We are going to sea!
Getting the Barque Picton Castle ready for blue-water. Loving up the ship.
After three years of being tied up hard and quietly alongside the wharf in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia during this worldwide pandemic, the stately square-rigger we love, Picton Castle, is now swarming with activity once again, gearing up for setting sail and getting back to sea.
The ship sailed into port in June of 2019 with a new gang of hardy of newly minted circumnavigators. Then after a short turn around, she set off for a huge summer series of tall ship port festivals in the Great Lakes as the ‘premium vessel’, this time under the command of the able Captain Dirk Lorenzen. She sailed back into Lunenburg, tying up that September with a view to a short respite from the sea with various modest projects on the docket, looking to sail the following spring. Well, as we all know that did not happen. Could not happen. COVID-19 had become our world. This was a long time without water flowing under the keel, a long time without enthusiastic young crew tarring, painting and sailing under a tropical sun. As time rolled on it became clear that we would need help. And it came. Support to keep the lights on took many forms: some windfall film location work, Bosun School, GoFundMe, private contributions, a few benefactors, TV work, making sails and blocks for a pirate movie, help here and there. And with much belt tightening and projects deferred. Postponement followed postponement. Until now.
And now naturally after three years of lay-up, we have our work cut out for us getting the ship into fine sailing shape again. And it’s exciting! It’s good for the ship and it’s good for us too. What does this mean, one might wonder? This is, after all, no typical between-trips “yard period”. Well, it’s quite interesting.
First of all, the main component parts of the ship are strong and solid and presenting no problems. The hull is in amazing shape, always has been. The stout rig needs but little. Yet, everything has to be gone over, soup to nuts. Everything in the engine room must be taken apart and put in perfect working order. Main engine, generators, fire pumps, bilge pumps, water makers, tanks, compressors and more, quite a bit more. This is well underway under the amazing talent of Deyan. A few deck planks that fell victim to too many snows need to be replaced and caulked, and this too is well underway. Making for a big mess. Morgan the shipwright is all over this. We are ripping up some old damp waterways too. Welding, we have welding going by Ocean Gear, our next door neighbours, who are doing a great job. Freeing ports that got ripped off in storms, thin spots revealed in the bulwarks (built this way to start with for weight savings in 1928) getting some inserts, new steel. Steel is real. And then ALLLLLLL the safety gear needs to be brought up to date: life rafts, life jackets, exposure suits, flares, fire fighting gear, radio and comms gear.
Then we have been going through medical supplies. The amazing Dr Jen has been doing that for weeks already.
And new mattresses, pillows, pillow cases, sheets, galley supplies and maybe a new stove for said galley. And all living compartments scrubbed down and maybe painted. Foc’sle, forepeak, salon, batcave, cabins and most of all, Donald the Cook’s cabin.
Then comes rigging. Starting with a fine toothed rig survey from keel to truck. This will be led by Bosun Dustin who also has been ashore too long too. The steel yards are crossed, t’gallants need to make their way aloft. Rig needs tarring down, no doubt some ratlines will require renewal. Topmasts greased and oiled, jibboom too. Blocks should be in good shape as Bosun School overhauled them as part of their program – they are sitting crates in the warehouse, all greased up and in great shape. The anchor windlass will get a good looking at, but it too was recently overhauled. Then running rigging, then finally we bend sail and train the new gang in setting and handling sail.
Small boats, we will be taking four with us: the longboat, the rescue skiff, a spare skiff and a dory just for fun. The boat davits will need to be exercised after being stuck a long time.
And drydocking is coming. Need to clean that bottom of her biosphere that has been growing there. With the Lunenburg slipways shut down this adds a wrinkle or two to the job.
Great crew have been arriving and turning to with a cheerful will. And that is how a world circumnavigation begins.
Stay tuned…
