The Picton Castle boasts nationalities from around the world. We have Canadians and Americans, Norwegians and Germans, Dutch and Grenadians, Swiss and Bermudians, Pitcairners and Palmerstonians, Irish and British. We also have South Africans. Since we enjoy celebrating all of our national holidays aboard we were excited to see what our South African representatives had […]
A few days before we sailed into Suva harbour the Captain held a muster on the quarter deck to talk about Fiji. Some of the crew, including Mate Mike, Rebecca, Ollie and Logan, had been to Fiji before and they regaled the crew with stories of past adventures, recommendations for sightseeing, and general tidbits and
As the Picton Castle sailed into Suva Harbour on the 25th of September, after a sweet sailing passage from Pukapuka in the northern Cook Islands, the crew could not help but remark that it was strange and somewhat surreal to see big city lights once more. In sailing across the South Pacific it had been
An open letter to Sail Training International: We are now 1/3rd of the way and 10,000 miles along in this, Picton Castle‘s fifth voyage around the world. This really has been an excellent voyage thus far with truly a great gang, officers and trainees alike; set out in May south to the Caribbean no problems
We all gathered on the quarterdeck for a muster with the Captain on our third day of sailing since leaving Pukapuka. The sun was shining brightly on the wood of the decks, on our backs and on the calm ocean – causing the small breaking crests to sparkle. The wind was strong and fair and
As we sailed from Pukapuka on September 16 our laughter could almost be heard above the ships horn which signalled our away. We were giddy for a variety of reasons. For one, we’d had a great couple of days enjoying the hospitality of the people of Pukapuka. Among the highlights for us were the cross
By Chief Mate Michael Moreland “Danger Island” hove into sight in the early morning hours after five rough and wet days sailing from Palmerston. No sleeping on the hatch for our 13 passengers bound back to the island, otherwise known as Pukapuka, but we were able to make up comfortable accommodations throughout the ship. Now,
By Shawn Anderson The other day the Captain remarked ¨Beautiful day, calm sea, trade winds, sailing under full sail, including stuns’ls; this doesn’t get better.¨ Now usually I am inclined to agree with the Captain, but there is one more thing to add to this scenario: catching fish. Today we landed one of the largest
One of the most important things to know on the ship is the lines. And you should attempt to know all 205 + of them as soon as possible. Everybody has their own way of teaching and everybody has their own way of learning and so the deckhands have a lot of work cut out
The Picton Castle spent eight days anchored off Palmerston Atoll. While two watches spent time ashore, one watch stayed on the ship. This is not unusual, this is the norm. We follow a similar pattern every time we dock, anchor or moor. But in this case at Palmerston the attention was particularly keen. While not
