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.

Ben sweeping

Kjetil calls the shots

Maggie delivers a stone

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Johanna, Deckhand

Johanna, a native of Lunenburg, first sailed in the Picton Castle during the summer tall ships voyage in 2004 and without hesitation she signed up as a trainee for the first seven months of the fourth world voyage, sailing from Lunenburg to Bali. In 2005 Johanna was responsible for securing a large donation of school supplies for World Wise, a not-for-profit organization that partnered with the Picton Castle to distribute essential educational materials to island schools throughout the South Pacific and South Africa. The Picton Castle and warm, tropical sunshine hold a special place in Johanna’s heart and it is quite natural that once again she made a home for herself aboard during our Caribbean voyage, having joined us in Dominica in March for the filming of the CBS series Pirate Master. A year away from the ship has not affected Johanna’s memory much as she recalls virtually each and every one of our 175 lines of running rigging. She has been a tremendous example and patient instructor for our new trainees, but she does not like to share her secret for stowing her favourite sail, the main topmast staysail. She is our resident “wave magnet” and primary puppy wrangler.

Frederick, Deckhand

Frederick joined the Picton Castle crew at the beginning of March while we were working at his native island of Dominica. Our crew encountered Frederick on a frequent basis at his place of work and as the relationship built, he voiced his curiosity and interest in what we do, so we invited him to spend a day working and sailing with us. One day turned into many, and Frederick moved aboard as a permanent volunteer crew member. He has worked hard to develop his seafaring skills over the past several weeks and we took him with us when we sailed from Dominica. In his 27 years Frederick had never visited any other Caribbean island so he was quite thrilled to have visited the islands of Martinique, Jost Van Dyke and Tortola in the BVIs. Frederick was inspired by our heavily tattooed crew and got his first tattoo while visiting ashore in Martinique (he blames Erin). He has since flown home to Dominica with a promise to meet us again in a few months time. Frederick’s sincerity, laid back island attitude and unique style make him a great addition to our crew.

Doc Jeremy, Medical Officer

Doc Jeremy hails from Massachusetts and has spent many months aboard the Picton Castle, joining us for the first leg of the fourth world voyage and surprised the crew in Grenada where he joined us for the sail home to Lunenburg. Jeremy is a retired heart surgeon, a pilot, and tall ship sailor. You can find Doc on the quarterdeck with his sextant at sunrise, high noon, and twilight; he is our only shipmate who can give Bosun Lynsey, celestial navigation guru, a run for her money. Doc especially enjoys climbing high aloft to do solo projects such as nipping bunts on the square sails.

Rebecca, 2nd Mate

A native Nova Scotian, Rebecca has recently returned to the Picton Castle with a brand new Watch-keeping Mate license. She earned the required sea time sailing in the Picton Castle’s third and fourth world voyages before completing courses in British Columbia throughout the fall and most of the winter months. Rebecca has proven that she can master any skill aboard that she turns her hands to. She has worked on board as sailmaker, rigger, assistant bosun and watch officer. When she isn’t acting as the second greatest female sailor role model aboard, she is also a licensed physiotherapist and a figure skating coach.

Andrea, Chief Engineer

A Cleveland resident, Andrea sailed as a trainee on the fourth world voyage, and stayed on for most of the Great Lakes tour last summer as Assistant Engineer. This winter she has advanced to Chief Engineer, a position that suits her attention to detail. Before joining the ship Andrea worked as a blimp pilot. Andrea is always prepared; she keeps her binoculars in the engine room fiddley ready to check out anything going on around us. She is an accomplished helmsman and celestial navigator, is known for reading guide books, researching our ports of call, and for being the biggest air guitar band fanatic in the world.

Lynsey, Bosun

Lynsey grew up in Ontario and now calls Lunenburg home when not sailing aboard the ship. She has been with the Picton Castle almost seven years, and has completed three circumnavigations. She first sailed as a trainee, and has worked her way up to being a combination of Bosun and Mate. A powerhouse of energy, smarts, and seamanship, Lynsey is a tremendous role model for all of the female and male crew aboard. An extremely capable watch officer and ship’s Mate she is the go-to girl for answers to all sorts of ship questions, everything from the right mixture for oiling the decks, to where the metric monkey wrench is kept, to resident celestial navigation guru. She also manages The Sea Chest, the Picton Castle’s store in Lunenburg. At swim call, Lynsey can often be found relaxing with her inflatable “swimming bee” tucked neatly under her arms.

Donald, Chief Cook

Donald joined the Picton Castle at the beginning of January when she called at his home town of St. George’s, Grenada. Donald has worked for 20 years as a chef on cruise ships, sailing around the Caribbean, the USA and Europe. His preference to use fresh local fruit, vegetables, spices and local recipes has been wildly popular among the crew and has been an authentic experience of Caribbean culture and cuisine. He prepares virtually all meals to include three main courses and desert. He even makes tuna sandwiches look pretty, but hands down the crew’s favourite is Donald’s fried chicken and potato wedges; they are unlike any we have tried anywhere in the world. As long as you do not interrupt the cricket game on his galley radio, Donald is easy to get along with, quick to make a joke and especially likes to tease Mary Anne.

Maggie, Purser

A native of Brampton, ON, Maggie has been on board the Picton Castle for two years, having joined the ship’s crew in Lunenburg in May 2005 as a trainee on the fourth world voyage. Her promotion as purser leaves her in charge of finances, communications, customs and immigration, general ship’s business, and she takes care of us. She spends a lot of time sitting at the ship’s computer tending to all the details that make training aboard the Picton Castle possible, but hers is not a typical desk job, and you cannot top the view from the office window! Although her workload has shifted to seeing to the ship’s other needs, Maggie hasn’t forgotten her deckhand skills and she helps out on deck as often as possible.

Logan, Deckhand

A Nova Scotia native, Logan circumnavigated on the Picton Castle’s fourth world voyage in the role of deckhand and ship’s carpenter, and has spent a few summers and winters on board as well. Logan’s skills extend far beyond carpentry—he has assisted in the engine room, served as a junior watch officer, and is always one of the first and fastest to climb aloft. He literally runs up the rigging leaving everyone below him looking quite silly as they fumble to keep up on the bouncing shrouds. Logan is a patient teacher aboard and is fond of creating his own greatest adventures in every port of call. Logan is an excellent story teller and his shipmates hang on his every word.

Finn, Assistant Engineer/Deckhand

Raised in Dartmouth, NS, and joining us in February from British Columbia, Finn sailed on the Picton Castle’s second world voyage, and has re-joined the ship to earn sea time to apply towards a Mate’s license. Finn is a tremendous resource as a shipmate; having served for a time as Picton Castle’s Bosun, Finn is quite accomplished on deck and in the rig and now he returns to us after having served in the engine rooms of two other vessels. Under Chief Engineer Andrea’s guidance, Finn’s ability to learn and adapt quickly has made him an essential assistant in the engineering department. His true passion, however, is working on deck and in the rigging. Finn got his start at the Nova Scotia Sea School in Halifax.

John, Deckhand

John left his home in Virginia to sail as a trainee on the Picton Castle’s third world voyage and returned for the fourth world voyage as a deckhand, assistant watch officer and assistant Bosun. An exceptionally gifted seafarer and all around fantastic shipmate, John returned to the Picton Castle in March to help wrap up the filming of CBS’s new series “Pirate Master” and the Caribbean winter voyage. Just before he arrived in Dominica, John sat for the exams for his 100 ton coastal Master’s license and, hey, he passed! Relaxed and easy going as always, John now owns the ship’s biggest inflatable pool toy, a kiddy pool he can blow up to splash around in on deck or use as a raft for swim calls. He will sometimes share his pool with the 2nd Mate and Chief Engineer and even the puppies.

Nadja, Deckhand

Nadja came to Nova Scotia from Spain and joined the Picton Castle in late June 2006 after having waited for months in chilly Lunenburg for the ship to return home from the fourth world voyage. Nadja volunteered and trained aboard the ship all summer in the Great Lakes, and remained aboard the ship through the fall between voyages. She is a very hardworking shipmate, is committed to learning as much as possible every day and it appears that Nadja just might never leave. Other than sailing and working hard on a sailing ship, which Nadja likes best, she enjoys running the skiff, exploring tropical ports of call and provisioning for the ship at the island markets. Perhaps Nadja’s most important function on board is feeding Chibley every morning. She also holds a small tonnage skippers ticket from Italy.

Erin, Deckhand

Erin, a fiercely proud resident of Cape Breton Island, sailed on the fourth world voyage as a trainee and Education Officer, chronicling the ’round the world voyage for teachers, students, home-school families and armchair sailors alike on the popular WorldWise and Mystic Seaport Museum websites. She can’t seem to stay away from the Picton Castle, returning as a volunteer deckhand just a month and a half after the end of the world voyage to finish the 2006 tall ship events and to down-rig the ship in late September. She returned to the Picton Castle in Nevis in early February to assist with the winter training schedule and to participate in the filming of the new CBS series “Pirate Master”. Erin’s personality is ten feet tall, twice her actual height. View her voyage logs at www.beworldwise.org.

Jack, Deckhand

Jack sailed as a trainee on the Picton Castle’s fourth world voyage and stayed on as a deckhand for the first half of the 2006 summer voyage to the Great Lakes. When not developing his seafaring skills aboard our barque, Jack exploits his advanced diving and downhill skiing skills, which he honed while growing up in New Hampshire and Florida. Jack returned to the Picton Castle in Dominica in March, having used his time away from the ship to study and earn his SCUBA diving instructor’s certificate. Much to his mother’s horror and his shipmate’s delight, Jack has formed a large tattoo collection, which he has added to since he was last aboard. The Captain says that we do not encourage all this tattoo business but they do it anyway, and many many crew DO NOT get tattoo…

Mary Anne, Deckhand

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, Deckhand

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.

Kelly, Deckhand

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, Deckhand

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.

The Picton Castle crew is an exciting lot, joining us from all over Canada, USA, Grenada, and Dominica! Their talents and areas of expertise in their “other lives” (when they are not sailing) are just as varied as the places they call home. This winter the Picton Castle assembled an all-star team of mostly former world voyagers and otherwise experienced crew for our role in the upcoming CBS television series PIRATE MASTER (airing Thursday nights at 8:00 PM starting May 31). Read on through this series of logs and meet the crew who currently call this square rigger home:

Stephanie, Deckhand

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, Deckhand

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.