Sailing to Europe, Africa, and the Spanish Main
As the Barque Picton Castle sails on the last leg of this current voyage around the world, it behooves us to think of the future. What comes next. After rounding the Cape of Good Hope (aka “Cape Of Storms”) and settling into a nice long stay in Cape Town we sail northwest in the South Atlantic trade winds towards St. Helena followed by some of the finest kind of island hopping among some of the sweetest islands in the world in the Eastern Caribbean. Then on to the Great Lakes to join a fleet of tall ships enjoying these vast freshwater inland seas and all the exceedingly welcoming ports along the shores in the summer of 2019.
In 2008-2009 we made a long hoped for voyage around the North Atlantic from Nova Scotia, to Eurpoe, Africa and the Caribbean. It far exceeded my hopes for what the voyage could be. Long ocean passages, Old World ports, lots of tall ships, beautiful old harbours, amazing and charming contrasts as we sailed onward to Morocco and Senegal, a serene trade wind passage to the Caribbean Islands we love so much but now see in a new context of culture and history. A few gales, calms and great trade winds, island hopping, small boat handling and almost no motoring. The crew got really very good at sailing the ship. This is a 10,000 nautical mile voyage through our own undiscovered world of the North Atlantic – from the westerlies up north bound for Europe, to the balmy palm tree breezes within the Tropic of Cancer sailing for and among the green isles of my beloved Caribbean.
In 2020 the Picton Castle is planning on sailing around the Atlantic Ocean again on a voyage of discovery to Europe and Africa and then the Caribbean. Sailing on a late spring departure across the North Atlantic to explore for ourselves as crew of a classic windjammer the ocean world of the Azores, Ireland, Wales, England, France, Holland, Germany, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, maybe Latvia and Russia, Portugal and into the Mediterranean for Spain before sailing on to Africa and onto the casbahs of Morocco, majestic Dakar, Senegal and to the Cape Verde Islands. From West Africa we sail across the mid Atlantic to the Lesser Antilles of Eastern Caribbean on a tradewind passage to Grenada, Carriacou, the Grenadines, Bequia, Dominica, Antigua, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Nevis & St Kitts, St Barts, Anguilla, the British Virgin Islands, and Bermuda. Finalized ports to be determined but you get the idea.
When we made a voyage along these general routes some years ago, we were literally amazed by it. We have been talking about it ever since. It was so rich and excitingly diverse that we have been wanting to head back and explore so much further. We are working on developing these plans now and will be posting them as they get further along. Stay tuned.
Captain Daniel Moreland, Barque Picton Castle