Our barque Picton Castle is sailing along about 400 miles ESE of Lunenburg. We continue to steer for a point just south of “the Tail of the Grand Banks”. Sea temperature is now up from 5c to about 10c (50F) and every degree it goes up we sense and it feels better every day. Seas …
Lat- 42-54N Long-58-08W The Picton Castle sails along under main t’gallant in light overcast making about 6-7 knots in under 20 knots of wind abeam. Seas are under a metre. We are steering ESE for south of the tail of the Grand Banks, with the objective in mind of avoiding too much fog and icebergs …
Lat 43-29N, Long 061-21W Course: ESE Speed: 5 knots Weather: fair and clear, SW winds force 4 Seas: less than one metre In the Picton Castle we could not wish for a better start to a transatlantic passage bound for Europe. The one week delay in Lunenburg has given us perfect conditions to sail eastward …
A great deal of thought and effort goes into the weather planning prior to a Trans-Atlantic passage in a ship like the Picton Castle. Well prior to sailing, the approximate departure date/time is established by consulting pilot charts, studying the Sailing Directions and consulting with professional and experienced masters who have significant experience in the …
The past two and a half weeks have been busy as the Picton Castle prepares to set sail on the Voyage of the Atlantic. Trainees have arrived, settled into their bunks, been trained in ship safety, emergency procedures and sail handling and have put some work into getting the ship ready to go. A sense …
Friday was a sunny and warm spring day in Lunenburg and the crew of the Picton Castle took advantage of the good weather to get lots of ship’s work done. During these two weeks of preparations for the voyage we are combining training with work to make sure the crew and the ship are ready. …
Outdoors it was cool and rainy, but the crew of the Picton Castle were swimming and enjoying the warmth this afternoon. We were at the local indoor pool, emOcean, but not for swim call. Joe from the Nova Scotia Community College came to Lunenburg to run a life raft training session for our crew. The …
Today was the first time that the new trainees were aloft on Picton Castle. Going aloft is one of the things trainees most look forward to when they join the ship, it is also something that many of them are nervous about. Trainees are not required to go aloft and there is no stigma attached …
Just as the crew of the Picton Castle were finishing domestics and deck wash this morning, the first food delivery arrived. Purchasing enough food to feed the entire ship’s complement for most of a year is no small task. Donald, our awesome cook who sailed with us on the Caribbean voyage and the summer voyage …
Picton Castle‘s Voyage of the Atlantic has begun. The excitement on the dock and aboard the ship is palpable as trainees have now joined the ship, leaving behind their old lives to embark on a new adventure. This morning was the official start of the voyage, with all hands mustering amidships at 0800. A muster …
