Galapagos is probably one of the most-anticipated ports on the voyage. Many times in the past day I have heard different crew members exclaim “I can’t believe I’m actually here!” With the first skiff runs ashore dropping crew off at a floating dock inhabited by three sleeping sea lions, it was immediately apparent that there’s …
We now have our transit in the Panama Canal confirmed for Thursday June 10 (that’s tomorrow). You can watch Picton Castle on the webcams on the Panama Canal website. While schedules are always subject to change, our scheduled arrival at the Gatun Locks is set for 0602 local time and our scheduled departure from the …
Captain’s Log – Blustery Saturday May 22, 2010 The Captain held a muster on the quarterdeck before supper yesterday to talk about our North Atlantic passage, south to the West Indies and Caribbean Sea from Nova Scotia. Using a white board, he illustrated our track so far, all has gone according to the passage plan …
The sun has been shining on Lunenburg for the past two weeks, making ship’s work easier and turning our minds from winter to spring. Several big projects that have been ongoing throughout the winter are nearing completion, and we’re starting to get Picton Castle rigged up again. The final coats of paint and varnish have …
After Hurricane Bill passed through Burgeo, the captain decided to wait an extra day in port before getting underway again. Swells were still reported to be big outside and we could see waves crashing at the end of the cove, so we would let the seas settle a bit. In the morning, all hands worked …
Picton Castle had an extended stay in Burgeo, Newfoundland thanks to Hurricane Bill. Not a problem, Burgeo is a great place. We arrived on Thursday and got tied up securely at the wharf at the old fish plant at the head of a long land-locked cove called Short Reach, to a good solid dock with …
Picton Castle sailed off the hook from our roadstead anchorage at Iles de la Madeleine on Tuesday morning, meaning that we got underway under sail alone, without the use of the engine. We sailed away from the archipelago in light wind, turning and bracing the yards as the wind varied, and carried on under sail …
Picton Castle’s visit to Iles de la Madeleine has been fantastic and the crew have fallen in love with these islands in the middle of the Gulf of St. Lawrence. With a year-round population of about 13,000 people, these islands can almost triple in population in the summer to about 35,000 people. They’re part of …
Picton Castle sailed from Summerside, PEI last Tuesday, bound for Iles de la Madeleine. Twelve new crew members joined us in Summerside and they were all oriented to the ship and began their instruction in safety procedures and the sails and rigging while at anchor. We did two drills on Tuesday, one simulating a man …
Summerside was hardly all work and no play. Each crew member had a couple of days off to explore the town and the beautiful countryside of Prince Edward Island. A group of our crew had tickets to a big concert on the day the ship sailed in, so they drove across the Confederation Bridge (which …
