By Kate “Bob” Addison A few days ’till Papeete and all aboard are looking forward to the sophisticated delights of Tahiti and a proper Polynesian city – fine food, black pearls, movie theatres and pretty dresses will all seem even more luxurious after so much basic living aboard the ship and longboat camping expeditions from […]
By Kate “Bob” Addison We re-join our sailors where we left them, standing on a perfect coral sand South Pacific beach, the boats secure and nothing to be done except set up a camp for the night… poor darlings. We rigged the big tarpaulins in a nice clearing between the trees for shelter just in
By Kate “Bob” Addison The last log entry saw us setting off in small boats in search of unchartered islands, adventure, and marshmallows… here we re-join the crew of the Picton Castle as they take to the small boats: We had to row out a little to find the wind since the ship is anchored
By Kate “Bob” Addison Well our Picton Castle gang is enjoying French Polynesia so far. The fresh baguettes from the bakery on the small round-island road and fresh tropical fruit (pamplemousse and papaye, grapefruit and papaya in French) every day don’t hurt, nor the incredible beauty of the coral lagoon surrounded by steep mountainous islands.
Picton Castle is swinging at anchor in the lagoon of Rikitea, Mangareva, Gambier Islands of French Polynesia. The Gambier Islands consist of an outer ring atoll with big islands inside the reef about 300 miles NW of Pitcairn Island – truly one of the most beautiful settings in the South Pacific and, extra bonus, a
By Kate “Bob” Addison “Pitcairn Island – wow!” That’s a pretty good one-line summary for someone who’s never been to Pitcairn, and “Wow!” is also the new name given to Dkembe on the island, because that was his response to so many things there… A new name is one thing you can expect to take
By Kate “Bob” Addison January 21st, 2013 For the sixth time in her distinguished sail training career, barque Picton Castle is in sight of Pitcairn Island, which grows larger and more distinct as we draw closer. It is a perfect South Pacific afternoon, with sparkling blue seas and a bright blue sky as a backdrop
By Kate “Bob” Addison What better to write about on a glorious, sparkling South Pacific morning than the most glamorous of Picton Castle crew – the daymen riggers? Often compared to colorful birds of paradise (or more commonly to monkeys) riggers are happiest with both feet off the decks, working high up aloft. Here, they
By Kate “Bob” Addison Here in the South Pacific it is another hot blue-sky day. Winds are light. The sun has been shining brightly all morning, and there are just a few fair weather clouds low over the horizon – nothing to offer heavenly shade. The decks are foot-scorching hot so most folks are wearing
By Kate “Bob” Addison Another beautiful day deep in the South Pacific Ocean, and all is well aboard Barque Picton Castle. The sun is bright, the seas are sparkly and skies are blue, and all on deck are busy working away on their projects for the morning – the bosun and his mates are sanding
