It’s definitely winter in Lunenburg. We’ve had several big snowfalls this month, along with some cold temperatures and strong winds. Picton Castle continues to be tied snugly to the wharf at Adams and Knickle. Despite the weather, there are some signs that time is moving along and that it won’t be winter here forever. The Christmas tree that was lashed aloft on the mizzen was taken down this week. Days are getting longer again, with a few minutes of daylight to be seen on either side of our regular working hours.
We took a little break from ship’s work over the holiday season, but have been back at it since the New Year. The first big project to finish was scraping and sanding in the salon. One of the last remaining little bits from Picton Castle‘s role in the Mark Burnett reality television series “Pirate Master” was the dark stain on the wood outside the bunks in the main salon. This had started to wear out a bit during the Atlantic Voyage, but it’s terribly inconvenient to scrape, sand and varnish while people are living there. The handful of crew currently on board are living in the Batcave, the aftermost living quarters and the only living area that is heated. With the salon currently empty, it’s the best time to get work done there. After a week or two of work, the salon is now ready to be varnished, which will happen as soon as the temperature rises enough for the varnish to dry.
The scraping and sanding didn’t end with the salon, there are more wooden things to take care of in the warehouse. Both royal and t’gallant yards were sent down in the fall for overhaul, so they royals are currently laid out on sawhorses to get some attention. The royal and t’gallant yards are wood while the three lower yards on each mast, which are still rigged aloft on the ship, are steel. The old varnish has been completely scraped off, the wood has been sanded smooth and the metal hardware has all been overhauled, primed and painted. Some of the other wooden bits taken off the ship for varnish preparation work in the warehouse include the benches from the aloha deck, the box that houses the steering gear on the quarterdeck and the tops of the veggie lockers on the aloha deck.
All of these projects are being done to get the ship into top shape for the world voyage, our fifth global circumnavigation, which is starting soon. Trainees will be joining the ship in about two and a half months, so winter can’t be that much longer!
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