By Kate “Bob” Addison August 8th, 2013 It’s 0800 on Thursday the 8th August 2013, and Picton Castle is steaming towards Rarotonga. The familiar rolling emerald mountains are dead ahead, and looming larger every minute. It’s the end of another voyage, a voyage of almost four thousand miles offshore sailing around the Cook Islands. It’s …
By Kate “Bob” Addison Thursday August 1st, 2013 This is a bit of a catch up log, which takes Picton Castle from her anchorage in Penrhyn lagoon to Manihiki, our last island call of the Northern Group of the Cook Islands. The saga starts in Penrhyn where our shipmate Tom had to be flown back …
By Kate “Bob” Addison 25th July 2013 Penrhyn Island is named for the British ship Lady Penrhyn which arrived here in 1788. Its Maori name is Tongareva, which translates as Land Floating in the South. We came ashore on Monday morning with our small consignment of cargo for Penrhyn wrapped in tarps to keep it …
By Kate “Bob” Addison The lagoon at Penrhyn Island is enormous; it looks like you could arrange all of the other Cook Islands inside the fringing coral reef and still have clear water to go snorkeling. From where Picton Castle was anchored at the northwest corner of the lagoon you couldn’t even see the reef …
By Kate “Bob” Addison Sunday July 21st, 2013 Picton Castle is at anchor inside Penrhyn Lagoon at a position of 8°59’S 158°05’W. It’s a very calm and beautiful spot. The port admiralty pattern anchor is holding well in nine fathoms of water, and the ship is still and quiet. The lagoon here is huge so …
By Kate “Bob” Addison Monday July 15th, 2013 At 1000 hours this Monday morning Picton Castle is at position 17°25’S 158°52’W in the Cook Islands, making northing under square sails to t’gallants, staysails and spanker. The wind is a fresh force five, and the day is a bright active one, with cumulus clouds rushing across …
By Kate “Bob” Addison July 12th, 2013 Barque Picton Castle is just twenty miles off Atiu, a raised atoll in the southern Cook islands, the first island call of this cargo and passenger run to the outer Cook Islands. We departed from Avatiu harbour, Rarotonga yesterday morning to start this second inter-island voyage; this time …
Aboard the Picton Castle, new trainees and crew are settling in and getting oriented to their new surroundings. The ship is currently alongside the wharf at Avatiu Harbour on the island of Rarotonga in the Cook Islands. We’re spending a few days in port between Leg 1 and Leg 2 of the Aloha Polynesia Voyage …
By Kate “Bob” Addison 1st July 2013 It’s Monday the 1st July, so Picton Castle would like to wish a very happy Canada Day to all our friends back home in Lunenburg and across Canada! We plan to celebrate this evening with a nice BBQ mahi mahi, ice cream for all hands and maybe even …
By Kate “Bob” Addison Pukapuka is marked on our chart as ‘Danger Island’. The ominous name was given by a British ship in the 18th century due to the large, encompassing reef that extends far past the visible motus and frequent high surf and current. Picton Castle approached at midday, which is the only way …
