What the Crew Do for Fun
Wednesday, February 20th, 2008
Lunenburg, Picton Castle’s home port, is fairly quiet in the winter. But that doesn’t mean there’s nothing to do. One of the nice things about having the ship tied up for a while is that the crew can work regular, predictable hours, taking most evenings and weekends off. That much time off is a luxury to the crew of a sailing ship, so we’re sure to make the most of it.
Most evenings you can find at least some of the Picton Castle crew at the newly renovated Grand Banker, the local restaurant/pub that becomes our second home in the winter. The place got a facelift in November with new floors, a slightly revised booth arrangement and a fresh coat of paint. The changes make it easier to move around and the new decor looks great. The Grand Banker has started a trivia night on Saturdays, and the Picton Castle team placed first for two weeks in a row in February.
Ben, Kjetil and I took curling lessons at the Lunenburg Curling Club in November and have continued to curl through the winter. We have recruited the rest of the crew to play with us, or at least come and watch, when the club hosts “Friday Fun Night” which is open to anyone, whether you’re a club member or not. Some of us are really improving from week to week, and we’re all having a good time playing this very social sport.
For the crew of a barque that sails mostly in the tropics, we’re really embracing winter. In addition to curling, we have been to the local arena to ice skate a few times. Skating was particularly fun before Christmas when we had a whole group of former crew visiting and there was a huge crowd at the rink. Lynsey and Rebecca have been snowboarding at a hill a short drive away from Lunenburg and hope to go again before the winter is over. I’m sure that all of the crew have thrown a few snowballs, made snowmen or snow angels.













A native of Pictou, NS, Mary Anne joined the Picton Castle in November of 2006 where she signed on as a trainee for the entire winter sailing sail training schedule in the Caribbean. A retired nurse and the daughter of a professional seaman who also sailed extensively in commercial square-riggers out of Nova Scotia, Mary Anne came aboard prepared to learn the ropes of traditional square-rig sailing for herself. She has quickly become a favourite shipmate, caring for us better than we can care for ourselves and continually keeping us laughing with her playful sense of humour. She especially enjoys teasing Donald our cook. Mary Anne has traveled the world and accomplished a long list of adventures and she has decided that her next challenge is to climb a mountain in South America probably by this time next year.
Katie sailed in the Picton Castle for two weeks in the summer of 2006 from Chicago to Port Huron, with a stop in Beaver Island. Katie is a member of a seasonal sail racing team (she will rejoin them for a short time this summer) and like our shipmate Ben, she had originally signed up to attend Picton Castle’s Bosun School this winter. When the program was postponed we invited her to sail with us in the Caribbean, and without hesitation she left her home in chilly Chicago to join the ship in Dominica in February. She is adorned with countless eye-catching tattoos and therefore blends in nicely among the crew. To compliment her taste in body art, Katie is quickly honing her seafaring skills and in just these few short months she may have already convinced herself that there may not be life outside of the Picton Castle. When not playing in tar, Katie is a fantastically creative cook and is often nominated to take charge in the galley on Donald’s day off.
A long way from her hometown of Calgary, Alberta, Kelly sailed in the Picton Castle for a week in the summer of 2006 from Port Huron, through the Welland Canal to Toronto. She returned to the ship in November, having signed on as a trainee for the entire winter voyage in the Caribbean. Kelly looks on her Picton Castle experience as training for what she hopes will be a career at sea. Kelly’s nearly complete ditty bag will not be mistaken for anyone else’s as it features an original oil pastel drawing on the canvas.
Bronwen joined the Picton Castle in March on the island of Dominica. Having visited the ship many times, most notably to live aboard for three weeks in Cape Town, South Africa in March 2006, she is a familiar face among our crew. Already a master at the daily routine of life aboard, Bronwen has developed the necessary seafaring skills with ease and grace. Bronwen is a wonderful shipmate because she is willing to learn at every turn, has a killer sense of humour, and always puts the needs of the ship and her crew before her own.
Stephanie joined the Picton Castle in early January 2007 at the island of Grenada. She signed on as a trainee and except for a brief trip home to her native Virginia in March Stephanie has remained aboard and has worked her way up to the role of Deckhand. She learned her lines quickly and she continues to enhance her seamanship skills every day. Stephanie is the queen of rust-busting and Sudoku puzzles, and when off watch, she can often be found on the Aloha Deck working away in her daily Sudoku calendar.
Ben joined the Picton Castle in Dominica in early February. He originally signed up for the Picton Castle’s Bosun School, but when the program was rescheduled we invited him to sail with us in the Caribbean. Ben, who has previously sailed in the Schooners Harvey Gamage, Spirit of Massachusetts, Lettie G. Howard and the English Brig Prince William, has quickly become a favorite among our crew. His work ethic, seamanship skills, and quick wit keep us on our toes and in stitches. A native of Kansas City, Ben is an emphatic football fan, a gifted and published writer, and a mentor to troubled youth. This summer he is joining the team at Ocean Classroom on the Schooner Harvey Gamage to assist in their summer sailing programs and fall down-rig schedule. We fully expect to see him with us again very soon.