Our beloved Barque PICTON CASTLE, now almost five months stuck stranded up on the slipways at Shelburne Ship Repair awaiting launch once the winch is repaired. Winter struck with a vengeance here in early March. Cold, damp, wet, raw, snowy – not so much fun. How we all yearn for the balmy tradewinds. Here are […]
Cooking. A crew must eat. The crew had been sharing this job until Picton Castle’s chief of cuisine Mr. Church arrived. While they all did an honorable and creative job of it, they were also quite pleased to surrender the honor to the ship’s long time master chef. Donald has been keeping all hands here
What has the crew of the PICTON CASTLE been doing in Lunenburg lately? As we wait for the ship to come off the drydock in Shelburne. She has been stuck up there since last fall on November 1 or so. Should be back in the water soon, though. We think. We have two gangs
A ship in full time operation in commission tends to stay in good shape. Yes, wear and tear is a thing but keeping moving is good thing too. This is, of course, due to a good, well-equipped crew working on her steady in good conditions with the gear and tools needed. When a ship is
The Engine Department Of The Auxiliary Oil Screw Barque PICTON CASTLE. Read More »
If you have been following the saga of this sail training ship, the Barque Picton Castle, you probably know that the ship has been stuck up on the drydock at Shelburne, Nova Scotia for months now, instead of heading off to sea on this long anticipated global circumnavigational voyage. The hauling winch broke just before
The Barque Picton Castle-Crew working on the ship as we are waiting to launch. Read More »
In 1996 after sailing from Norway, we steamed the MV Picton Castle from New York to Lunenburg to carry out the big refit and rigging that would make our ship the bluewater square-rigger that was hiding within her. On the way we put into New Bedford, Massachusetts to pick up a pile of 20” and
In 1996 we bolted down on the foc’sle head a N0 6 HYDE Capstan I got from Captain Bob Douglas of the magnificent Topsail Schooner SHENANDOAH. This capstan was built in Maine in the 1920s or 30s for use on the decks of big wooden schooners, and also for square-riggers like our Barque PICTON CASTLE.
As the PICTON CASTLE remains high and dry at the shipyard in Shelburne, one may be forgiven to ask: “What is the ship’s gang actually DOING down there all this time?” After successfully completing all the necessary work one does in drydock within a couple of weeks of being hauled out, and ready and waiting
CHRISTMAS REPORT – dateline – DECEMBER 2022- LUNENBURG Mes ami… Well, we were supposed to be on our way to the Galapagos right now, but it was not to be. So here we are in wintery gray Lunenburg, Boxing Day +1, with Christmas festivities receding, bobbing gently in the turbulence of our wake. But I
As we’ve told you in a previous Captain’s Log, Picton Castle’s departure from Lunenburg is delayed. Our ship is still out of the water at the shipyard in Shelburne, Nova Scotia, awaiting repairs to the shipyard’s winch system that will lower the ship into the water. Until the repairs are completed, Picton Castle is stuck
