THE PICTON CASTLE Bosun School – The Barque Picton Castle

Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, Canada

Bosun School 10^th Session

July 14, 2021 – Sept 29, 2021

Led by Captain Daniel D. Moreland and guest instructors

A Seamanship Skills Enrichment Program for Young Seafarers, and a great summer on the water along Lunenburg’s famous and historic working waterfront

There is nothing better than real time at sea, in a good ship under sail, to gain the critical experience, acquire the skills and hone the judgement that makes for a seasoned mariner. This is the best way forward for any would-be seafarer, whether pursuing a life at sea, marine associated trades or to become a competent pleasure boater. Yet this can take years and is hard to get under any circumstances. And often in the hard-working and so few sailing ships of today there is little time to focus on advanced skills for the crew such as wire work and sailmaking and even small boat handling. And rarely does the opportunity roll around to actually help rig a ship from the keel up or lay a sail out with a sailmaker. The only requirements we ask for coming to Bosun School is that you have been on the water before in some manner and you are very keen to learn. For amateur and professionally minded alike.

In today’s mandated professional seafarers training world there is a logical emphasis on ‘emergency duties’ training. This is called Basic Safety Training or BST. These courses are about very basic fire-fighting, survival craft, exposure suits, life jacket use and so on. These are excellent courses and everyone going to sea should consider getting such training whether is required or not. Yet, we also must understand that this training is all about what to do after something has gone seriously wrong aboard. Bosun School is all about teaching seamanship skills and techniques, which if applied broadly and consciously, can go a long way to seeing to it that things just do not go wrong that often. Get your safety duties training by all means – but learn seamanship and you will be less likely to be called upon to apply that training.

The mission and purpose of the Bosun School is to provide an opportunity for aspiring and dedicated aspiring mariners to gain or advance their skill levels in a concentrated fashion. And to do this without the demands of being underway at sea. By being part of the Bosun School you will advance your skills level markedly, making your chances at the best berths in good ships of your choice much stronger. Once signed aboard your next ship (boat or yacht) you will have that much more to offer and be a greater contributor to helping the ship on her mission which is, after all, what being crew is all about. And you will enjoy your seafaring all the more, just because you will simply be better at it. Whether your next ship is a big schooner or square-rigger, a tug-boat, a yacht delivery, a Caribbean bareboat charter, or your own boat sailing just for fun, you will be better off.

Sling your seabag over the rail this summer and join us in learning rigging, advanced rope-work, wire seizings, wire splicing, basic sailmaking and repair, parceling and serving, making wire rigging as if you had a whole ship to rig. We will make daunting tasks seem easy – we will be sending yards and topmasts up. We will be tackling ship and boat caulking & pitching, how to paint a ship in one day, industrial grade to first class varnish work, tar and oil mixtures, proper bosun-chair work and more! We will be emphasizing small boat skills too: getting your boat ready for the water quickly and easily, maintenance, launching, followed by lots of sailing, operating and hauling out in Lunenburg’s fine harbour. Dip your arms in Stockholm Tar, learn tons, have fun, flesh out your resume, sail more than you have before and become well acquainted with the seaport of Lunenburg, and meet marine artisans and crafts-folk with generations of ship work behind them. When you join your next vessel, large or small, you’ll take with you an enriched set of skills and abilities and a can-do attitude. You will be in demand.

For three months, you’ll be living and onboard a 300 ton ship at our wharf in downtown Lunenburg, Nova Scotia home of the legendary Schooners BLUENOSE and BLUENOSE II as well as the globe circling Barque PICTON CASTLE. Our wharf and warehouse are within walking distance to everything you’ll need or want (ie. internet, phone, laundry, post office, grocery store and shops).

As well as building skills as a mariner you will get a chance to learn the wide-ranging aspects of the marine industry and sailing opportunities that are available to you. Depending on COVID-19 restrictions we will be making field trips to sail lofts, boat building shops, machine shops, dry docks, Coast Guard and Navy vessels, lobster and fishing vessels and some local yachts. This experience in Lunenburg will add immeasurably to your networking contacts in particular North America for sailing opportunities and will open up possibilities on a wide range of sailing ships as well.

Enrollment is limited This program is designed for younger folks with some previous experience on boats or in larger vessels but is open to older students as well.

Upon completion of the course mariners will receive a letter of completion from the program, and an evaluation of your accomplishments from the Bosun School.

Instruction and practice

will be Mondays through mid-days most Saturdays.

There will be limited designated basic ship-watch duties onboard in turn during the course of this program.

Please feel free to call with any questions. 902-634-9984

Program outline-syllabus

The Bosun School starts off…

Every good captain, mate or deck hand strives to be a Bosun at heart. We start with an introduction to what being a “Bosun” really means, and then move on to orientation to the ship, boats, the warehouse, the systems, resources and what will be doing in the program.
Working aloft safely. In square-riggers, schooners, yachts and modern ships
Basic Safety considerations with respect to living on the water at 174 Bluenose Drive
Psychology and philosophy of Bosuneering; “it aint just riggin’…”
Discussion of ships and small craft under sail and power, and securing the Canadian Pleasure Craft Operator Card prior to sailing and operating the many small craft available to us.

Keeping the Ship, Clean, neat and sorted

It all begins with keeping the vessel “Ship Shape and Bristol Fashion”. How to clean, stow, organize, keep track of your ships gear. This is where it all begins.

Paints, Oils, Tar and Goops – the Paint Locker

We all love rigging but painting and coatings are a large part of the job of the Bosun.
Prep, organization, coatings and clean up
Cleaning the paint brush, a thing of the past, but get good at it.
Oil the decks, Why and how? How and why?
Keeping the paint locker from catching on fire
Name the edible items in the paint locker (hint: not so much)

Small Craft

We have available to Bosun School students a broad range of superb small craft to sail, mess about in and get good at. Dories, punts, outboard powered skiffs, row boats, small sail boats, dug-out canoes, south seas copra cutters, sloops, long boats and even a small schooner. Practise in them all. After some basic instruction and with your CPCO Cards in hand and in good weather, you will have access to these boats to build up boating skills. We will be sailing hours a day. Some people actually think that this is fun! Area commercial boat operators and local yachts may have a spot for some of the gang as crew I area races. Anchors, chain and windlasses

Anchors, anchor rodes, depths, stern anchors, anchoring yachts, small boats and ships. Anchor tricks. How a windlass works, how a capstan works, making them work, anchor windlass substitutes. Practice.

Rigging and Rigging Tools

Rope, what is it?
Types of rope
Marlinspikes, knives, fids, wire splicing vices and clamps, serving mallets, serving boards, hammers and bigger hammers
The nature of rope and rope work; fiber splices (long, short, cable, eye, sailmakers, etc)
Fiber seizings
Parceling and serving
Ratlines and ratline splices
Running rigging,
tackles, blocks, etc
care and feeding of blocks and shackles
Mousings: shackles, hooks etc
Wire splicing and Wire seizings
Large hawser splicing; shroud laid, eight-braid etc
Handling heavy gear on deck and aloft
Sending yards and topmasts aloft safely
Rigs and rigging theory
Setting up the rig, rigging screws, staying the spars; how and why
Trouble shooting, rig surveying, maintenance and repair