The Captain

Captain Daniel Moreland

Captain_Dan_Moreland

Captain Daniel Moreland is one of the most respected sailing ship masters at sea today. An internationally recognized authority on square-rig and traditional sailing ships, he started his career sailing in the West Indies in island schooners, brigantines, and passenger windjammers.

He sailed around the world the first time in 1974–76 on the Brigantine Romance, under Captain Arthur Kimberly. In 1980, he signed on the famous Danish state full-rigged schoolship Danmark and served for four years training young officer cadets for the Danish merchant marine. His interest in learning, studying and teaching the value of traditional sail led him to head up the restoration of one of the last nineteenth-century Grand Banks fishing schooners, the Ernestina. For this he received the prestigious Honor Award from the National Trust for Historic Preservation in 1987.

In 1999, following the Picton Castle's return from its first circumnavigation, Captain Moreland received the American Sail Training Association's "Sail Trainer of the Year" award.

Captain Moreland has since completed three additional circumnavigations (2000–2002, 2003–2004, 2005-2006) in the Picton Castle, along with many shorter voyages, and will soon complete a year-long voyage around the Atlantic basin.

Captain Moreland holds the rarest license issued to Merchant Marine officers today: Master of Steam, Motor, or Auxiliary Sail, Vessels of Any Gross Tons upon Oceans. With 30 years at sea as master or mate of topsail schooners, brigantines, brigs, and barques making numerous transatlantic voyages and five circumnavigations, few are so well qualified to lead a world voyage and train apprentice sailors.

Sound Like a Great Learning Adventure?

Why not learn more about becoming a sail trainee, apply for one of our upcoming trips or our next world voyage!

Just Want to Know More About the Voyage?

Read the Captain's Log and the Crew Journals to learn about the experiences, the people met along a the way and get a different perspective of the world. You can also see where we've been, who we've met and what we do along with many other great images in the Photo Galleries.