What to Expect Offshore

Offshore sailing is as close as we ‘normal folk’ can get to being astronauts. Crossing oceans requires self-sufficiency, traveling across wide, hostile (yet beautiful) expanses at a ‘human’ pace, where the hours and minutes go by slowly but the days go by in a flash. Offshore we’re intimately connected with nature yet disconnected from our lives back home. All of us go to sea for different reasons, and everyone comes back changed, in one way or another. What follows is a practical list of things to expect on the boats at sea. What we can’t possibly communicate is the philosophical expectations — for that, you just have to do it to see for yourself.

If you've made it to our site, you probably don't need an answer to the 'why?' question. It's a question without a real answer anyway. We go offshore because the ocean is there, we do it for the personal challenge and to fulfill a need for discovery.

Some people simply 'get it,' and no explanation of why you should venture offshore is needed. 'Won't I get bored?' some people ask. Those who 'get it,' know that answer is 'no.' There is no such thing as boredom on a long ocean voyage. The minutes and hours may drift by slowly, but the days go by in a flash.

We go to sea to learn about ocean sailing, but we come back having learned more about ourselves than any technical aspect of sailing a boat. The sailing part is easy. But do we have it in us to withstand the wind, seas and spray at the helm on a dark, cold night offshore? Do we have it in us to withstand the feeling of exposure one gets at sea, of being so small and vulnerable, the boat wrapped around you like a tortoise shell. Do you ask yourself these questions of yourself? Can we withstand the brutal seasickness that befalls everyone who goes to sea, sooner or later?

So, it's hard to put your finger on it, right? But if you've got the opportunity, whether with us or with someone else, GO! You won't regret it, and it might even change your life...

Philosophy aside, Mia & I, and the skippers & mates we hand-pick to work with, are very good at leading offshore sailing passages, and (we've been told), we're pretty fun to hang out with! Through some of the 'intangibles' that the 59º North Team possesses, we can offer an experience that is far greater than the sum of it's parts.

ISBJØRN & FALKEN are in no way typical “charter boats” — this is an ocean passage after all, not a luxury cruise — and the expeditions we run are closer in spirit to climbing a mountain than they are to a typical Caribbean charter. We expect crew, with guidance from us of course, to take care of themselves for the most part when it comes to eating, sleeping & living on the boat.

The key to a successful passage is teamwork. The hierarchy goes like this — take care of the boat first, then each other. You'll be surprised how the mood can be lifted onboard by the simple offer of making your watchmate a snack on a wet & squally day!

Our goal is for your weaknesses to become strengths and for everyone to grow as sailors, no matter what your experience level (ourselves included!). When the skipper or mate are asleep, our lives and the safety of the boat depends on you! For us to get decent rest, we must be 100% certain you will wake us up at the slightest question. Lights on the horizon you’re not completely certain of, when to reef, which line to pull, etc. Do not do anything unless you’re sure it’s the right thing to do. This doesn’t mean don’t do anything at all without asking — we don’t run that tight a ship — but we’ve got to keep safety first. Plus, we’d prefer not to break anyone or anything.

We strive to get everyone included in all aspects of running the boat, but safety is our #1 concern. Nothing happens onboard our boats by accident — we'll closely monitor all crew's ability, health & fitness level and assign tasks accordingly. Sometimes you'll be asked to go to the foredeck, sometimes you'll be ask to handle lines in the cockpit. Please respect our decisions, but speak out if you feel left out or in over your head! You will never be punished for questioning orders you feel are unsafe.

Being disconnected is increasingly rare in the modern world, and offshore sailing provides one of the last low-fi respites from constant ‘on’ technology. Yes, Starlink is a thing that more and more cruising boats are installing and using for seamless broadband during long passages. You won’t see it on a 59º North boat.

Crew should expect to be disconnected from the Internet while we’re at sea, and should see that as a feature, not a bug. You will return to civilization refreshed and slowed down in a way that’s utterly impossible. Ashore, disconnecting is a choice, and the temptation will always be there no matter how disciplined you are. Offshore, it’s the default mode. After a day or so of' ‘discomfort,’ you’ll quickly wonder why you ever needed it in the first place.

That said, we are not entirely shut-off from outside contact, and in fact the variety of sat comms onboard make up a big part of our safety culture. If crew want to stay in touch with family and friends during the passage, you are welcome to bring along your own simple Garmin InReach (or similar device).

Inevitably there remains the temptation to immediately fire up your phones as soon as the boat is close enough to landfall to get a signal. We urge you now, and staff will urge you on the boats to stay in the moment! Landfall is one of the most special parts of any offshore voyage, and while we fully understand the desire to share that with family and friends ashore, you’ll get much more from the experience if you stay present. Take pictures with your crewmates instead and plan to call your families once the boat is secured to the dock or at anchor (and only after that obligatory post-passage swim & bubbles toast!).

Each person will be assigned a single berth. This is yours. At sea, in certain extreme conditions, we may rotate where people sleep ('hot-bunking'), but your bunk remains yours for your stuff. No snacking or eating in your bunk under any circumstances!

• Each person will get their own locker for your personal gear and clothing, adjacent to your bunk (about 24x36 inches — think carry-on storage bin size on an airplane, but this space differs between the boats).
• On ISBJØRN and FALKEN you will be able to pack most of your belongings into your assigned locker. Most crew, however, find it easiest to work out of their bag directly and use the locker for jackets, shoes, shower kits, etc.
• There is shared space available for hanging your foulies and storing your boots outside of your locker.

Packing for an offshore passage can be tricky, especially when you are sailing through different temperature zones. In short, less is more. We don't think anyone has ever wished they'd brought MORE gear! Read on for some specific tips.

Once registered, you will receive specific packing list and instructions on how to pack. We have four packing lists — Cold Weather, Warm Weather, Transition Weather & Arctic Weather. Email us if you have specific questions before signing up.

Once registered, you will receive specific packing list and instructions on how to pack. We have four packing lists — Cold Weather, Warm Weather, Transition Weather & Arctic Weather. Email us if you have specific questions before signing up.

We choose our routes based on seasons (ie not sailing in hurricane season where there are hurricanes!), but once we head offshore, we get what we get. Sometimes it’ll be wet and uncomfortable and even downright scary!

You may encounter heavy weather, uncomfortable and possibly frightening conditions, seasickness, sleep deprivation and constant motion. This is all part of the emotional roller coaster that is ocean sailing. To illustrate how we handle forecasting and decision-making whilst at-sea, read this anecdote from Andy from FALKEN’s passage to Greenland in summer 2023:

“We had an interesting tactical situation unfold on the 800-mile leg from Newfoundland to Nanortalik, Greenland earlier this summer. The iceberg limit off southern Greenland was at about 59º north latitude. As we sailed north, the wind began to head us and increase. If we had continued sailing close-hauled, we’d have been set east of our rhumb line and would have arrived to the outer reaches of the ice limit just after sunset, in the dark and to leeward of our target. I clearly preferred getting through there in daylight and had been anticipating this scenario even during the planning week layover in St. John’s.

The question was whether we’d continue sailing that first night, then heave-to the second night to wait for daylight; or should we heave-to right away, ride out that first night while the wind was against us, and get underway again the next morning?

I debated this with myself in the log:

“The second option would give the wind a chance to back into the west again while we’re hove-to, so that come tomorrow morning we can get underway again on a reach instead of a beat, timing our arrival at the ice belt for dawn Saturday. Sounds pretty good right? On the other hand, the wind looks to get lighter overnight down here, so there’s a risk we heave-to and wind up having to motor through a calm in the morning to back into the breeze.”

We opted to heave-to that first night. It was the right call. The wind did back in our favor and by next morning we were full-sail again, close-reaching on our rhumb line, actually able to sail high of it. The GRIBs had showed a substantial increase in the wind as we approached the ice limit and I wanted to be positioned to windward of our landfall — picking our way through ice and fog and 25 knots of wind on a broad reach, sailing fast and flat and in control, would be vastly easier than beating into it.

The tactic worked.

I’m a huge proponent of prioritizing weather understanding over most other seamanship skills for ocean sailing. Being able to anticipate the coming 24-48-72 hours offshore allows you to set the boat and the crew up for short-term success, and this was a great example of that.

Beyond 3 days, forecasts get much harder to predict. I focus on certainty — if a model run of one GRIB forecast agrees with another over a 5-7 day timescale (for example the GFS & ECMWF), then I interpret a higher degree of forecast certainty. Another way to test this is one model run of the same forecast taken at different days. How much did the new one change from the old one? More change = less certainty.

Combine certainty with trends to dictate your tactics. An uncertain forecast that’s trending worse would give me cause for making conservative tactics. Conversely, a forecast with a higher degree of certainty and trending better would allow me to feel more confident making bolder tactical decisions.

The problem I’ve found is that most weather forecasters use the language of certainty rather than skepticism, even in longer-range forecasts. You’ll see phrases like “the wind will ease and shift to the E,” for example, rather than “is forecast to ease”. You get the picture.”