We need wind. Not too much. Not a gale. But more than a puff would be useful. A nice Force 4/5 would do the trick. There are many superstitions that sailors of old and sailors of now still believe, if not overtly vocally, then definitely in their minds. For example, on board you never whistle. […]
The Island of St. Helena in the middle of the South Atlantic, besides being a striking piece of volcanic rock in the middle an ocean far from anywhere, is quite the cross-roads, literally. St. Helena is best known probably for the incarceration of Napoleon Bonaparte but on a larger scale of thinking that would have
Maybe we used up our allotted wind for the week during the gale on Monday, because right now there really isn’t too much of it! The main engine is on and we are motoring towards St. Helena, about 750 nm away. Yesterday the weather was beautifully warm, and shockingly enough most of us had our
Holy Moley! It is blowing a gale, no joke! Last night the watches took in royals. This morning t’gallants came in. I woke up this morning and we were blazing along at 9 knots. Since then the wind has picked up even more and we have taken in more sail; now the Picton Castle is
It doesn’t seem possible but we were in Cape Town for more than a month! The time flew by in a haze of contractors, dirt, dust, school children, family, receptions, sightseeing, visits to Christel house, wine-tastings, and way, way too much food! The crew have been busy comparing what we have started to refer to
The dominant and signature feature of the city of Cape Town, South Africa is, without doubt, Table Mountain. This huge flat-topped mound of ancient stone looms high over the bright lights, office buildings and neighborhoods of Cape Town. A soaring wall of stratified rock behind Cape Town, it seems more like a massive primordial fortress
Wow! I said it would be busy on the Picton Castle in Cape Town, but I’m not certain even where to start on just how busy. Right now as I write this, I can hear several drills, see sparks from a welder, hear unbearably loud banging, hear shouts from aloft, and smell paint. There is
Okay, first things first. Thank you, everyone, for all the mail and the letters that you sent to us. It really is so exciting to receive mail, and it is still coming! Maybe we will have 3 weeks of mail! Ohhhhh! Ahhhh! We are not the only Tall Ship in Cape Town at this time.
It was as if the fog cleared especially for us to see our arrival into Cape Town yesterday. All morning it had been grey and misty, like being inside a rain drop. And then, there it was all cleared up except for the famous “table cloth” over Table Mountain- Cape Town, South Africa. Our first
Cape Town is a massive stop for the Picton Castle. It is the longest port stay and this is for a number of reasons: First, South Africa is a really beautiful country with a lot to do and it’s huge; for the crew to be able to zip off and go on safari and travel
