By trainee Hannah, age 19, from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada After spending almost two months sailing around the Hauraki Golf and Bay of Islands New Zealand in our Picton Castle, I was very excited (and a little nervous) to get back sailing deep sea. My sea legs had disappeared and I had forgotten what it […]
By Chelsea McBroom January 8th, 2014 It feels like the ship is trapped in time and space; waking up for each watch and looking around at the same endless (but incredible) view of sea and sky, you’d never know we were a third of the way to Pitcairn. Long rolling seas, sometimes grey with a
By Chelsea McBroom January 6th, 2014 Since the first day of the New Year in the Picton Castle, we have caught four very large fish. We have spoiled ourselves with ceviche (aka poisson cru, raw tuna with coconut milk), baked and fried fish that Donald has magically created. The crew that were with us from
8 Days and 900 Nautical Miles From Cape Brett, New Zealand Read More »
“Running down your easting” is an old sailing ship mariners’ phrase used to describe the path of a wind ship, usually in the Great Southern Ocean, when making the long passage from either the Cape of Good Hope in the Southern Indian Ocean east to Australia, or from Australia, New Zealand or really anywhere in
By Chelsea McBroom Anchored at small Roberton Island in the Bay of Islands, where Endeavour anchored and Cook went ashore, our Secret Picton Castle Christmas Committee set up a schedule in advance for Christmas Day. The crew was able to sleep in for a couple hours before brunch. The majority of the crew had stayed
By Chelsea McBroom January 1, 2014 In our ongoing agenda in the Picton Castle to train crew up in safety thinking and emergency duties in a real and hands-on way, the Captain figured we could use some practice in flares. As it happened, we had a good supply of just out of date flares to
By Chelsea McBroom December 31, 2013 It was an ugly couple of days of rain as we waited out some weather before sailing away from New Zealand. We were anchored in Opua in the Bay of Islands in a small landlocked basin when the crew was woken up at 0200 with a call from Amy
Sailing from New Zealand, Bound for Pitcairn Island Read More »
By Chelsea McBroom December 23, 2013 After getting aboard ten tons of lumber and building supplies for Pitcairn Island, and getting fueled up 9,500 litres more, making a total of 19,000 litres of diesel aboard in our tanks, it came time to sail Picton Castle away from the big city of Auckland. Sailing from our
Barque Picton Castle – Opua, Bay of Islands, North Island, New Zealand – December 31, 2013 After much preparation and anticipation the Picton Castle sailed from lovely Bay of Islands, New Zealand two days ago, bound for Pitcairn Island. The ship and crew are ready for sea in all respects. We waited out passage of
Wednesday December 11, 2013 The day comes in fair and clear and calm. Not a ripple on the sea. A few nice old yachts lay at moorings between the Picton Castle and the village wharf of Russell. The early morning ferry from Paihia leaves a wake which rocks our skiff alongside as she passes. Dew
