Picton Castle got underway this afternoon, bound for Bermuda. If that sounds familiar, it should. We also got underway for Bermuda last Thursday. Let me explain.
This past Thursday, Picton Castle got underway from her wharf in our beautiful home base of Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, Canada. There was quite a crowd on the dock to send the ship off including Lunenburg mayor Rachel Bailey and local MLA Suzanne Lohnes-Croft. This was to be the last time Picton Castle would be present in Lunenburg for almost a year and a half. The ship got off the wharf at 4:00pm as scheduled and went out to anchor in the harbour for the night.
On Friday, the crew were busy all day with safety drills and the last of the task of stowing and securely lashing everything down for sea. Late Friday, Picton Castle got underway, sailed past the lighthouse at the end of Battery Point, and left the harbour. She went as far as Rose Bay where she anchored overnight again, waiting for the weather window that would bring good conditions for departure on Saturday morning.
On Saturday morning, Picton Castle got underway from Rose Bay, bound for St. George’s, Bermuda. The plan was to stay close to the Nova Scotia shore in order to put the ship in a good position to pick up the northwest winds after a low pressure system passed us by. By Saturday afternoon, it became apparent that there was a mechanical issue. The Captain and crew started to diagnose the problem, figuring out the scope of the problem and how to fix it. By Saturday evening, the decision was made to turn back to Lunenburg. The ship was not far from the Nova Scotia coast and still in Canadian waters. Had it been a summer-weather passage, we would likely have continued on to Bermuda, finding and fixing the problem while underway under sail. But winter in the North Atlantic is a different story. We played it safe and turned back for Lunenburg. On the way back, we found and fixed the problem (a leaky hose).
Picton Castle arrived in Lunenburg on Sunday morning in order to do a double-check of all systems and to find the next window of fair weather for a passage to Bermuda. The crew were in good spirits, all still eager to get to warmer weather in Bermuda. Even Chief Cook Donald, who is from the sunny, tropical Caribbean island of Grenada, didn’t seem too bothered by seeing some more snow.
Fast forward to this afternoon, when Picton Castle got underway for Bermuda for the second time in a week. She left without fanfare this time, just our shore crew to cast off the lines and a few onlookers who were in the right place at the right time to see her off. Picton Castle is anchored in Rose Bay this evening, staying overnight then will set sail tomorrow for Bermuda. The feeling of anticipation amongst the crew before a big voyage was just as strong today as it was last Thursday.