Friday was a sunny and warm spring day in Lunenburg and the crew of the Picton Castle took advantage of the good weather to get lots of ship’s work done. During these two weeks of preparations for the voyage we are combining training with work to make sure the crew and the ship are ready. The weather was forecast to be rainy and windy over the weekend and into the next week, so Friday was a good day to get a bunch of painting done. The topsides have all been painted and the ship’s hull is white again and the charthouse and galley house have been painted back to buff and green. The quarterdeck edge has been painted buff, the overhead of the breezeway and aloha deck has a new coat of tropical blue. With all this care and attention, the ship is looking great.

Friday afternoon, after the painting equipment was put away, the crew were instructed in abandon ship procedure. Chief Mate Mike reviewed the station bill with everyone, telling each person what their job is in an abandon ship situation and what number life raft they are in. The station bill is a document which outlines each crew member’s responsibility in general quarters (when all watches are on deck, usually arriving in port and leaving port), fire, man overboard, abandon ship, and also assigns each crew member a designated life raft. Station bills are posted throughout the ship and it is each crew member’s responsibility to know their job in each emergency situation. The crew first walked through an abandon ship situation, learning where or how to do their required task. Emergency equipment was collected and brought to the main hatch, living spaces were evacuated, a head count was done, watertight doors were closed and boats and rafts were simulated being launched. The walk through was discussed, questions were answered and all the equipment that was brought out was put away. Once everyone was confident in their job, an abandon ship drill was done. Each person carried out their assigned task, then mustered at the main hatch and donned their life jacket.

After some more ship’s work on Saturday morning, the crew headed down the street to the Fisheries Museum of the Atlantic on Saturday afternoon. They saw the film “Around Cape Horn” in which Irving Johnson narrates some of the footage he shot while sailing around Cape Horn in the 1920s. This film is on the Captain’s suggested reading list for trainees. They also had a tour of the museum, looking particularly at local history and involvement in fisheries.

On Saturday evening, the crew were invited to a party at The Dory Shop, a wooden boat building shop that is almost next door to Picton Castle’s wharf. The weather was wet and windy, but the party guests were warm and dry inside the workshop. The fire was roaring and there was live music provided by Lunenburg fiddler Anna Ludlow and her accompanist on piano. The boat that’s currently being worked on there is the new skiff for Picton Castle and it seems appropriate that our new boat was surrounded by fiddle music, dancing and good conversations.

Crew don lifejackets in abandon ship drill

Kevin and David paint the charthouse

Party at The Dory Shop

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Outdoors it was cool and rainy, but the crew of the Picton Castle were swimming and enjoying the warmth this afternoon. We were at the local indoor pool, emOcean, but not for swim call. Joe from the Nova Scotia Community College came to Lunenburg to run a life raft training session for our crew.

The crew all headed up the hill to the pool with immersion suits and life jackets. Joe first showed the crew the contents of a life raft, the standard items that are packed inside it. On Picton Castle we have extra food, flares, water and other supplies that are easily accessible that would also be taken into a life raft if time permits. Joe then had everyone put on immersion suits and demonstrated how to inflate the life raft by pulling the cord and how to right it if it inflates upside down. The crew were able to practice getting into the inflated life raft in their immersion suits. They also practiced getting in and out of the life raft in life jackets.

The life raft that the crew used today for training is one the instructor brought with him, life rafts must be inspected annually and Picton Castle’s have recently passed their inspection and been re-installed on the ship. Picton Castle carries four 25-person life rafts, two on each side of the quarterdeck. They can be launched manually or by hydrostatic release.

floating in immersion suits and a life raft

getting into the liferaft

jumping into the pool

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Today was the first time that the new trainees were aloft on Picton Castle. Going aloft is one of the things trainees most look forward to when they join the ship, it is also something that many of them are nervous about. Trainees are not required to go aloft and there is no stigma attached to not going aloft. Everyone is encouraged to try and the first climb aloft is strictly supervised by our professional crew.

Our aloft training started with a review of the Picton Castle safety aloft policy. Harnesses are required anytime anyone goes aloft. Trainees were instructed on how to put on and use their harnesses, to empty their pockets and remove any personal gear not attached by a lanyard, how to climb maintaining three points of contact, to climb on the weather side, how to identify standing rigging and clip their harness to it, and to not take any unnecessary risks. After discussing how to climb aloft safely, everyone put on a brand new sit harness. Harnesses were checked by the professional crew, to be sure they fit correctly and were fastened properly. The professional crew then were stationed at specific points on the fore shrouds to assist trainees with their first climb.

The first time trainees go aloft they are guided along a route that we call “up and over.” They start at the rail and climb up the shrouds to the futtock shrouds just below the top. The shrouds are angled slightly inboard, the futtock shrouds are angled slightly outboard and they can be more difficult to climb up. The first crew member is stationed at the rail, the next crew member is stationed at the bottom of the futtock shrouds to instruct the trainees on the most effective places to put their hands and feet. Above the futtock shrouds is the top which, despite it’s name, is not at the top of the mast but instead is about 30 feet above the deck. A third crew member is stationed on the top to assist the trainees with getting up onto the top. The top is a small platform and on the first time aloft, it is as high as the trainees will climb. Trainees will go across the top and climb down the futtock shrouds and the shrouds on the opposite side, again with the help of crew members stationed on the top, at the futtock shrouds and at the rail.

Each trainee who wanted to go aloft took a turn going up and over. Trainees climbed one at a time, and everyone else, including the Captain and the Chief Mate who oversaw this exercise, watched as each person went aloft for the first time. Most of them came down to deck with giant grins on their faces from the adrenaline rush and sense of accomplishment that usually accompanies a first climb aloft.

Everyone continued to wear their harnesses while procedures for heavy weather were explained. Lifelines were rigged amidships, nets were rigged amidships and in the breezeways and everyone had a chance to practice clipping their harness to the lifelines to move about the ship. The harnesses have all been numbered and one has been assigned to each person aboard for the duration of the voyage to keep with their personal gear and wear as necessary.

Ben, Paul, Nadja and Kjetil stationed to supervise trainees first climb aloft

Bruce goes over the futtock shrouds, first time aloft

Use of harnesses, lifelines and nets for heavy weather

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Just as the crew of the Picton Castle were finishing domestics and deck wash this morning, the first food delivery arrived. Purchasing enough food to feed the entire ship’s complement for most of a year is no small task. Donald, our awesome cook who sailed with us on the Caribbean voyage and the summer voyage last year, has returned to work his magic in the galley again. Under Donald’s supervision, the crew created a giant chain to unload all the boxes, bags, tins and buckets from the food service truck at the end of the wharf and pass it down the dock to be stacked on the dock amidships. The food was stowed in the hold this afternoon and we’ve got room for more, so there will be a second delivery to top up our stores and bring what was left out of the first round.

After a thorough orientation tour yesterday morning, this morning’s training session focused on safety equipment. Everyone learned about the different kinds of life jackets and PFDs we have on board, what they’re used for and how to put them on correctly. After talking about them and seeing all the different types demonstrated, each person tried each one on to really get a feel for how they work. Trainees were checked by the professional crew to make sure all the straps and buckles were done up correctly and everyone tried their whistles and checked their lights on their life jacket. Chief Mate Mike then moved on to immersion suits, explaining why, when and how to use them and demonstrated how to get into them. Everyone then went to their bunk to grab their immersion suit and bring it up to the main deck to try it on. Before long, the deck was filled with people in puffy yellow suits with only their eyes and noses sticking out. Immersion suits were then taken off, put away in their carrying bags and re-stowed away in each bunk.

Bruce and Erin don immersion suits

Chief Mate Mike demonstrates immersion suit donning

everyone dons lifejackets

Luke and Eric don lifejackets

Matt, Geoff, WT and Nick don immersion suits

unloading the first food delivery

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Picton Castle’s Voyage of the Atlantic has begun. The excitement on the dock and aboard the ship is palpable as trainees have now joined the ship, leaving behind their old lives to embark on a new adventure.

This morning was the official start of the voyage, with all hands mustering amidships at 0800. A muster is a mandatory meeting of the crew, all hands refers to the entire ship’s crew. Every morning in port will begin with an all hands muster at 0800. The first task was to break into groups to learn to do domestics (household cleaning of living spaces) and deck wash. These chores are done at the start of every day, regardless of whether the ship is at sea or in port.

At 0900, all hands mustered on the quarterdeck to be welcomed aboard by Captain Moreland and to sign the ship’s Articles of Engagement. This is a legal document that outlines the contract that the ship has with each person aboard. People often refer to “signing on” when they join a ship, we carry on the tradition of actually signing the ship’s Articles when crew members begin their voyage. The entire ship’s complement was called one at a time to sign on and receive a Voyage of the Atlantic crew hat and a ship’s pin from Captain Moreland.

After a brief overview of what this first week will entail, each member of the professional crew took a small group of trainees on a full orientation tour of the ship. In addition to seeing all spaces and parts of the ship, trainees were shown fire fighting equipment and life saving equipment and were introduced to the ship’s standard procedures.

The Voyage of the Atlantic is off to a great start!

Gary, medical officer, signs on

Trainee Nick signs on

Trainee Susie signs on

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As Picton Castle’s sailing date draws closer, work continues aboard the ship to prepare for the Voyage of the Atlantic. Many of our professional crew members have already arrived, the rest will be here in the next couple of weeks. As we have more hands, we are able to accomplish more tasks. Many projects that have been ongoing throughout the winter are nearing completion and we’re happy to be able to check things off the giant “to do” list.

Finn has made great progress in the engine room, doing some projects himself and working with local tradespeople on others. New light fixtures have been installed in the engine room and in the breezeway, all with new wiring. Pumps and valves have been sent away for service, returned and re-installed. Sections of piping in the bilge have been taken out and are being replaced with new pipe.

With the combination of steel and salt water, some welding projects are inevitable. Some items, such as the pin rails on the foc’sle head and the ladder from the well deck to the foc’sle head, have been removed from the ship and sent to a local welder’s shop to have sections replaced. We also have a welder working on the ship, with projects like replacing some of the sections of the foc’sle head rail and the quarterdeck edge.

The crew recently checked a huge job off the list by getting the water tanks ready for the voyage. Picton Castle has two big tanks for fresh water, located in the hold. The insides of the tanks needed to be wire brushed and thoroughly cleaned out, then painted with special paint made for water tanks which the crew report is thick like marshmallow fluff.

One of our recent arrivals is David, who will be the sailmaker on the upcoming voyage. He got right to work, laying out sails at the local fire hall to make new sails out of old ones. Patching sails will be another big job, whether it’s replacing rope coverings, patching holes in sails or replacing a worn out sun patch.

Deck and rigging work continues as well, with final coats of oil put on the blocks the crew spent many hours overhauling this winter, priming and painting on deck when the weather permits, getting rigging bits and pieces ready to be sent aloft again.

David patching a sail on the third floor

Nadja sews on a new rope covering

new light fixture in the engine room

Sarah priming

water tank paint drying

Welder Timmy and Finn measure for new quarterdeck edge piece

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Winter has really taken hold here in Lunenburg. It’s snowing outside my office window, the beginning of what is forecast to be five centimetres tonight. The wind is blowing from the southeast, causing whitecaps in the harbour and I can hardly see the golf course across the water through the snow and fog. Picton Castle is still tied snugly to her wharf, rocking in the waves that are formed when the wind blows up Lunenburg Bay.

Work continues aboard as we prepare for the Voyage of the Atlantic. Finn is making great progress in the engine room, mounting and re-wiring lights, getting parts overhauled and keeping the furnace running when it gets really cold to stop the pipes from freezing. Kjetil, Ben, Ryan and Sarah have made good headway in overhauling all the blocks (over 300 of them!), which were sent down and into the warehouse in the fall. Each block is taken apart, inspected, scraped, cleaned, greased and oiled as necessary. Some take only a few minutes to overhaul, some take much longer. They’re also doing some varnish work, with yards laid across sawhorses in the warehouse for scraping and sanding, then hung from beams in the ceiling to varnish.

The office continues to be busy, with packages arriving almost daily by courier or mail that contain catalogues, publications and samples as we provision the ship for the voyage. We need to make sure there’s enough of everything from crew T-shirts to Chibley’s flea medication. We have heard recently from a number of people in Europe who have connections to Picton Castle, many family members of former crew who worked aboard when she was fishing or carrying cargo. They’re excited to see what the ship is like now, and we’re thrilled to share her with them. There are only a few more months of winter, and a few more months until we sail away on our next exciting adventure.

Kjetil overhauls a block

Ryan sands a yard

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May 2008 will mark the beginning of a whole new adventure for Picton Castle. The ship will set sail on a year-long voyage around the Atlantic, calling at ports in twenty different countries. This voyage will have all the characteristics of our now-famous world circumnavigation voyages: long sea passages broken up by weeks of port hopping, in-depth training in seamanship and square-rig sailing, the time and guidance to develop in skill and confidence, and the entry into the kinship of shipmates. Everyone who sails with us is a working crew member who stands watches, takes a turn at the helm, helps in the galley, sets and takes in sail, keeps the ship in good shape and enters a port knowing they played a role in getting the ship safely to her destination.

After a winter of being tied up in our home port of Lunenburg, the ship will set out across the Atlantic in May 2008. The first landfall after the Atlantic crossing will be southern Ireland, followed by a run into the Baltic Sea to the Aland Islands. On the way back out of the Baltic we’ll stop in Denmark on the way to Bergen, Norway where Picton Castle will meet up with the fleet of European tall ships. The ship will sail to Den Helder, the Netherlands and Bremerhaven, Germany in company with the fleet before heading down the English Channel with a stop at Ipswich. Picton Castle will return to her roots in Milford Haven and Swansea, Wales as we visit ports close to the castle for which the ship is named. Brest is next on the itinerary, then into the Mediterranean past Gibraltar to Mallorca. We’ll head back into the Atlantic and visit the Canary Islands, the Madeira Islands, Dakar in Senegal, and the Cape Verde Islands before crossing the ocean again, this time dipping south of the Equator to Fernando de Noronha, an island group off Brazil. The journey will continue with a few months of sailing in the Eastern Caribbean, experiencing some of the best sailing, anchorages and island hopping in the world, before arriving back in Lunenburg about a year later.

We are thrilled to be introducing this new and exciting voyage. In 10 years of operation, we have found Picton Castle is at her best on long voyages. This new voyage will give us a chance to bring the ship back to Europe where she was built and served most of her life fishing, carrying cargo and working as a WWII mine sweeper. Picton Castle’s award-winning program will remain much the same as on our world voyages but with the added challenge and wonder of sailing different waters and exploring different ports.

No sailing experience is necessary to join this amazing voyage. All you need is a desire for adventure, a willingness to get along with your shipmates and a reasonable level of physical fitness. You can apply online or through our office. Contact us with any questions you may have about this opportunity of a lifetime.

john tars the mizzen shrouds

Kristin comes down from aloft

nadja watches other ships

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