By Kate “Bob” Addison December 3rd, 2012 I am sitting on the bench on the well deck of our barque enjoying the shade of the galley house and the breeze up forward here as we steam through these light airs to get to Panama. Gabe is sitting next to me splicing a new rode for […]
Sunset – November 30 – our barque is steering west about 50 miles off the coast of Venezuela, what was once called the “Spanish Main”. The island of Aruba is up ahead about 40 miles off the port bow. We may see this low sandy island in the morning. The ship has her yards almost
By Kate “Bob” Addison A beautiful Tuesday afternoon finds the Picton Castle sailing sweetly across the Caribbean Sea away from Grenada and the Grenadines. The trade winds astern are pushing us along towards Panama at a respectable 7 knots and are also wonderfully refreshing on this warm, sunny day. Grenada showed us a wonderful time,
By Kate “Bob” Addison November 23, 2012 Friday evening finds the Picton Castle alongside the “schooner dock” portion of the deepwater commercial wharf in St George’s Town, Grenada, after a very enjoyable daysail down from Carriacou yesterday. Not so long ago, inter-island cargo schooners sailed in and out of this pretty harbour. I am sitting
By Kate “Bob” Addison Picton Castle crew are very much enjoying island life here in Carriacou, our first port of call since Canada. This island is seriously sweet – picture perfect beaches, lush green mountains, delightful people, food, musics, ice cream… I am sitting writing this at a rum shop (a “rum shop” being an
By Kate “Bob” Addison Two weeks and two days out from Lunenburg and Picton Castle is sailing quietly and majestically to her anchorage off the beautiful island of Carriacou in the West Indies. We have logged some two thousand miles through the North Atlantic Ocean to get here, and it’s good to have land in
By Kate “Bob” Addison November 17, 2012 It’s proper tropical weather at sea now, blue skies and blue seas as far as we can see, the roll is gentle and we’ve settled into our usual shipboard routines on the Picton Castle. Each hour of the watch sees a different person at the helm, and standing
By Kate “Bob” Addison November 12, 2012 Monday morning came in overcast and warm with light southeasterly winds. The tail end of this big slow front is giving us rain showers and gusty winds; lightening very close last night too. Picton Castle is sailing southwest on a port tack; topsails, courses, spanker, staysails and two
Picton Castle is about 130 miles ENE of Barbuda – sailing due south along in sweet pleasant light trades, making 6 knots bound for Carriacou and Grenada. I plan to keep sailing on the east, about 60 miles on the windward side, of the island chain to keep the good breeze and not get suckered
By Kate “Bob” Addison Picton Castle is motor-sailing South, 600 miles from Lunenburg, braced up sharp on a starboard tack under staysails as we continue to work our way into near-headwinds. We’re well east of a big low pressure system centred in the Chesapeake Bay, which is causing these Southerly winds. And making a bit
