59º North Sailing

"Sharing the wisdom of the high seas, with those wise enough to seek it out."
Andy Schell
59º North Mission Statement

"Crisp stars overhead, the quiet rush of water below, all your troubles left ashore. Salt air, a hot meal on the stove, and the gentle motion of the boat rocking you to sleep in your cozy seaberth.

From the first time we sailed over the horizon and discovered the freedom and sense of purpose the sea can bring, we knew we wanted to share that experience. Out there, people come together in a way they rarely do on land. You’ll leave the dock as strangers and return as Shipmates - a bond shared only by those who have gone to sea together.

Come sail with us. Hold fast to your dreams."

Andy Schell, Mia Karlsson & AUGUST SANDBERG
59º NORTH co-founders

sail offshore on bucket-list adventures

🇨🇦 🇺🇸 🇻🇬 🇧🇱 🇦🇬 🇬🇩 🇻🇮 🇻🇨 🇧🇲 🇵🇹 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 🇸🇪 🇳🇴 🇸🇯 🇮🇸 🇮🇪 🇮🇨 🇵🇷 🇫🇷 🇬🇵 🇬🇧 🇨🇻 🇧🇧 🇫🇮 🇬🇱 🇯🇲 🇨🇺 🇫🇴 🇳🇱 🇲🇹 🇨🇴 🇵🇦 🇪🇨 🇵🇫 🇲🇽 🇨🇷

198,830

Nautical Miles Sailed

215

Total Passages Sailed

1,194

Crew

38

Countries Visited

77

Landfall Ports

15

Atlantic Crossings

7

Equator Crossings

16

Arctic Passages

2

Passages Above 80º North
1 Bunk (1 Women's)

2027-2 | FALKEN | San Jose del Cabo-Costa Rica

FALKEN
Jan 18, 2027
–
Feb 2, 2027

It's a looooong way down the coast of Mexico and Central America, and we've got our sights set on a new landfall in Costa Rica after almost 2,000 miles at sea from San Jose del Cabo on the Baja Peninsula. The typical weather conditions this time of year will make for an easy downwind run in tropical temperatures and with ample opportunity for wildlife sightings.

$9,800
16
Days
1,760
NM
2027-2 | FALKEN | San Jose del Cabo-Costa Rica
2 Bunks

2027-5 | FALKEN | Cayman Islands-Key West

FALKEN
Mar 14, 2027
–
Mar 21, 2027

Join FALKEN in Grand Cayman for the run around the west end of Cuba and on up to Jimmy Buffett's spiritual home in Key West, Florida. It's been almost ten years since we last sailed into Key West and it's one of the more memorable landfalls as you sail past Mallory Square and into Key West's historic seaport.

$7,200
8
Days
570
NM
2027-5 | FALKEN | Cayman Islands-Key West
3 Bunks

2027-6 | FALKEN | Key West-Bermuda

FALKEN
Mar 26, 2027
–
Apr 6, 2027

It's 1,200 miles from Key West to Bermuda, with a little hitch in the route to get around the Bahamas. This is a longer, more challenging passage out into the Atlantic proper, where we'll have to plan the weather just right while we're in the Gulf Stream for the first portion of the voyage until we can turn east past the Abacos. You'll get all kinds of weather on this trip as we transition through the Horse Latitudes — cold fronts coming off the continent, easterly Tradewinds at the start, and deep ocean swells once clear of the Bahamian islands.

$9,750
12
Days
1,160
NM
2027-6 | FALKEN | Key West-Bermuda
View all passages
All Sailing Passages
"Being able to give and receive good critique is as important a skill as any ship handling you're going to learn to do."
Andy Chase
ON THE WIND Podcast, #351
Listen
"The gratification that I get from coaching and teaching these guys and then finishing a Bermuda race is just knowing that I facilitated getting these guys from sort of point A to point Z... look at what these guys have accomplished, and I've helped facilitate that."
Jahn Tihansky
Andy Schell's ON THE WIND Podcast, #489
Listen
"I just close my eyes. If nothing else in the world mattered - nothing, no money, no judgment from other people, no ego, no pride, no nothing. And it was just you. What do you actually want to say?"
Cole Brauer
ON THE WIND Podcast, #505
Listen
"Ships are the nearest things to dreams that hands have ever made, For somewhere deep in their oaken hearts the soul of a song is laid; A soul that sings with the ship along through plunging hills of blue, And fills her canvas cups of white with winds that drive her through."
Robert N. Rose
My Ship of Dreams
"...we were to discover that happiness has no frontiers, that it's a state of mind and not a possession, not a set route through life, not a goal to gained but something that steals in gently like an evening mist or the morning sunlight - something beyond our control."
Robin Lee Graham
Dove
"The one place I know I belong is on the ocean. There is no question about that. You know, I have never felt like I belonged anywhere as much as I feel like I belong on the ocean."
Pip Hare
Andy Schell's ON THE WIND Podcast, #393
Listen
"To be truly challenging, a voyage, like a life, must rest on a firm foundation of financial unrest. Otherwise, you are doomed to a routine traverse, the kind known to yachtsmen who play with their boats at sea… 'cruising' it is called. Voyaging belongs to seamen, and to the wanderers of the world who cannot, or will not, fit in. If you are contemplating a voyage and you have the means, abandon the venture until your fortunes change. Only then will you know what the sea is all about. I've always wanted to sail to the south seas, but I can't afford it." What these men can't afford is not to go. They are enmeshed in the cancerous discipline of "security." And in the worship of security we fling our lives beneath the wheels of routine – and before we know it our lives are gone. What does a man need – really need? A few pounds of food each day, heat and shelter, six feet to lie down in – and some form of working activity that will yield a sense of accomplishment. That's all – in the material sense, and we know it. But we are brainwashed by our economic system until we end up in a tomb beneath a pyramid of time payments, mortgages, preposterous gadgetry, playthings that divert our attention for the sheer idiocy of the charade. The years thunder by, The dreams of youth grow dim where they lie caked in dust on the shelves of patience. Before we know it, the tomb is sealed. Where, then, lies the answer? In choice. Which shall it be: bankruptcy of purse or bankruptcy of life?"
Sterling Hayden
Wanderer
"The tough part is making departures, shedding the shackles of society's expectations, kicking the addiction of electronic connections, subverting the guilt of our own obligations, and pushing off the dock physically and metaphorically."
John Kretschmer
Sailing a Serious Ocean
"Where's the satisfaction of doing something easy? Nothing. You don't have to boast about it, but inside yourself, you know you've done something hard."
Sir Robin Knox-Johnston
ON THE WIND Podcast, #508
Listen
"Success is a dangerous element in any endeavor. Embrace the struggle. Beware the achievement. For it steals your caution even as it leads you down the next unknown pathway."
Laurence Gonzales
Everyday Survival: Why Smart People Do Stupid Things
"It's called wayfinding, princess. It's not just sails and knots. It's seeing where you're going in your mind. Knowing where you are, by knowing where you've been."
Maui
Moana
"That's how you succeed doing crazy stuff, right? You gotta be conservative in your day-to-day, even though the overall plan is not conservative, it's kind of crazy. But stay in the middle, man."
Matt Rutherford
Andy Schell's ON THE WIND Podcast, #506
Listen
"The more technology we add, the more likely we are to get ourselves into a situation where that stuff absolutely must work, and the less likely it is that we will be able to manage safely without it."
John Harries
ATTAINABLE ADVENTURE CRUISING
"You can just look at the globe and just see you can cross oceans from where you are now, and that's like a mind-blowing thought for me."
Øyvind Nilssen
ON THE WIND Podcast, #504
Listen
"We all have to humble ourselves and realize that we've all made bad decisions. Now, most of us get away with them."
Andy Chase
ON THE WIND Podcast, #351
Listen
"There are few events filled with as much promise as the prospect of stepping ashore after a long passage."
John Kretschmer
Sailing a Serious Ocean
"If you're going to build anything that endures, it's got to have a really clear purpose, a really great sense of belonging, and a sense of belief as well."
Conrad Humphreys
Andy Schell's ON THE WIND Podcast, #500
Listen
"In anything at all, perfection is finally attained not when there is no longer anything to add, but when there is no longer anything to take away, when a body has been stripped down to its nakedness."
Antoine de Saint Exupery
WIND, SAND & STARS
"The ocean is there to break things down and destroy you. So you have to really kind of force the happiness a little bit and then eventually it becomes second nature."
Cole Brauer
ON THE WIND Podcast, #505
Listen
"I rarely remember my dreams ashore but almost always do at sea. Something about sleeping in a washing machine allows better access to the subconscious."
John Kretschmer
Sailing a Serious Ocean

REAL SAILING & REAL PEOPLE

You know what's cool about 59º North? We sail actual offshore routes, that require real planning, real strategy, and our crew (that's you, we hope!) to truly hands-on sail the boat. But maybe more importantly, there is a real person writing this marketing text! That's right, everything on this site was brainstormed and designed by me, Andy Schell, co-founder & one of the Lead Skippers at 59º North Sailing. So keep that in mind as you peruse the site.

We're confident that we offer the very best offshore sailing adventures in the world, combined with the best & most unique experiential education through our limited annual workshops. Co-Founders Mia, August & I run all aspects of the business, from the intial customer signup process (shout-out to Mia), to boat maintenance and staff selection right on up through actually sailing with you at-sea. We've all got real skin in the game, and that matters to the quality of your experience out there. We flat-out care more.

Our small group of professional sailing staff are close friends, selected by us for their work-ethic, knowledge, experience & humanity. What we offer in terms of real-world sailing expeditions & educational workshops, events & online courses cannot be duplicated and you'll find it nowhere else. We hope you'll join us on the high seas for the adventure of a lifetime.

198,830
Nautical Miles Sailed
1,194
Crew
More about us

"When I think back to my trip across the North Sea on ICEBEAR, the memories uplift me and fill me with warmth and gratitude. Unplugging from the corporate world and embracing the beauty the ocean has to offer with 59º North molded me into a slightly different version of myself, in the most magical ways. I went home after 11 days with a more courageous yet humbled energy, realizing how capable and excited I am to take on new challenges."

Katelyn
|
2022
|
ICEBEAR
|
Marstrand-Portsmouth
United States
|
🇺🇸
4,394
Miles sailed
2
Passages sailed

"Andy & Paul were amazing from the practice sails to the race itself; I never thought I'd be able to participate in such an exciting event. I'd also like to thank Liz & Lee, your first mates, who were always on hand to encourage us, teach us, and swap stories. I came away with tremendous respect for ISBJØRN, her captain, and the excellent crew she attracts. I'm definitely coming back."

Paul
|
2019
|
ISBJØRN
|
Falmouth-Falmouth
United States
|
🇺🇸
258
Miles sailed
1
Passages sailed

"This was my second trip with 59º North, and once again it was absolutely fantastic. The crew quickly became a friendly, supportive team, and living in close quarters felt natural and easy. Jon set the perfect tone as skipper, sharing his knowledge with clarity and patience, and Mia’s behind-the-scenes planning made everything seamless. Sailing with 59º North is about growing as a sailor, sharing adventure, and making lasting memories."

Alexis
|
2025
|
ISBJØRN
|
Oban-Bergen
France
|
🇫🇷
1,196
Miles sailed
2
Passages sailed

"59º North runs the most professional offshore training program you can find, and it shows in their professionalism, leadership, skill, and service. I felt honored to be part of the maiden voyage of FALKEN—she's a beauty, and the 59º North refit crew did an amazing job! Shout out to Nikki Henderson (Captain) and Alex Laline (Mate) for inspiring, knowledgeable, and caring leadership. I can't imagine having a better experience with any other."

Alex
|
2023
|
FALKEN
|
Portsmouth-Portsmouth
United States
|
🇺🇸
1,253
Miles sailed
1
Passages sailed

"To be surrounded by strong, intelligent women sailing leaders provided a safe and inclusive learning opportunity. This was exactly the environment I was looking forward to, and it met and exceeded my goals."

Sarah
|
2026
|
FALKEN
|
Victoria-San Francisco
Canada
|
🇨🇦
898
Miles sailed
1
Passages sailed

"It was such an experience! Meeting all the people and being part of the crew is something very special. We were so lucky to spend the passage on FALKEN; the nature and weather gave us the best, and I really wish it could have lasted longer."

Charlotte
|
2025
|
FALKEN
|
Panama City-San Cristobal
Sweden
|
🇸🇪
980
Miles sailed
1
Passages sailed

"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."

Brian
|
2022
|
ICEBEAR
|
Falmouth-Falmouth
United States
|
🇺🇸
2,200
Miles sailed
3
Passages sailed

WHY 59º NORTH?

ambitious sailing schedule

The best boats

WOMEN BUNKS GUARANTEED

Professional, well-paid staff

knowledge & community

Why it costs what it costs...

"Being able to give and receive good critique is as important a skill as any ship handling you're going to learn to do."
Andy Chase
ON THE WIND Podcast, #351
Listen
"The gratification that I get from coaching and teaching these guys and then finishing a Bermuda race is just knowing that I facilitated getting these guys from sort of point A to point Z... look at what these guys have accomplished, and I've helped facilitate that."
Jahn Tihansky
Andy Schell's ON THE WIND Podcast, #489
Listen
"I just close my eyes. If nothing else in the world mattered - nothing, no money, no judgment from other people, no ego, no pride, no nothing. And it was just you. What do you actually want to say?"
Cole Brauer
ON THE WIND Podcast, #505
Listen
"Ships are the nearest things to dreams that hands have ever made, For somewhere deep in their oaken hearts the soul of a song is laid; A soul that sings with the ship along through plunging hills of blue, And fills her canvas cups of white with winds that drive her through."
Robert N. Rose
My Ship of Dreams
"...we were to discover that happiness has no frontiers, that it's a state of mind and not a possession, not a set route through life, not a goal to gained but something that steals in gently like an evening mist or the morning sunlight - something beyond our control."
Robin Lee Graham
Dove
"The one place I know I belong is on the ocean. There is no question about that. You know, I have never felt like I belonged anywhere as much as I feel like I belong on the ocean."
Pip Hare
Andy Schell's ON THE WIND Podcast, #393
Listen
"To be truly challenging, a voyage, like a life, must rest on a firm foundation of financial unrest. Otherwise, you are doomed to a routine traverse, the kind known to yachtsmen who play with their boats at sea… 'cruising' it is called. Voyaging belongs to seamen, and to the wanderers of the world who cannot, or will not, fit in. If you are contemplating a voyage and you have the means, abandon the venture until your fortunes change. Only then will you know what the sea is all about. I've always wanted to sail to the south seas, but I can't afford it." What these men can't afford is not to go. They are enmeshed in the cancerous discipline of "security." And in the worship of security we fling our lives beneath the wheels of routine – and before we know it our lives are gone. What does a man need – really need? A few pounds of food each day, heat and shelter, six feet to lie down in – and some form of working activity that will yield a sense of accomplishment. That's all – in the material sense, and we know it. But we are brainwashed by our economic system until we end up in a tomb beneath a pyramid of time payments, mortgages, preposterous gadgetry, playthings that divert our attention for the sheer idiocy of the charade. The years thunder by, The dreams of youth grow dim where they lie caked in dust on the shelves of patience. Before we know it, the tomb is sealed. Where, then, lies the answer? In choice. Which shall it be: bankruptcy of purse or bankruptcy of life?"
Sterling Hayden
Wanderer
"The tough part is making departures, shedding the shackles of society's expectations, kicking the addiction of electronic connections, subverting the guilt of our own obligations, and pushing off the dock physically and metaphorically."
John Kretschmer
Sailing a Serious Ocean
"Where's the satisfaction of doing something easy? Nothing. You don't have to boast about it, but inside yourself, you know you've done something hard."
Sir Robin Knox-Johnston
ON THE WIND Podcast, #508
Listen
"Success is a dangerous element in any endeavor. Embrace the struggle. Beware the achievement. For it steals your caution even as it leads you down the next unknown pathway."
Laurence Gonzales
Everyday Survival: Why Smart People Do Stupid Things
"It's called wayfinding, princess. It's not just sails and knots. It's seeing where you're going in your mind. Knowing where you are, by knowing where you've been."
Maui
Moana
"That's how you succeed doing crazy stuff, right? You gotta be conservative in your day-to-day, even though the overall plan is not conservative, it's kind of crazy. But stay in the middle, man."
Matt Rutherford
Andy Schell's ON THE WIND Podcast, #506
Listen
"The more technology we add, the more likely we are to get ourselves into a situation where that stuff absolutely must work, and the less likely it is that we will be able to manage safely without it."
John Harries
ATTAINABLE ADVENTURE CRUISING
"You can just look at the globe and just see you can cross oceans from where you are now, and that's like a mind-blowing thought for me."
Øyvind Nilssen
ON THE WIND Podcast, #504
Listen
"We all have to humble ourselves and realize that we've all made bad decisions. Now, most of us get away with them."
Andy Chase
ON THE WIND Podcast, #351
Listen
"There are few events filled with as much promise as the prospect of stepping ashore after a long passage."
John Kretschmer
Sailing a Serious Ocean
"If you're going to build anything that endures, it's got to have a really clear purpose, a really great sense of belonging, and a sense of belief as well."
Conrad Humphreys
Andy Schell's ON THE WIND Podcast, #500
Listen
"In anything at all, perfection is finally attained not when there is no longer anything to add, but when there is no longer anything to take away, when a body has been stripped down to its nakedness."
Antoine de Saint Exupery
WIND, SAND & STARS
"The ocean is there to break things down and destroy you. So you have to really kind of force the happiness a little bit and then eventually it becomes second nature."
Cole Brauer
ON THE WIND Podcast, #505
Listen
"I rarely remember my dreams ashore but almost always do at sea. Something about sleeping in a washing machine allows better access to the subconscious."
John Kretschmer
Sailing a Serious Ocean

NEWEST BLOGS

View all posts

No Kitemares Today

2026-13 | FALKEN | Monterey Bay-Ensenada

After a night marked by sudden wind accelerations peeling off Point Conception, and a vibrant, pulsating sky blistered with shooting stars, the off-watch woke to commotion on the foredeck. The wind had gone light and the swell had tapered just enough to raise the spinnaker. The sail filled with an urgent pop, the sheet strained and Falken charged down the face of the next wave. By mid-day, we doused the spinnaker and set our minds to the more precise task of safely punching through a gap in the notorious Cortez Bank. The border to Mexico looms ahead.

8/11/2026
No Kitemares Today

The California coast

2026-13 | FALKEN | Monterey Bay-Ensenada

We had a very lively first day of sailing with steady winds between 25 and 30 kn gusting to mid 30s. All of the crew got experience at difficult downwind helming as we covered 200 nautical miles in the first 24 hours. This morning brings winds in the teens and calmer seas. The sun is still shining, and the green monster has been slayed by those afflicted!

7/11/2026
The California coast

Farewell by dolphins

2026-13 | FALKEN | Monterey Bay-Ensenada

We headed out of the marina in Monterey CA at about 10AM in sunny weather to meet winds of ~20kts and 3m smooth swell with long periods. FALKEN is surfing along the coast of California, ship’s time 1PM as I write. As we motored out into the bay, we were wished farewell by a pod of dolphins nearby and a couple of whales in the distance. Though, unfortunately one crew member met the green dragon in the swell.

David Björkqvist
6/11/2026
Farewell by dolphins

You are the crew

You don’t need to be a seasoned sailor to join us; you do need to be curious, engaged, and willing to be part of the team. As a paying crew member, you’ll take part in every aspect of running the boat: helming, sail handling, navigation, weather routing, etc, all the small decisions that add up to a safe and successful ocean passage.

We’re not a formal sailing school. We teach seam'nship the way it’s been taught for centuries—by doing it, for real, in real conditions, with experienced staff who care deeply about safety, quality, and the people on board.

Inclusivity matters to us. We reserve at least two bunks on every passage for women sailors and we work hard to create an environment built on respect, trust, and genuine care for each other.

If you’re looking for a polished vacation, this may not be it. If you’re looking for meaningful challenge, real responsibility, and an unforgettable experience at sea—you’re in the right place.

2026: Pacific & North Sea
2027: Atlantic, Artic & Iceland
View open bunks

IRL Events

View all events
Thu
15
Jan 2026

FALKEN Open House | San Diego

San Diego
Tour FALKEN, our Farr 65, and meet Andy, Mary, Ryan and friend of 59º North! We’ll be bringing the boat down from her winter storage at Dana Point and have some time to prep before the first passage of 2026, where we're headed off to Mexico! Before we leave the USA for one more loop of the South Pacific, here's your chance to come check out the boat!
Free attendance
FREE
/ person
View Event
Fri
17
Apr 2026

Celestial Nav Workshop | Annapolis

Annapolis
Join Andy in Annapolis for a long-awaited Celestial Navigation workshop! We'll kick off with an optional happy hour/meetup on Thursday April 16 from 1600-1900, then have class all day Friday and all day Saturday. Hang around Saturday night for a cookout/BBQ/hangout to talk sailing and make new friends.
Free attendance
$1,200
/ person
View Event
Sun
5
Jul 2026

FALKEN Open Boat | Honolulu

Honolulu
Come tour FALKEN, our Farr 65 freshly arrived from Tahiti and prepping for an Alaska voyage, on July 5, 2026 (4–6pm) at Aloha Dock, Hawaii Yacht Club. The free event includes complimentary drinks and a chance to meet Skipper Alex, Bosun Adam, and crew, with registration requested for a headcount.
Free attendance
FREE
/ person
View Event
View all events

The Quarterdeck

SEA·M’N·SHIP /ˈsēmənˌSHip/: “The skill in, and knowledge of the work of navigating, maintaining, and operating a vessel.”

Go to The Quarterdeck