By Maria Andersen, apprentice from Denmark March 13th, 2014 I was woken up by a loud voice calling down to the batcave telling us that they needed all hands to harbour stow sails and getting the ship ready for port, so on deck we went with harness, shoes and a proper shirt so the people […]
Are you a doctor who is curious about sailing a tall ship? Picton Castle is seeking a medical officer for our upcoming Westward Bound Voyage. We like to have a medical doctor aboard for our voyages, especially when we’re making big ocean crossings. You should have some experience with emergency medicine, but we’ve had medical
By Chelsea McBroom March 12th, 2014 The Picton Castle starboard watch’s day off was very quiet, the streets were clear, being a Sunday. The shops were closed with their garage-like doors covered in graffiti. As we walked towards the town centre where the farmers market is, the streets became crowded and busy. I worried I’d
By Chelsea McBroom March 12th, 2014 It’s been a while since the Picton Castle pulled up alongside at a destination. We arrived in the port of Papeete at the island of Tahiti and the swell was high outside the harbour. It wasn’t until we moved in closer that the pilot boat could come alongside and
By Chelsea McBroom March 8th, 2014 Finally there was a good breeze blowing through the foc’sle of the Picton Castle during the night – in fact at one point I may have even put a blanket over me and the last time I can recall doing that was sometime around New Zealand. I can recall
By Chelsea McBroom March 7th, 2014 Yesterday at 16:30 aboard the Picton Castle we had a workshop on stowing or furling sails. The Captain began by explaining that the difference between ‘stowing’ and ‘furling’ is that ‘furling’ is often the prettier version or the ‘harbour stow’, and ‘stowing’ is often used to refer to the
By Chelsea McBroom March 6th, 2013 I was woken up this morning at 3:30am aboard the Picton Castle by Simon with, “It’s moist with a chance of rain.” After asking him to repeat himself while in the dark foc’sle with a surprised “What did you say?!”, I giggled, still half asleep. The word ‘moist’ happens
By Anne-Laure Barberis, apprentice from France If you listen carefully, you’ll hear them. In the middle of the night, barely audible above the sound of waves crashing on the ship and wind howling in the stays, I heard them. Very faintly at first, then, as my ear grew accustomed to the voices, I could make
You’ve heard some of the names of the crew of the Picton Castle in these Captain’s Logs, here’s a fun way to get to know some of them better. Trainee Lily has a good sense of humour and has written limericks about many of her shipmates. These were shared aboard and got quite a laugh,
Have you ever thought about sailing a tall ship? Picton Castle accepts trainee crew members with no sailing experience needed, just a strong back and a willing heart. The crew on all our voyages is diverse – a variety of nationalities, backgrounds and ages. We’ve asked a few of the crew who are currently aboard
