The late afternoon of Tuesday June 17, 2008 found our Picton Castle with strong and building winds and seas astern and making good way in squalls and rain into the small bay of Baltimore, Ireland. Weather reports of building gales and rising seas in the waters along the south coast of Ireland had us headed […]
Monday morning: We are underway again after being hove-to in fresh northerlies yesterday. The sun came out Sunday evening for “marlinspike” and Shackle got dressed up in traditional marlinspike attire: a floral shirt and sarong. We’re pretty sure he’s the only guy at sea on a barque at 50 North wearing a sarong, lavalava or
0800: Picton Castle is at 49-40N / 016-08W and the ship is hove-to in strong easterly winds, about 30 knots, well short of a gale but plenty of wind none the less. If we were bound towards any western quadrant we would be sailing nice and smartly. As it happens the wind is coming directly
43-50N / 025-48W Wind SEly at force 5-6, steering NEly at 5+knots under upper topsails, courses, fore & main topmast-staysl’s Our skies are grey, overcast and low clouds scooting across. But the barometer is pretty high and steady, we are sailing along just fine. The Picton Castle is about 800 miles from Ireland, the Azorean
What follows below are the first Captain’s Logs that were written back when just getting the ship and working at seeing this dream come true. The story begins in Norway in May of 1993. We hope you enjoy the tale. The Story of the Picton Castle The Captain’s Running Letter Captain Daniel D. Moreland Chapter
30 miles NW of Flores Island, Azores, Portugal Early this morning the helmsman of the Picton Castle was given the order to fall off four points (come to port 45 degrees in this instance) and steer for Ireland. Over 1500 miles from Lunenburg (and more if you add the meandering miles), it had come time
40-01N / 034-37W 0448, dawn: Overnight the mates have been doing their jobs, calling me from time to time as wind and sea conditions pick up. Winds are now blowing from the south at about 25-30 knots, gusty. Seas are moderate but have been building, blue with plenty of churning white-caps. We are steering east
Pretty much an ideal perfect day here in the Picton Castle. We are about 1100 miles from Lunenburg getting close to the Azores. Skies are blue, seas small and sun spangled. The barometer is high. The watch is reeveing off new t’gallant and upper-topsail braces from fresh manila rope and bending on the main royal
The Picton Castle is having a typical North Atlantic passage. Maybe better than ‘typical’, so far. Right now we are at 42-18N / 045-00W sailing due east. That’s about 900 miles from Lunenburg and 1550 miles from Ireland. The trick is to not get too deep into the fairly stationary high pressure system that tends
What follows below are the first Captain’s Logs that were written back when just getting the ship and working at seeing this dream come true. The story begins in Norway in May of 1993. We hope you enjoy the tale. The Story of the Picton Castle The Captain’s Running Letter Captain Daniel D. Moreland Chapter
