Captain’s Log

Barque Picton Castle Captain and his crew post of their travels around the world.

Archive for the 'Atlantic Ocean' Category

Petite Martinique

The sun rose over the crest of the hill ashore, slowly spilling down into the bay. These early morning rays illuminated the white, blue and green hulls, masts of bright colours, and stripes of the local wooden fishing boats anchored nearby. Dawn broke quietly as brisk trade-wind breezes buffeted and soothed the ship. The overcast of the past couple of days has burned away in the strong hot tropical sun. Now we have brilliant blue skies and sun-shining seas.

The Picton Castle is anchored at Petite Martinique, the northernmost of the islands that make the nation of Grenada. A very short skiff-run away is Petite St. Vincent, which is an entirely different country. My guess is that customs and immigration protocols are somewhat relaxed between these two islands. We have a great gang of keen crew aboard including a group of 14 from Mount Holyoke College. Today onboard the watch on duty under 2nd Mate Lynsey are painting the longboat, scraping the spanker boom to get it ready for a fresh coat of varnish, and tarring the mizzen and main shrouds (along with quite a bit of the decks below them as well). Andrea is fixing the port forward head, Maggie is cleaning out the stove with a couple of helpers, and an inner jib that had gotten a big hole in it is being switched out with good one. Our fine new Grenadian ship’s cook, Donald Church, has the day off, so Nadja is pitching in with cooking. She has a barbeque going off the taff-rail and some lovely cold salads are on the way. Ashore the free watch is exploring the island and, I trust, making new acquaintances. There were reports of a new 36-foot wooden fishing boat being launched this morning right after church, a big sports day for the school children, and talks of a barbeque at the “Standing Wave” Supermarket and Bar this evening. Everyone was invited to join these events.

The Picton Castle now sails along in the lee of the chain of islands in the Caribbean known as the Lesser Antilles; this is the string of islands on a curved line stretching north to south from Trinidad just off the coast of South America up to the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. Anguilla, St. Barts, St. Kitts, Nevis, Dominica, Martinique, St. Vincent, Bequia, and Grenada forge a barrier to the broad Atlantic Ocean, breaking the seas that have been rolling in from Africa for three thousand miles or so. Sometimes, in a “tropical wave,” we will still get a haze in the sky from windborn dust lifted from the distant Sahara. Makes for those brilliant sunsets hereabouts.

She sails in fresh easterly breezes and small seas, although she still has a motion to her. The sun shines off the seas. We are warm in the buffeting trade winds. The anchorages are excellent. The folks ashore are richly engaging and astonishingly generous with themselves, their islands, and their way of life. We are very fortunate to be here.

Boats at Petite Martinique
Even the goats are friendly, Petite Matinique
Footrace, Petite Martinique
Grave markers, Petite Martinique
Island cook Donald Chruch and friend
Petite Martinique
Picton Castle at anchor
Street barbecue, Petite Matinique

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Two Days Out from Lunenburg

At long last, after gales and an early blizzard, the Picton Castle set sail on Tuesday afternoon at 1300. All the signs were there that it was time to go, from the snow on the decks to the excitement on the faces of a whole new group of trainees. We headed out of Lunenburg harbour with Andrea Deyling at the helm once again, bound for warmer weather, trade winds, great sailing conditions and eventually Grenada.

Two days out from Lunenburg, things on board are still a bit chilly although there was a noticeable rise in temperature yesterday and today. A poll of the crew has shown that the average number of layers on top yesterday was six and on bottom was three. We looked like young children in snowsuits, bundled so tightly we couldn’t put our arms down at our sides. The galley stove has been running all day and night, giving one warm and accessible spot on board for people to pop in and warm up. Crew are having experiences that they can tell stories about for the rest of their lives, as we banged the ice off the lines while leaving Lunenburg so we could set the tops’ls. This is the stuff legends are made of, like the story Irving Johnston tells about his trip around Cape Horn on the PEKING in the film “Around Cape Horn.”

The galley is the warmest place on board, and people are looking forward to their turn on galley duty. Bonnie Gold, our medical officer, has taken on the extra responsibility of coordinating the cooking and is being assisted by two different trainees every day. The trainees are starting to learn the tricks of living aboard a rolling ship, including how high you can stack the plates before they fall over and how much coffee can go in a cup without spilling. We have been eating well, with the deckhands leading the crew in cooking duties in Lunenburg. Who knew that line-hauling, rope-splicing, aloft-climbing, order-giving deckhands could also cook? They can, and very well, as we have been eating everything from lasagna to quiche, soups to roasts to jambalaya.

Chibley has chosen to make another voyage in the Picton Castle. Usually we lock her into a compartment on the day we are scheduled to go, but this time we let her free to decide for herself whether she wanted to go with the ship or stay home with her beloved Captain Moreland. Chibley came to the final muster before we left the dock, said her goodbye to the Captain and happily climbed back into the hatch to the Bat Cave. I thought all along that she would come with us, so we had already stowed a six-month supply of cat food and litter.

The weather is just starting to get warmer as we have entered the Gulf Stream. Slowly people are taking off layers of clothing, but it’s not quite shorts and tee-shirt weather yet. Just now the 8–12 watch has the deck, under the direction of lead seaman Laura Gainey. Kelly has lookout while Fred is on helm. The rest of the watch is coiling down lines after we braced the yards sharp on a starboard tack at the change of the watch. We’re moving along at about 7 knots under lower tops’ls, inner jib, and fore topmast stays’l, heading south to warmer weather.

Good-bye to Lunenburg, Bound for Grenada

Finally, the weather has given us the patiently anticipated window we were waiting for while all hands stored ship, bent sail and went through their first safety drills. On Tuesday the 5th of December at 1300 the lines were cast off from the Picton Castle dock in Lunenburg and a fine farewell given by Deputy Mayor David Dauphinee and Captain Daniel Moreland. Lots of friends came by to wave us off, including Bill Gilkerson, Bob Higgins, Mikayla Joudrey, and the whole shore office team. Lynsey Rebbetoy, as usual, was busy to the last minute to make sure we have all we need. Chibbley decided to share with us the Caribbean adventure and is getting on with her bunk inspection as we speak.

With temperatures just below freezing point, and a breeze from starboard abeam, the light snow showers make sure we won’t forget to appreciate the fine warm weather we are about to sail in soon. Who was it that said it is fun to sail in snow? Ice was broken off the frozen stiff lines and the snow shuffeled from decks and pin rails; nevertheless, we all have smiles on our faces and are full of good spirits. With a long blast for Lunenburg from our ship’s horn, we left the dock and headed for Battery Point.

With great respect for all those seamen who sailed in stormy winter seas the crew lays aloft and loosens topsails. Cold hands and stiff ropes make us aware of how much we were taking for granted: centrally heated rooms not long ago…The galley soon becomes the most frequented place on board, a fine spot for warming up with hot water for a very welcome noodle soup and tea.

The weather is good to us: with 25 knots of wind on the starboard quarter we motor-sail past Cross Island following the backside of that Low with Hurricane force winds, which kept us waiting so long. Mysteriously enough we did not pick up any lobster pots on our way out, but just as we hit the open sea we happen to encounter one of the Canadian Navy ships. Not too far off we find a submarine operating in periscope height, and our first wearing ship maneuver is due. About time that something happens and makes us move; the ropes, however, seem to think differently.

Accompanying dolphins and a fine smell from the galley round up our first day at sea just fine, and while the moon leaves a wonderful sparkling light on the dark sea we look forward to our sunny and warm days, not too far away anymore.

Captain Michael Vogelsgesang
Captains shake hands with Deputy Mayor of Lunenburg
Crew haul the main braces in Lunenburg
David, Don Wilson, Lynsey, and Mikayla cast off dock line
Greg stands by helm in Lunenburg Bay
Winter in Lunenburg off the starboard quarter

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Summerside to Lunenburg

The Picton Castle is once again securely tied up in her home port of Lunenburg, Nova Scotia. The ship sailed in Friday, September 22, rounding Battery Point on the way into Lunenburg Harbour at 1800. The Captain brought the ship in across the top of our dock then backed in alongside, starboard side to. We made all the dock lines secure before squaring the yards and stowing the sails for the last time this voyage. There was a small crowd on the dock to meet us, giving the usual cheer once all the dock lines were fast and the main engine was shut off.

We had an interesting last week of the summer voyage. Shortly after leaving Summerside we passed under the Confederation Bridge, which connects Prince Edward Island to the mainland. We passed under this 13-km bridge going the other way about 3 months before, but it’s still amazing to see how long and narrow it is. We motored through the Northumberland Strait, heading towards the Strait of Canso, which separates Cape Breton Island from mainland Nova Scotia. At Canso we went through the final lock of our journey. Because there is only one shallow lock at Canso we didn’t make all our usual lock preparations, but instead had tire fenders standing by to keep the ship off the lock walls. It went smoothly, as it should have after all the lock experience we earned in the St. Lawrence River and Welland Canal.

On the Picton Castle, as on any ship, we are constantly concerned about the weather. We had received reports that the wind would blow quite hard from the direction we planned to head, so on Tuesday night we sought shelter in Arichat Harbour on the SW coast of Cape Breton. The wind picked up to gale force, as expected, so on Wednesday morning we went alongside at the wharf of Premium Seafoods Ltd. in Arichat before it really started to blow. They were kind enough to allow us to stay, and the crew experienced the generosity and hospitality for which Cape Bretoners are famous. People kept showing up at the wharf to check out the ship and offer rides or assistance.

Thursday morning we headed out of Arichat to make the final part of our journey down the Nova Scotia coast towards Lunenburg. The wind was still coming from dead ahead of us, but we pushed on under motor anyway. The swells were quite large compared to what we have been experiencing lately inland, and it was truly a reminder that we were in the ocean again. A number of folks on board were feeling a bit green because of the motion of the ship, but there were hardly any complaints. Early Friday morning the swells began to lay down a bit and people started to get used to it, although it was still overcast and cold. The highlight of the last week of the voyage was actually sailing for a few hours on Friday afternoon, heading towards Cross Island and Lunenburg. The sun had come out by then and, although it was still cold, the crew got one last chance to enjoy the wind in our hair, the sun on our faces, and salt spray on our skin as the ship heeled over to port and wind filled the sails.

Most trainees left over the weekend. Those who have stayed are being put to work along with the experienced crew. Saturday all the cargo from the hold was unloaded and moved it into the warehouse. This is always a big job that requires lots of organization, people, and muscles. The job was finished by the middle of the afternoon and the crew got to start their day off a bit early. This weekend the Pride of Baltimore II came into Lunenburg to wait out some rough weather on their trip towards home. The Pride II participated in all the tall ship festivals with us this summer and it was good to see some familiar faces again. The crew had a chance to relax on Sunday, getting to visit our favourite places and people in Lunenburg. The work list for this week is long, and all hands were back at it again Monday morning, starting with a reorganization of the warehouse to make space to unload more things from the ship and loosing sails to dry. The sails are all cotton canvas, which needs to be kept dry when not in use, so they will be sent down and stored in the warehouse until they are needed again. We have to clean and empty the hold and sole, overhaul our living spaces, paint the masts and yards, put a topcoat of paint, varnish, grease or tar in the appropriate places, and take care of all sorts of other loose ends.

The Picton Castle certainly had a busy summer, traveling a total of 4,500 nautical miles. The ship participated in 5 tall ship festivals, visiting 6 states and 4 provinces. We had more than 135 trainees on board along with 25 experienced crew. We ate 260 fantastic meals, heaved up the anchor 13 times, went through 32 locks that brought us 600 feet up and back down, and had over 100,000 visitors tour the decks. We had a good time this summer getting to know new shipmates, meeting crew from other ships, and introducing people to the Picton Castle on tours. Most important, our 135 trainees on board got to know the magic of sailing this beautiful barque, to stand watches, to steer the ship, and to learn more about the sea and themselves in the process.

Confederation Bridge over the taffrail on the way to Lunenburg
Dale, Bentley, and Kolin brace on the way to lunenburg
drying sails in lunenburg
Erin, Greg, Andrea, Amanda, Julie, Sue and Ian unload the hold in lunenburg.
Lynsey and Alex unload the hold in Lunenburg
Sails fill on the way to Lunenburg.
Scott and Ryan are ashore to catch lines.
Staff crew on the way to Lunenburg
View of Lunenburg on the way home

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Getting Ready for Locks

St. Lawrence Seaway between Quebec City and MontrealShortly after 0300 this morning the Picton Castle anchored off Quebec City and said goodbye to Francois and Benoit, our pilots from Escoumin. I awoke this morning to a beautiful view of this historic city, founded in 1608. The Chateau Frontenac, the famous castle-like hotel with a green copper roof, was an easy landmark to spot. Quebec City is known for its historic buildings, narrow streets and old world charm, but it is clear from our angle that there is more modern stuff going on there. Behind the old stone buildings are huge glass office towers, across the river is a container port, a big Coast Guard icebreaker sits at a dock, roads and traffic run along the water and inland. The old fort is visible on top of a cliff on a point that sticks out into the river and, as someone said this morning, with all the cannons up there nobody would have been able to sneak past.

Around 1100 we took on two new pilots and a pilot trainee, heaved up the anchor and passed the fort without incident. The watches have been busy today preparing the ship to transit the locks further up the river near Montreal. Our efforts have been directed toward making the ship as narrow as possible and also protecting the outside. The yards are braced up sharp on starboard tack, the fore and main yards have been cock-billed (really, really tilted) so that they fit entirely within the width of the ship. Everything has to be inboard. The ship’s rigging was designed to be able to do this; it’s the same technique we use when going through the Panama Canal. We will hoist onboard the boat currently hanging in the starboard davits on to the cargo hatch and turn the davits inboard. The giant wooden fenders which have been prepared in the past few days were greased and installed today, lashed over the t’gallant rail and through the scuppers below. Rubber tires have been brought out on deck and wrapped in old rope to be lashed to corners of the ship that might touch lock walls when they are filling and we are going up. We will be ready for the locks tomorrow. We have 13 locks to go through before we get up to Lake Erie, 7 in the seaway and 6 in the Welland Canal which connects Lake Ontario to Lake Erie. That makes 14 including Canso lock. Before long all hands will be lock experts.

Alex makes a fender on the way to the lakes
fenders secured on the way to the lakes
Luc and Ryan lash a fender on the way to the lakes
main yard cockbilled on the way to the lakes
Nadja and Kathleen go hard right in Quebec City
Quebec City waterfront on the way to the lakes

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North Around Gaspe in the Gulf of St. Lawrence

After steaming and the sailing through Northumberland Straights which separate the province of Prince Edward Island from the mainland of Canada in the form of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick in rainy blustery weather the Picton Castle finds herself sailing north for the Gaspe Peninsula. Gaspe is a stunning gorgeous and remote part of Quebec. Maybe we can put in on the way home to Lunenburg. Right now we are steaming close to Bonadventure Island all covered with sea birds and we have seen some whales close up to the ship.

All is well onboard. Our veteran world voyage crew insist upon running around bare-footed in spite of the fact that we are half-way to the north pole and that they have sweaters, long underwear, knit caps (yes, toques) and oil-skins on and then they remark that it is cold…go figure. Along the coast here the sun has burned away the fog and we have light cool breezes. Dark blue seas and clear blues skies, you know, sky blue. We are motoring in order to make up some time we stayed at anchor letting some minor gales blow on by. A few fishing boats are puttering around nearby trailed by circling gulls. All very pretty.

We went under the huge Confederation Bridge that now links Prince Edward Island to Canada yesterday. Some piece of architecture it is!!! A ship 150 feet high can pass underneath the center span. Kinda narrow, a wonder it doesn’t blow over but they probably figured on all that, most likely. We got the best view of this extremely long bridge from the water, the only vehicles that we saw poking out above the cement sides were large trucks and buses. Too bad for all those folks in regular cars, they miss out on quite a sight.

And before the bridge we went through Canso locks; our first of about a thousand locks we need to go through to climb up into the Great Lakes. Our passage through the Canso locks was fast and smooth, all hands responded quickly with dock lines and fenders. Hopefully a sign of good lock passages to come…

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Approaching the Straits of Canso

New trainees aboard the Picton Castle are discovering what it means to sail aboard this beautiful barque as we motor along the coast of Nova Scotia. Along with learning to stand forward lookout, do efficient ship checks, steer a steady course and set and take in sails they have also been figuring out how high to fill their coffee cups without any spilling out, the spot on the windward rail where the waves are most likely to splash over, how brace themselves in their bunks for a comfortable sleep and which combination of layers of clothing will work best to keep them warm. All are extremely keen to be here and make the most of their short summer stay on the Picton Castle.

Canada Day came in cool and foggy this morning with the fog just starting to lift as we enter the Strait of Canso which separates Cape Breton Island from the mainland of Nova Scotia. With the temperature a chilly 14 degrees Celsius shorts and t-shirts aren’t really an option and people have rooted around in sea chests to find red or white sweaters and toques (for you non-Canadians, a toque is a warm winter hat also known as a watch cap or a beanie). I can’t say I have ever worn long johns on Canada Day before but I suppose there’s a first time for everything. Despite the cool weather the sun is shining and we plan to celebrate by displaying all our Canadian flags, singing out a loud ‘O-Canada’ and enjoying a special Canada Day supper. Last year the Picton Castle celebrated Canada Day in the Pacific Ocean on the way to the Galapagos Islands but it feels much more like home to spend July 1st on the cool coast of Nova Scotia.

Excitement continues to build over the ship’s summer plans. We are bound for the Great Lakes via the St. Lawrence seaway to participate in a number of tall ship festivals. Bruce Dickie-Clark, one of the new trainees, will be almost able to see home from the locks in Montreal, as will Stephanie McMahon from further up the river. Legs of the trip are quite short this summer, only one or two weeks, meaning that lots of trainees will get a chance to sail with us. We look forward to welcoming guests aboard for daily deck tours in the various ports, transiting locks in the seaway and the Welland Canal, checking out other Tall Ships, and exploring the great inland seas. We are also looking forward to real, actual, genuine, proper summer weather…You know, with sun shine and stuff like that.

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Sailing Home Into Lunenburg

Anchored in serene Port Motoun the day came in blue, crisp and clear. The gang got up bright and early to heave up the anchor for the passage of the last few miles of this amazing voyage round this world of ours world back into Lunenburg. Decent winds had been forecast but the sea was calm with barely a breath of wind, so we motored on to keep to our appointed rendezvous off Cross Island at 1300 with the jib-boom of the Picton Castle to round Battery Point at 1400 and into the harbor, hopefully under sail.

The crew scrambled aloft to loose all sail in the hopes of catching a sailing breeze later on. Sure enough, as we puttered down the coast, off the Le Have Islands a SWly breeze filled in and the gang set all sail in the Picton Castle for the last time on this circumnavigation. Soon the Picton Castle was sliding along sweetly on a sunny Nova Scotian sailing day, all sails set and drawing, all flags hoisted and snapping brightly. To say that the energy onboard was “high” would be something of an enormous understatement. Soon enough Walter Flowers whale watching boat was alongside with shaking signs, hands and arms waving madly. As we steered north-west into Lunenburg’s outer harbor, naturally, the wind picked up and the ship surged ahead. Rounding Battery Point close hauled under full sail braced on the port tack was a thrill for all of us, somewhat less so for me (or perhaps more so) because as we bore off three points into the channel this gave us more and a fairer breeze adding speed at much the same point when a good skipper would be wanting to slow down. But we had talked about this with all hands and they were all ready to get sail off in a hurry. Our barque galloped down the channel as the crew got sail off her and the Picton Castle came beam to the wind just off our pier head braking the ship in a sliding fashion, then we backed into the wharf crowded with eager friends and family, somehow remembered to put our hawsers on the pilings, squared the yards, up and stowed the canvas sail hanging and flogging in the clew and buntlines and the fourth world voyage of the Barque Picton Castle from Lunenburg, Nova Scotia was done. That will do the watches.

As the Picton Castle was sailing around the Point Lynsey had set up the Cargo Sale on the wharf. We had forwarded all our world voyage exotic cargo ahead so it could be ready when we arrived. We had wanted to do this before couldn’t figure out how. After all many of the folks who would be keenest to get some of this crazy stuff would be there when we arrived. So this was done with a lot of help from a lot of people and the 4th World Voyage Cargo Sale was a big success. We do, however, have a goodly hold full to share the joy up in the Great Lakes this coming summer. Lynsey and her helpers set out beautifully displayed mahogany sea-chests, beautiful teak garden furniture, Sarongs, bamboo wind-chimes, bowls inlaid with cinnamon, colourful Bali kites, Pitcairn Island shark carvings, Fiji jewelry, dug-out canoes, Masai spears, Zulu bead-work, Tonga tapa cloth, Rodrigues baskets, big wooden spoons, woven fabrics from the Galapagos, carved chess sets, flutes and xylophones. And maybe a million other things. It was also fun for the crew show all these trade goods to their families and tell stories about them. And then we had our night at the “Oscar’s”.

All hands gathered at shipmate Alan Creaser’s “Old Fish Factory”. All received “Awards” of some sort, lots of hugs, some tears and lots of laughs as crew told stories on each other and had their last moments together as a crew. The next day crew unloaded sea-chests, ditty-bags, sea-bags and began the long trek home. This fourth circumnavigation of ours may have come to an end but their voyage that they started here in the Picton Castle will carry on forever.

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30,000 miles sailed, 19 anchorages, 138,700 pounds of anchor and chain heaved back, 400 miles of braces hauled, 239,616 dishes washed, 1,630 watches stood, 257 days at sea, 127 days in ports, 1 royal yard shaped and crossed, 13 sails made by hand, one stunsl boom carried away, a three foot stack of charts used, two cyclones dodged, zero anchors dragged, 1200 coconuts consumed, 384 jars peanut butter scoffed, 25 ports visited in 20 different countries, 61,440 cups of coffee drank, 10 tons of school supplies delivered, 6,850 packages of instant noodles eaten, 4,000 tours given to guests on board, 250 gallons of paint applied….

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on way to bermuda 418

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Sailing for Cross Island

Last night Rebecca steered and Greg conned the Picton Castle into the bay at Port Mouton to anchor for the night. Soon we were surrounded by cool still waters and rocky pine-covered islands with a big orange sun setting gently in the west. It was a perfect crystal sky evening. Joe got out a fine dinner of barbeque pork while all hands stowed sail. After supper we had a quiet last “marlinspike.” As it is considered bad luck to take a whole group photograph of a crew (with exceptions) before a voyage is done, we took pictures of the crew in two groups. Brent took a picture of all the lads. This we did up on the foc’s’le head. Then all the women of the ship had a group portrait, but up on the quarterdeck. Probably some symbolism there on who and which gender runs this ship. We have a stomach bug running around the ship that we picked up in Bermuda, so Laura missed the group picture. Instead of Polynesian drum songs and Bob Marley Reggae music, we listened to Stan Rogers and Great Big Sea and other music from Newfoundland. Of course, we had popcorn and some Stella Artois beer contributed by my brother Jon at Bermuda.

This morning all hands were roused at 0600 to heave up the anchor and make our way down the coast towards Cross Island and Lunenburg Harbour. Another brilliant morning. We got the Picton Castle under way in a perfect calm, and it was very beautiful passing the small islands and a pretty lighthouse. Before breakfast all hands scrubbed the deck down and loosed all sail, soon to set and sail for the last 40 miles of this voyage around the world in the Barque Picton Castle.

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on way to bermuda 409
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on way to bermuda 420
on way to bermuda 422

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Shelburne in TS ALBERTO

At about eight o’clock in the evening our tempest blinked and started to ease up. The Picton Castle stopped heeling on the roar in the rigging softened to a low whine. The wind backed into the northwest and the barometer started to go up. The storm was passing. We heard that a joint US and Canadian Coast Guard rescue operation got the folks off the sinking yacht that was in the worst part of the storm. We had been all hands, but now we could break off into watches. We would get going again early in the morning to get back underway for Lunenburg. The radio was promising a nice day and weekend for our passage down the coast and arrival at 1400 Saturday.

Shelburne is a lovely and historic old ship-building town. Initially settled by post–American Revolution Loyalists as well as freed Black American slaves, Shelburne has broad streets and many beautiful old houses from the 1700s. Many of the crew walked around town in the abating rain on the way to the pub—The Sea Dog Saloon—which took good care of us. There were some very pretty windows including a stained glass window of a bounding square-rigger.

This morning we had a perfectly still wind and a bright clear day and a small container-ship headed up harbour who wanted our berth. We cast off and headed south for the last time on this voyage. On our way down the shore we have a lot to do. John Kemper is in charge of sending up the fine new royal yard. Of course, we have loosed and set all sail to a pleasant SW breeze. All the flags have to be organized for tomorrow. Spot painting is needed here and there. Susannah and Morgan are putting the finishing touches on the upper topsail for the Charles W. Morgan, sticking in grommets and reef points. And we have bent on the fore royal and flying jib. Lots of little jobs are getting done. All I have to find a place to anchor for the night. Tomorrow we get up very early and sail for Lunenburg. It is a beautiful day on the southwestern shore of Nova Scotia.

Afoot in the murk.
Bending sail on the new yard.
Boats in Shelburne Harbour escaping Alberto.
First Mate Sam Heyman checks the penants for arrival.
Morning dawns clear.
On our way Home!
PICTON CASTLE alongside in Shelburne.
Putting finishing touches on the sail for C. W. MORGAN.
Royal yard goes up.
Safely ashore in the Sea Dog Saloon
Sending up the new Royal Yard.
Shelburne village window
Shelburne Village window 2
The pleasures of a Nova Scotia shoreside tavern.
Touching up a few spots with paint to look our best!

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