Why the change from the Atlantic to the South Pacific?
Captain Daniel D. Moreland
At the Picton Castle office and aboard the ship here in wintery Lunenburg everyone is pretty excited about the change from sailing to Europe to sailing to the South Pacific. Europe would have been great, but it takes more than me to think so. Europe is great in my view but how can you not get crazy excited about a square-rigger voyage to the best islands in the Caribbean, the Spanish Main, and on through legendary isles of the South Pacific Ocean? Who doesn’t want to sail to Galapagos, Pitcairn Island and Tahiti? And how else can this be done as a real before-the-mast sailor but in Picton Castle?
But why the change from the Atlantic Voyage? Well, there are a couple other reasons but the biggest reason, simply and honestly, is that we were not getting the level of interest in the Atlantic Voyage to give us necessary confidence that we would have enough of a gang to make the trip work. I for one think that this European/African/Caribbean voyage is wonderful, and we will see about setting one up again in the future. But for now, off to the South Pacific it is. As most of us know there is all but no other way to visit these exquisite islands or make these trade-wind passages in a blue-water square-rigger but to sail in Picton Castle.
Our gang, of course, is all excited about getting back to Pitcairn Island! Surf the longboats into Bounty Bay! But they are also really excited to make long trade-wind ocean passages across the warm blue South Pacific Ocean and put into and visit so many islands that we didn’t have time to visit on our earlier world voyages. The tall brooding Marquesas, the low coral atolls and lagoons of the Tuamotus group – shipwrecks and all, Tahiti and so many of the languid Society Islands of French Polynesia, and including some new islands like Raivavae and the famous and ever so iconic Easter Island. We have never been there before. Not many ships sail there. And on the way out and back we will be able to give enough time to amazing and culturally rich Panama and couple other stops in Latin America including a chance to check out the Yucatan. For something new and different, on the way home to Lunenburg it will be a fine thing for our gang to take part in a few Tall Ships port celebrations in the Gulf Mexico. And all beginning and ending in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, Canada.
So, we are off to the South Pacific! Carpe Diem!
