For years, the Barque Picton Castle has been sailing on wonderful westward-bound, tradewind voyages around our watery world, eight world circumnavigations in all. We have also sailed on great voyages to Europe, West Africa, Australia and New Zealand, all across the South Pacific, the coast of New England, Gulf of Mexico, Canadian Maritimes and Newfoundland, and the sweet Eastern Caribbean islands, even into the Great Lakes! Almost 400,000 nautical miles under square sail so far.

On these voyages we learn the ship, learn the “way of a ship,” look after the ship, keeping her strong and seaworthy. And we learn to look after each other as shipmates. It is quite something. There is no app for what this ship has been doing year in, year out for so long.

We are frequently asked: “When are you going to make a Cape Horn voyage in that tough as nails barque of yours?” Well, the time has come.

Beginning in April 2025, casting off from the ship’s home base in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, Canada, Picton Castle will set sail on a voyage to the tradewinds and islands of the South Pacific and then south around Cape Horn for a truly epic voyage.

This voyage will be made in true Picton Castle style, setting off from Nova Scota Canada, sailing first to the Caribbean, calling at a number of sweet tropical islands, before sailing across the Caribbean Sea to Panama and out into the South Pacific. From there we’ll sail south to make one of the most famous sailing ship passages, rounding Cape Horn at the southern tip of South America.

We’ll begin by sailing south from Lunenburg for the Caribbean, calling at some of our favourite ports there before transiting the modern engineering marvel that is the Panama Canal. The Canal will bring Picton Castle into the Pacific Ocean where we’ll sail for the Galapagos Islands and Pitcairn Island, then to a variety of islands in French Polynesia including Mangareva, the Marquesas Islands, the Tuamotus, the Society Islands and Tahiti.  From Tahiti we’ll set sail for Cape Horn, sailing south to catch the passage-making winds that will carry us around this legendary milestone for sailors, back into the Atlantic Ocean, and to the Falkland Islands. The South Atlantic has some of the best and most consistent sailing breezes anywhere, we’ll use them to propel us to Tristan da Cunha and St. Helena, then onwards to the Caribbean. After calling at a number of islands in the Eastern Caribbean, we’ll make our way under sail to New Orleans where we’ll meet up with a fleet of international tall ships and complete the voyage.

Few other voyages could blend the joys of tradewind sailing and visits to exotic tropical ports with the challenge of rounding Cape Horn quite in the way that this expedition will. Adventures at sea and on land, amazing, storied ports to visit, a variety of sailing conditions, and incredible hands-on learning opportunities will be hallmarks of this voyage.

A voyage like this requires a stout ship and a stout crew. Picton Castle measures up, you can apply to join the deep-water sailors that will make up the crew for this epic voyage.