High winds this morning carried on throughout the day. Watches huddled together staying warm. This has been Picton Castle‘s longest passage ever to Pitcairn. We sailed out of Wreck Bay at Galapagos on June 21st, 29 days ago!
Today was our first glimpse of land, Henderson Island was spotted off the starboard side. Many keen crew members climbed to the fore royal and t’gallant to get a good long look at the island. Even our engineer, Deyan of Switzerland, was aloft taking it all in, quite a change of scenery from his typical world down below the ship’s decks. With higher winds and seas, Picton Castle feels like a smooth roller coaster, the crew is reminded to walk cautiously across the deck. Extra grab lines are installed to assist with that. Periodically waves send their tops over the side rail, soaking the lines, pin rails, deck, and anything in their way before exiting the ship through the freeing ports. It’s an amazing sight to witness, the water exits off the deck of the ship just as fast as it splashes aboard. It’s not uncommon to hear crew members cheering as they withstand the motion of the ship, as one would when riding a roller coaster.
This afternoon Captain gathered us on the quarterdeck to inform us of our arrival to Pitcairn tomorrow and what that entails. A big priority is to get the Pitcairners’ cargo off the ship and into their longboats. If the swell is too large we will have to wait for a calmer day. Captain assures us that the Islanders are experienced and capable seamen. Once the cargo is removed from the ship, if all goes to plan that’ll be the first thing to go, the starboard watch will be loaded into the aluminum longboats and carted off to land. Before dinner tonight, crew members were dusting off their knapsacks and packing them with their overnight items. We were suggested to bring a flashlight, shoes, a pocket knife, movies/music to share, photos of our family. Everyone is immensely looking forward to this rare and unique destination. Pitcairn, here we come!
From: Galapagos
Towards: Pitcairn
Date: July 18th, 2018
Noon Position: 24°36.5′ S x 128°23.5’W
Course + Speed: SWxW + 3.8 knots
Wind direction + Force: SE + 6
Swell Height + Direction: 5m + SSE
Weather: Cloudy, periods of sun
Day’s Run: 91.6 nm
Distance to Port: 97 nm
Voyage: 6155.7 nm