By Kate “Bob” Addison Picton Castle and her crew had a magical, unique Christmas here in the Galapagos Islands. The ship and her crew had crossed the Equator and found themselves at anchor in Wreck Bay on the island of San Cristobal, and since we couldn’t clear in through immigration until the morning, we all […]
PICTON CASTLE 2012 in the GALAPAGOS ISLANDS T’was the night before Christmas, when all through the barque not a shipmate was stirring, not even this old fart. The stockings were hung on the fiferails with care in the hopes that the Fat Man soon would be there The crew were all sleeping, except those on
By Kate “Bob” Addison December 23rd, 2012 Sunday at sea, the day before Christmas eve. All is peaceful aboard Picton Castle as she slips quietly through the water heading SWxS for Isla San Cristobal in the Galapagos. The breeze is a Force four and we have lots of canvas set – all fore and aft
By Kate “Bob” Addison 3º13’N 083º19’W Picton Castle is steaming from Panama to Galapagos. This area off the coast of Ecuador has light winds more often than not, and so we are pushing on, planning to make landfall in the Galapagos by Christmas. Pushing on with ship’s work too – yesterday afternoon’s workshop was doing
By Kate “Bob” Addison Monday morning and aboard the Picton Castle hands are aloft loosing sail, making ready to sail off the hook. We will be at sea again before lunch, bound for Isla San Cristobal, Galapagos. We are anchored off Taboga Island, 7 miles off the coast from Panama City. This seems to be
By Kate “Bob” Addison Saturday December 8th, 2012 It’s 5:34 am and Picton Castle crew have been up for an hour already, we hoisted up the anchor, drank gallons of coffee and got underway. We’re transiting the Panama Canal today, and since we need to make a daylight transit we have to be at the
December 4th, 2012 Tuesday morning dawns bright as Picton Castle rounds and shapes up on a SWly heading past Columbia on our approach to Panama. Our position is 10Deg57’N 17Deg45’W, speed over ground 8 knots, and we have topsails set as we motor sail through these uncharacteristically light winds. Temperature is a steady 30 degrees
By Kate “Bob” Addison December 3rd, 2012 I am sitting on the bench on the well deck of our barque enjoying the shade of the galley house and the breeze up forward here as we steam through these light airs to get to Panama. Gabe is sitting next to me splicing a new rode for
Sunset – November 30 – our barque is steering west about 50 miles off the coast of Venezuela, what was once called the “Spanish Main”. The island of Aruba is up ahead about 40 miles off the port bow. We may see this low sandy island in the morning. The ship has her yards almost
By Kate “Bob” Addison A beautiful Tuesday afternoon finds the Picton Castle sailing sweetly across the Caribbean Sea away from Grenada and the Grenadines. The trade winds astern are pushing us along towards Panama at a respectable 7 knots and are also wonderfully refreshing on this warm, sunny day. Grenada showed us a wonderful time,
