Captain Daniel Moreland Wins International Sail Trainer Of The Year Award

November 28, 2011 at 3:50 PM

Sail Training International is the internationally recognized organization representing tall ships around the world.  Picton Castle is proud to be actively involved as a member of the Class A Tall Ships Forum.  Each year, an international community of sail trainers gathers to discuss, learn, debate, catch up, advance their skills and be inspired.  Captain Moreland attended this year's conference in Toulon, France. 

At each annual conference, awards are given to outstanding individuals, ships and programs, recognizing incredible accomplishments and amazing contributions to sail training.  Captain Moreland was surprised when his name was called as Sail Trainer of the Year.  To win this award, being nominated and recognized by his peers, is a big honour which he feels he shares with his ship and his crew. 

Here's an excerpt from his nomination, as written by Captain Bert Rogers:

"Throughout his career, Capt. Moreland has trained countless cadets and crew from many nations in the proper way of a ship, carrying forward the unbroken tradition he learned so deeply in ROMANCE. Moreland’s philosophy has been consistently at work in all that he does: “The Ship is the Program” he says, and it is the way of the ship that is the teacher. He practices sail training in its purest form, using the life, routine, work, and operations of ship at sea as the basis for all other lessons that may be written into the curriculum. He has been unwavering in his commitment to this principal, through the many challenges inherent in founding organizations, building ships, and creating successful, sustained, and awesomely ambitious sail training programs (he call them voyages). This has earned him the profound respect of his colleagues in sail training, and a preeminent place in the progressive succession of contemporary masters of the seafaring tradition.

His greatest accomplishment to date is the barque PICTON CASTLE, and her continual deep sea voyaging, including 5 circumnavigations, and voyages to Europe and Africa. Moreland brought this barque into being by main strength and determined vision. He has operated her successfully ever since on long duration, deep-sea voyages. Under his tutelage, and over the passage of many miles and many months, his cadets become shellback crew, and his crew become the most highly qualified professionals in the business. His most recent world voyage ended this year with the proud announcement that 2 of his (non-Danish) senior crew had been hired to sail in DANMARK, an acknowledgement of the world class square rig training they received under Capt Moreland.

Capt. Moreland is also respected as an expert in the history and craft of sail. He is extremely generous with his knowledge, supporting and advising other sail training practitioners. He might be sailing halfway around the world, and he will still participate in communal discussions about crew training, vessel stability, how to rig a Grand Banks fishing schooner, or someone’s great new ideas for a sail training program."

For more information on the award and the other winners, who we heartily congratulate, visit this article on the Sail Training International website.