TGIF onboard Picton Castle, which means we’ve been underway for a week now since departing from Vanuatu. For those crew members who are on a watch schedule, they sleep for at least 6-8 hours in the night and stand watch for 4 hours and repeat this cycle until they have a galley day. Galley day involves waking up at 0615, turning to at 0630 by getting coffee and hot water out and assisting ship’s cook Donald in whatever he needs as the sun is rising. Donald does most of the work anyway. One crew member is taken from each watch, so three in total, to set up for the meals, clean up after them and perform a daily task. This keeps our scullery (the compartment where we do dishes) clean and orderly and allows a change in the crew members’ schedules. As well they can set the day at their pace, if they complete the tasks that are required in a timely manner they’re able to relax and stand by on the aloha deck with a book.
Today the crew shows no signs in slowing down. The never-ending to do list is getting things checked off. The mates, while on watch, have been busy working on maintaining the bridge. The bridge is the balcony that is in the center of the ship. It allows the mates to see every deck, sail and the bow, which enables them to navigate the ship. It holds a gorgeous teak wooden railing as well as the engine controls. This past week our 2nd mate Dirk, of Germany/Australia, and mate Anne-Laure, of France, have been sanding and scraping this railing, called the fly rail, in order to prep it for today’s coat of varnish. Anne-Laure now stands on the bridge ensuring that no one touches the freshly brushed varnish with their dirty sailor fingers. Tasks such as this are enjoyable for the mates. When we’re sailing along in the open seas, on the same tack for days, they are able to get their hands on small projects as well. It’s always important to keep up your skills and to learn new ones.
At 0800 this morning we wore ship. Meaning we changed from a starboard tack to a port tack, and altered our course from northwest half west to west. The winds and swell picked up, causing our ship to roll a great deal more than it has in the past week. Six-year-old ship’s boy Dawson is making the most of the water splashing on deck, it’s like a water park for him. It’s great fun to have the water rush over your feet as you hold yourself firmly in one spot on the main deck while the sea rolls off the deck and back into the ocean. Tonight Dawson is hosting a dinner party for his family and friends on board, everyone is looking forward to the entertaining time together.
From: Vanuatu
Towards: Bali
Date: Friday, November 2, 2018
Noon Position: 13°04.6′ S x 153°46.5′ W
Course + Speed: W + 4.7 kts
Wind direction + Force: ExS + 5
Swell Height + Direction: 2.5m + ESE
Weather: Sunny, scattered clouds
Day’s Run: 109.2 nm
Passage Log: 113.9 nm
Voyage: 11193.5 nm
Sails Set: All square sails are set, outer jib, mizzen topmast stays’l