While Picton Castle is in drydock, Bosun School students have been carrying on with projects related to Picton Castle’s yards. All yards except the course yards were sent down last week. Picton Castle’s royal and t’gallant yards (the top two yards on both the foremast and mainmast) are made of wood. The upper and lower …
With the high tide on the morning of Monday October 3, 2016, Picton Castle was hauled out of the water on the marine railway at the Lunenburg Foundry. We take the ship out of the water every two years so we can clean, inspect and repaint the hull. The last time Picton Castle drydocked was …
Bosun School students have been working on sending down yards. On some other ships, this is done with the assistance of a crane. On Picton Castle, we use the lifting power and mechanical advantage in the ship’s rig to lower the yards down to deck. Although sending down yards sounds like it may look …
Bosun School is officially in session! Monday September 19 was the first day of classes for this session of the Bosun School. We have a small class this time, which makes for lots of individual attention for each student. Bosun School is designed for young mariners who want to learn skills and be more useful …
Since returning to Picton Castle’s home base in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, Canada two weeks ago, ship’s cat Fiji has made herself at home in this UNESCO World Heritage town. We’re often asked who owns Fiji. She really owns herself, as most cats do. However, she does not have one single owner, she goes with the …
12 September, 2016 Early September in Lunenburg On the morning of the last day of August, Picton Castle sailed quietly in to Lunenburg Harbour. As Captain Sam Sikkema explained in the last Captain’s Log, royal yards, the mainsail, t’gallants and all upper staysails had all been sent down before the ship made her entrance, so …
For those of you who keep up with our website regularly, you’ll notice a change to our voyaging plans for 2016-2017. Sometimes an opportunity comes along that is worth changing plans for. This is the case this time. This summer, we’ll be involved in a special project that will see Picton Castle make two back-to-back …
Our lovely barque rigged sailing ship, now at sea approaching the Azores with a great gang of young mariners sailing on a voyage across the free Atlantic was once know as HMS Picton Castle. Just before open hostilities commenced in the second World War in 1939 our ship was conscripted into the British Royal Navy …
The Former HMS PICTON CASTLE Remembers on Remembrance Day Read More »
One of our favourite islands, Dominica, was hit hard by Tropical Storm Erika at the end of August. We’re planning to visit there this coming winter as part of our Transatlantic Voyage and, with your help, want to do something to assist. Why is Dominica so special to us, you ask? Well, Picton Castle made …
Helping Dominica Recover After Tropical Storm Erika Read More »
By Kate “Bob” Addison As our Picton Castle is about to set off on another epic voyage, this time bound for and throughout the amazing South Pacific in the trade winds, we thought our readers might be interested to read about some of the detail of our preparations. Sailing to the South Seas might seem …
