40+ KNOTS IN A BLACKOUT NIGHT
By the time one reef was in, it was basically time for a second, and before 1930 we had two reefs and a partially furled headsail.
HOW'D WE END UP IN CABO?!
We're supposed to be in La Paz, what gives?