It was the 8-12 watch’s turn to take Momonoy out for a sail this morning before heading ashore. 12-4 had the watch on deck and continued with fair-weather projects, another pleasant and productive day at anchor. We’ve been really lucky with the weather during this port stop, we’ve hardly seen the strong winds for which …
A busy day of interesting work aboard the ship, while most of the off watch had a more relaxing Sunday ashore, wandering the small shops and sorting through junk in a giant flea market to find treasures. That and lots of cups of mint tea on tiled and painted terraces all over town. SHIP’S WORK: …
Another day at anchor off Essaouira. Carpenter Tim made friends with a local ship builder here so we got a tour of the ship yard to see some wooden fishing boats and ships at varying stages of construction, and the simple tools used for their construction: a 70 year old band saw and planer (originally …
PICTON CASTLE dropped anchor in Essaouira Harbour, in the Kingdom of Morocco at 1030 on Friday morning. We are tucked in between the old fortified town with its high red walls and the Ile de Mogador, also known as the Purple Island since antiquity because of the purple dye made from special shells found here. …
A gorgeous day today as we make way towards Africa. Ditty bag workshops continue with tabling to strengthen the top and grommets made of waxed marlin sewn in to make reinforced holes for the lanyard to go through. Sail drill with royals. SHIP’S WORK: Bend fore royal sail, replace port main royal bunt, relead main …
We held an inter-watch Seamanship Derby this afternoon to test the skills and knowledge of the crew after several weeks at sea. Together we have almost completed our North Atlantic crossing under square sail – an extremely rare achievement these days, of which all should be proud. All hands performed admirably, proving they know their …
In this afternoon’s workshop we made a start on making ditty bags – practicing all the main skills of the Sailmaker, and making yourself a handy bag to keep your tools together in the process. Today the Captain started us off by explaining how to make a flat seam to join the edges of the …
Funchal, Madeira is a very lovely town which made me think of Continental Europe on holiday. The restaurants, shops and hotels were all popular with the crew; I think they enjoyed the relaxation that comes with being very well looked after. The cable car up way above the town to Monte with its spectacular church …
After a lovely overnight sail under starlit skies from Porto Sancho, we fired up early this morning to make our appointment with the pilots off the historic port of Funchal, Madeira. As soon as we were tied up and cleared in, we sent down the main t’gallant sail and yard so the carpenters could do …
It’s a beautiful day to go sailing! After a short visit in the delightfully sleepy island of Porto Santo, which has a unique charm somewhere between the café culture of mainland Europe and the chilled out beauty of the Caribbean, we sailed off the anchor and got underway for the main island of Madeira. We’re …
