The wind has been light, but we have been quite lucky with the weather in the Bay of Biscay. Known for its westerly gales and currents that have for hundreds of years been the bane of many a sailing ship, we have experienced nothing but light airs. As such we continue to steam and get …
As pleasant as yesterday’s sailing was it came to an end late last night when the wind died out completely. So on came the engine and in came the sails and we are now steaming toward Cape Finesterre. Taking advantage of the light conditions we have done much spot painting and have begun tarring the …
The tide waits for no man, and as such PICTON CASTLE hove up anchor at the turn of the tide a little after 0600 this morning. With a light Northerly breeze making up we quickly set all sail and began to work the ship to windward out of the roads. As the breeze picked up, …
With good weather and no wind, today was an excellent day to get some ships work done with all hands. We are expecting some wind tomorrow and will begin our passage early in the morning. As for now we will continue to enjoy the sun and spend another day on the hook. SHIP’S WORK: Change …
Today was spent at anchor in order to get some more safety drills down as well as give some of the crew some more practices in the pulling boat. After a week of clouds today turned sunny, a welcome change, and things began to feel a bit like summer. The anchor watches kept a close …
After a short week in port Picton Castle got underway from La Rochelle this afternoon. Though our stay was short, we had a lovely time in this Old World port. We were well received with a welcome from the Mayor of La Rochelle and Harbour Master and much hospitality and curiosity from many in the town. The local …
At 1140 in the AM local time, after 2,999 nautical miles and 22 days at sea PICTON CASTLE dropped anchor off Ile’ Aix in Basque Roads, about 8 miles from our final destination in the Port of La Rochelle. We made a good passage overall, averaging about 5.5kts for the trip and it is very …
Wind and sea have become calm as we cross the Bay of Biscay. With only 100 miles to go a little afternoon we are anticipating anchoring tomorrow morning. With the sun shining most of the day we have swung into full port prep: a ship coming in from sea is always supposed, at least on …
Our steaming continues as we start to cross the Bay of Biscay in the last few days of our passage. The weather has turned quite pleasant, sunny, warming up, and the seas have laid down. This has given us a chance to dry out the whole ship after so much wet weather on this trip. …
We continued to sail through the night. It was a very pleasant night with a full moon and light winds, the ship sailing along easily under full sail. Nights like this also give us time to practice our sail handling with the light sails that have been so little used on this passage thus far. As …
