The Picton Castle crew woke up this morning, the first workday morning since we changed the clocks back an hour this weekend, with some sun. They put on their long underwear, lots of layers, sweaters and hats and got to work. Craig, Andrew, Dave, Sarah and Jack are in the Dory Shop for the next week or so, apprenticing as wooden boat builders with dory builder Jay Langford. This morning they selected and prepared the wood that will eventually be the bottom of a Handline Dory. Meredith and Nick are working on overhauling blocks, taking apart each one to clean it up, inspect it, put some new coatings on it and put it back together again. The ship has over 300 blocks in the rig, so this task will be ongoing. David continues to stitch away in the warehouse, making repairs to the sails that have been sent down for the winter. Erin and Katie are painting aboard the ship, getting good coats of paint on all the steel parts so they can stay covered through the winter when painting outdoors isn’t possible. Nicki is in the galley today, preparing meals for the crew. The ship’s cook, Donald, has returned to his tropical home of Grenada, having had enough of this Canadian autumn weather, so the crew are taking turns cooking. This afternoon, everyone other than the dory builders will turn to painting on board.

The ship is mostly ready for winter now, she looks quite bare on deck with all of the deck boxes stowed in the warehouse and all of the manilla running rigging sent down. The wooden fore and main t’gallant yards have been sent down for the winter, stowed in the warehouse where they will be overhauled and ready to send back up next spring. The fore and main t’gallant masts have also been sent down, but they were overhauled on the wharf and sent back up. The tops’l yards and the course yards on the fore and main masts, which are made of steel, have been cockbilled and lashed firmly in place for the coming months.

The crew continue to live on board, there is some heat in the Batcave so some of the crew have already moved aft and more will likely do that soon. Chibley, the ship’s cat, also continues to live on board, although she is becoming increasingly interested in curling up in our office and store across the street. With a group of people still on board, the crew are able to make their own fun wherever we go. Sailing on Wednesday nights has continued through the fall, Norm and Steve continue to make the Grand Banker feel like our living room, and we occasionally have special occasions to celebrate. There was a big turkey dinner on board in the main salon for Canadian Thanksgiving and I’m sure we’ll do it again in a few weeks to celebrate with our American friends. With our experience of marlinspike parties on board the ship, dressing up for Hallowe’en was no problem for our crew.

As we enter the last month of our Bosun School program, the ship is pretty much ready for winter. There will be lots to do in order to get the ship ready to sail around the world again, so work will continue with maintaining and overhauling the ship and all her parts.

Andrew, Jack and Dave dig in to lunch

Craig and Sarah learn to build a dory with Jay

empty looking decks and wheel and binnacle covered for the winter

Meredith overhauls a block

the fore yard cockbilled at a sharp angle for the winter

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September is, in my opinion, the most beautiful month of the year in Lunenburg. The weather is fairly consistenly nice, with lots of sun, good wind and not too much rain or fog. It’s warm in the sun and just a bit cool in the shade. People around here start to relax as the busiest part of their year, the peak of the summer, is over and they can start to unwind a bit.

The great weather has allowed the Bosun School students as well as the crew to spend a fair amount of time in small boats, sailing on Wednesday evenings for the weekly Hump Cup race as well as other days. Sea Never Dry, the ship’s dory with the pink hull and bright Senegalese cotton sails, along with Mr Bones, the 16 foot wooden boat built on board during the Voyage of the Atlantic with sails made of green and orange tarps, have been seen sailing regularly in Lunenburg harbour. Our crew will also be doing some sailing in Kitty Cochran, the schooner that they helped to rig and launch just recently at the Dory Shop.

Last week, the students and crew had a big schooner sailing experience aboard Bluenose II. They were aboard for the morning sail on the last sailing day of the season, learning how a big, fast schooner sails. Captain Phil Watson was generous with his time to explain some of the workings of the vessel to our students and crew. The strain that some of the lines aboard Bluenose II are under is pretty incredible, and so is the electric winch that helps to raise the enormous mainsail. Bluenose II is scheduled for a major refit, so it was important to get aboard now for a sail.

As always, there are lots of projects going on aboard Picton Castle. The ship looks significantly different now at the end of the month than it did a few weeks ago when we sailed into Lunenburg at the end of the summer voyage. Sails and running rigging have all been sent down and stored in the warehouse for the winter. A lot of the ship’s equipment and supplies have also been moved into the warehouse, to stay safe and dry through the coming months. T’gallant and royal yards have been sent down to be inspected and overhauled, and the most obvious change is that the t’gallant masts have been sent down as well. Without t’gallant masts, the overall height of the rig is reduced by about a third, making Picton Castle look unusually small across the dock from Bluenose II.

Although the days may be getting shorter, we’re doing all we can to make the most of the pleasant fall weather while we have it.

Bluenose II gets off the dock for a daysail

Captain Phil Watson of Bluenose II

Paul, Dave, Craig and Sarah sail the dory

setting sails for Hump Cup

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Picton Castle has been in Lunenburg for a week and a half now, and the ship and crew are settling into a routine of life in port. We continue to muster at 0800 every morning, we still start our workday with cleaning the ship, Donald continues to make fantastic meals on the regular schedule and we work through the day, getting things done and caring for the ship.

One of the first things we did was send the sails down. After the rain we got from Tropical Storm Danny they were quite wet, so we loosed them two days in a row to dry them. Our sails are made of cotton canvas, so they must be dried when they are wet, otherwise they will rot and tear. They certainly have to be dry before we put them away for the winter so they will be in good shape when we bring them out and send them back up next spring. With chief mate Mike and sailmaker David on deck, the rest of the crew, including our Bosun School students, worked aloft to cut the sails away from their yards and send them down to deck. Gantlines, lines that are used to carry things up and down from aloft, were rigged and the crew were split into two teams per mast, with one team working on the royal and t’gallant and the other working on the upper and lower tops’ls and the course. This job goes surprisingly quickly and all of the sails were sent down in record time.

Most of the running rigging was sent down the next day, then measured, inspected, coiled neatly and tagged to spend a winter in our warehouse. The running rigging is all manilla rope, a natural fibre. It shrinks up as it gets wet and lengthens as it dries, so it also had to be dry to be measured and put away. With less lines on the pins, it makes it easier to get to the pin rails to sand and varnish them, getting lots of coats on to protect the wood over the winter. The rest of the ship will get extra coats of paint, tar, grease and oil as appropriate to make sure that things are well-covered for the coming months.

In addition to ship’s work, the crew are enjoying being part of the community in Lunenburg. Both Sea Never Dry, our tropical-coloured dory with sails made of Senegalese fabric, and Mr Bones, the Grenadian skiff built aboard during the Voyage of the Atlantic with tarp sails made this summer, were out sailing last Wednesday night in the weekly small boat races. According to the folks who have been racing every week this summer, this past Wednesday had the best wind of the whole season. Forgetaboutit, a sweet little boat built by Dave Westergaard and owned by crew member Ollie Campbell, and Mr Bones made an appearance in the Martin’s River Regatta this past Saturday, the first time that any of our crew have participated in that event. Dave Westergaard is currently finishing building another boat, Kitty Cochrane at the Dory Shop, preparing it to be launched on Saturday. The crew assisted with stepping the masts for this 33-foot schooner yesterday, bringing it closer to completion.

crew clean up after stepping masts in Kitty Cochrane

Marie sends down the lower tops l

moving big spars at the Dory Shop

Paul and Kappy send down the t gallant

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The Bosun School, Picton Castle’s shore-side marine technical skills development program, is quickly approaching. Starting September 1, young mariners will come to Lunenburg, Nova Scotia to advance their professional development by learning skills that are often difficult to master while at sea carrying out programs. An irony in modern sail training and sea education programs today is that it is often difficult to find the time at sea to learn those very skills that help us do our jobs better. During the course of this three-month School, students will learn and practice advanced techniques in rigging, carpentry, sailmaking and general deck and rig maintenance.

Designed for young sailors of traditional vessels who have some experience at sea, this program will build on the skills you already possess. It can be challenging, at sea, to see a project from start to finish, learning all of the required steps along the way. By removing the constant distraction of keeping the ship sailing, you will be free to focus on the task at hand. Skills will be taught by experienced instructors, then you will have ample practice time to put those skills into action.

The curriculum will include the following: fibre rope splices and seizings; parceling and serving; ratlines; running rigging; tackles; blocks; wire splices and seizings; large hawser splicing; handling heavy gear on deck and aloft; setting up, surveying, maintaining and repairing standing and running rigging; rigs and rigging theory; bosun chair work; coatings and mixtures; ship handling theory and techniques; introduction to carpentry; small boat building techniques; fiberglass and epoxy repairs; sail design and construction; patching sails; laying out and cutting new sails; hand seaming and machine seaming; tabling and grommets; reef bands; roping; cringles; welding; damage control; marine outboard engines; capstan and windlass mechanics; deck bilge pumps; marine heads; small boat handling, including boats under sail, oar and motor; plus any other interests of students enrolled in the School.

The Bosun School will be led by experienced seafarers with specialized skills in the areas they are teaching. Some are senior crew members of the Picton Castle, some are marine tradespeople from Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, an area well-known for its shipwrights and other skilled craftsmen. Captain Dan Moreland will oversee the program.

Lunenburg, Nova Scotia is the setting for the School. A small port town rich in seafaring heritage, Lunenburg is the ideal place to explore and practice a variety of skills. From a daysail on the famous schooner Bluenose II to weekly small boat races, from studying small boat construction at the renowned Dory Shop to apprenticing with local sailmakers, there will be plenty of opportunities for hands-on application of the skills learned in the School.

Advancing your skills will make you a more valuable crew member on board any vessel. The Bosun School will give you an opportunity to add technical skills and proficiencies to your resume or CV, which will open doors to future employment. Each student will be given a certificate at the end of the School, along with an evaluation of your skills.

The Bosun School can help you take the next step in your development as a seafarer. For more information, click here  or contact our Lunenburg office.

Meredith helps Jason with whipping

Ollie and Dave splice wire

Rebecca repairs a sail

Roping a sail

sending down the main royal yard

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Here on our wharf in Lunenburg The Bosun School is in full swing and the gang has been busy, very busy. We have had six weeks of almost perfect weather at the ideal time of year. So often we find ourselves working in the cold rain and even snow while we down rig or up rig the Picton Castle. This time we get do the job in delightful summer weather and teach all the techniques at the same time and have a little fun besides. Here is what we have been up to as part of The Bosun School.

1. Sent all the 21 canvas sails down off the yards and out of the rig. This is a job that takes seamanship and skill.
2. Sent all the 175 pieces of running rigging and 350 blocks down. Then they have to get labelled and stowed properly. The blocks will get overhauled over the winter.
3. Sent the t’gallant and royal yards down. This is a very nice piece of seamanship which young seafarers rarely get to take part in today.
4. Taught, practiced and made new wire seizings as we overhauled the lower shrouds. These are the same one would use on rigging a ship like Peking or Moshulu.
5. Bosun Chair: learning to use a Bosun Chair properly for attending to the rigging.
6. Sail in local Tancook schooners: The local members of the Nova Scotia Schooner Association took all our crew out on a weekend of racing in some pretty fine craft.
7. Sail in the topsail schooner Pride II: The Captain and crew of the beautiful topsail schooner Pride of Baltimore II took our whole gang out for a training sail on Lunenburg Bay; my can she sail some good!
8. Sail in schooner Bluenose II; The Captain and crew of Lunenburg’s own magnificent schooner Bluenose II showed our gang a glimpse of the challenges of sailing a big fore and aft sailer on an afternoon daysail.
9. Help build a Dory: A couple of our gang got to help build a dory at the Dory Shop; building dories here since 1917; see www.doryshop.com
10. Sail in a banks dory around the harbour: evenings and weekends were often spent in sailing our own banks dory around the harbour.
11. Liverpool wire splicing; Sailmakers splicing, seizing, sail patching and construction techniques: lots of hand seamanship and good progress made by all.

carrying sails into the warehouse

roping a sail

rowing the dory

sending down the main royal yard

setting sail on Pride II

wire seizing on the fore shrouds

wire splicing

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The next morning everyone was up unusually early (before their third wakeup), seabags packed and ready to go.

We trooped down the street, hopped the fence at the Fisheries Museum, scampered down the ladder on the dock, and threw our gear aboard Pride of Baltimore II. I can’t speak for everyone else, but I was overcome by a very strange feeling after a few seconds of standing on deck. I had no idea what to do next. As the crew, we are used to being the ones who know where everything is, how it works, why, and so on. The unsettling feeling of being the useless new guy wore off quickly though, as I realized that I had absolutely no responsibility! I didn’t have to know the answers to any questions, and nobody would come to me when the head clogged, the cat threw up, or so-and-so was being a pain in the butt. How refreshing!

The second mate, Mike, gave us all an orientation to general ship’s life, as well as a safety gear and procedures overview, and got us settled in our bunks. We helped out as best we could with ship’s work while Captain Miles reviewed the weather and finished up the ship’s paperwork.

We got underway just before lunch, and sailed out of Lunenburg harbour. I love seeing Pride sail in and out of Lunenburg, but I think we all agree the view from on deck is better. As soon as we got around Cross Island we picked up a fresh breeze in fairly calm seas, and we smoked down the coast. I mean smoked! We were making 11 knots like it was nothing. The deck was covered in ear-to-ear grins. We tried to act casual, but I don’t think it worked.

We broke into watches in the early evening, and the ship settled into her routine. I keep saying ’ship’ – actually the crew refer to Pride as a ‘boat’, but after 7 years of having ‘boat’ beaten out of me, I can’t bring myself to say it.

We made Bar Harbour on Saturday, and were greeted by one of our former crew, Chelsie, who had organized transportation for all 8 of us to come and spend the weekend at her camp.

One of the wonderful things about sailing in Picton Castle is that just about anywhere in the world you can conceivably end up, you will more than likely know someone. And they will always go out of their way to show you a good time. Chelsie and her family were great hosts, and our big adventure continued in style until we met the ferry for Yarmouth on Monday. All in all, our outing proved to be one of the most seamless, spontaneous adventures I’ve ever had.

It seemed as though the rest of the month would pale in comparison to this, but we still had a few adventures ahead of us…

Big grins

Setting the main

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