Christmas Day on the Picton Castle was a happy affair from start to finish. And what a thrill to have Christmas at sea! The early morning sky was a baby blue. The sun seemed to reach its arms through puffy white clouds to cast its long shadows on the deck. The waves rocked us gently […]
Barque Picton Castle – Friday December 24 – noon – latitude 20 degrees, 50 minutes south / longitude 076 degrees, 03 minutes east – southeast winds at force 4 or about 14 knots – steering west by south for French Reunion Island 1,140 miles away – Bali is about 2,400 miles astern. Christmas Eve We
By John Masefield A wind is rustling ‘south and soft,’ Cooing a quiet country tune, The calm sea sighs, and far aloft The sails are ghostly in the moon. Unquiet ripples lisp and purr, A block there pipes and chirps i’ the sheave, The wheel-ropes jar, the reef-points stir Faintly – and it is Christmas
No doubt about it, the holiday season has descended on the Picton Castle – and we are all the happier and the heavier because of it. A few weeks before we reached Bali, Jan approached me with a request. In Holland, where he hails from, the Dutch are visited on December 5th by a fatherly
When the Picton Castle headed out of Benoa Harbour the humidity still hung in the air like wet woolly blankets hang on the clothes line – low and heavy. Within a few days and after some squally weather, the humidity had dissipated and we turned off the rumbling diesel engine and set all sails. We
The crew also found inner balance during their stay – by exploring Bali, while exploring their own passions. Frankie went diving near Lembongan and discovered a reef still rich and teeming with life. Joh, Brad, Dave, Shawn and Siri continued their bargaining spree in Mas where they found sea chests and commissioned carvings and tools.
When the Picton Castle crew described their stories to me they all expressed a similar awe that they were able to find peace in the midst of chaos. Kuta, for example, is absolute insanity. It is a mecca for tourists and partygoers and shopaholics and surfers. During the day the shops regurgitate their wares onto
The Picton Castle and her crew stayed in Bali for 12 wonderful days. Since then I have been striving to find connections to link the stories of adventure and relaxation the crew have been regaling me with since we left that beautiful island. It turns out that the key to my own brief writer’s paralysis
We sailed from Benoa, Bali December 5th in the Picton Castle bound for Reunion Island 3,500 miles away across the wide Indian Ocean. The new crew joining the ship in Bali had several days of orientation in this ship including our safety procedures. Once at sea we conducted fire, abandon ship and MOB drills including
We love sailing the Picton Castle to and visiting Bali with our crew for many reasons… For starters the approach to Bali from the sea is a bit mystical. Cones of volcanic mountains rise up from the opaque mists on the horizon like examples of ancient oriental art pained on silk. As the ship closes
