12 September, 2016
Early September in Lunenburg
On the morning of the last day of August, Picton Castle sailed quietly in to Lunenburg Harbour. As Captain Sam Sikkema explained in the last Captain’s Log, royal yards, the mainsail, t’gallants and all upper staysails had all been sent down before the ship made her entrance, so although there was less canvas to set, the ship came in under what sail she had and looked good doing it. 
The crew wasted no time once alongside the wharf in Lunenburg. We knew that many crew members had to sign off the ship very shortly after their arrival in Lunenburg, so we wanted to get sails sent down right away while we still had many hands. It’s possible to send down sails with a smaller gang, but the sails were good and dry so we wanted to take advantage of the conditions and get it all done in a few hours.
Picton Castle’s sails are made of cotton canvas. This means that when they get wet, and particularly when they’re stowed wet, they start to mildew which causes them to rot. In order to prevent this, we have to dry the sails. When the sails are bent on and we have a big crew, it’s easy. We just go aloft, loose the sails from the gaskets that secure them to the yards, shake them out and let them hang in their gear, then the sun and wind do their work to dry the canvas. At the end of the day, we stow the dry sails again. When the ship will be in port for an extended stay and we have a small crew, rather than constantly drying sails we simply send them down and stow them away in a dry storage place. It’s one less thing for the crew to look after, and allows us to turn our attention to other projects aboard. It has the added benefit of allowing us to do proper inspections and inventory of our sail collection, making note of the condition of each sail and any repairs that may be required.
By mid afternoon, all sails were stowed away properly below decks. We had a ceremony aboard where everyone officially signed off, receiving their sea service certificates. Particularly for the cadets who sailed with us this summer from the Nova Scotia Community College’s Nautical Institute, these certificates are valuable. To earn certifications as a mariner, classroom work is important but documented hands-on practice aboard ships is also essential. These cadets will return to class this September with a significant portion of their required sea time earned.
Over the next few days, crew packed their sea bags and dispersed by car, plane and train, on to their next adventures. We have a small crew still aboard, working away at various projects including preparations for the Bosun School which begins next week. We’re looking forward to welcoming a number of young aspiring mariners who are coming to spend three months in Lunenburg in a land-based skills development program. They’ll do a combination of classroom learning and hands-on practice (with heavy emphasis on hands-on practice), covering a wide variety of seamanship topics. We’ll bring you more updates on Bosun School and what the students are doing throughout the next three months while they’re here studying in Lunenburg.
