Roughly SW of Jamaica Picton Castle has found fresh easterly tradewinds of about twenty knots and she is romping along.
We find ourselves sailing beautifully through bigger swells than what the new gang has seen so far. As the crew members’ sea legs begin to engage they learn how to walk steadily and carefully throughout the ship. As like a child learning to walk for the first time. Sailing in a ship does that to a person – strips them back bit and builds them back up again, bringing along any qualities from a past life.
Fiji, the ship’s cat, stood two night watches the previous evening and has now spent the morning catching up on sleep in the sailmaker’s bench. John, the ship’s sailmaker, enjoyed the company as he worked away seaming a new royal sail, shaded from the hot sun by the set spanker on the quarterdeck. A new downhaul was lead for the main t’gallant staysail, as the old line had become stranded, meaning one of the three strands in the line parted and has unlaid its self. Our bosun is busy overseeing the overhaul of the port breezeway head and the ever so important varnishing of the wooden toilet seats. We on the Picton Castle take our varnishing very seriously. We take pride in all jobs done well and properly, but espescailly varnishing, the wooden toilet seats are no exception. Busy mid-week day onboard, we’re sailing full and by due south as the on watch crew preps to set more sails!
From: Panama
Towards: New Orleans
Date: May 16 2018
Noon Position: 17 38,6′ N – 079 54,8′ W
Course + Speed: SxE + 3,7kts
Wind direction + Force: ESE + 5
Swell Height + Direction: 2m + ExS
Weather: Sunny, bright blue sky
Day’s Run: 85.8nm
Passage Log: 89.2nm
Distance to Port: 489nm
Voyage: 1397.6nm
Sail Set: Outer jib, inner jib, fore topmast staysail, foresail, fore lower topsail, fore upper topsail, course, main lower topsail, main upper topsail, main t’gallant, main topmast staysail, main t’gallant staysail, spanker