The Barque Picton Castle will not be sailing this fall for the South Pacific. As the most recently revised scheduled start of our voyage approaches in September, we have been keeping up with the latest developments and information to do with this COVID-19 pandemic and its spread. We have been following the many international travel […]
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Washing and Oiling the Decks
Last week we started our twice-weekly work parties here on the PICTON CASTLE. As you may have learned in earlier Captain’s Logs posted this Spring, the PICTON CASTLE has fared well enough over the long Nova Scotian winter, but winter at the dock does no ship any favours. So time to show the ship some […]
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Picton Castle Alumni Carlyle Brown
The author of this Captain’s Log is Captain Carlyle Brown. Carl is a Picton Castle shipmate from several voyages. He has had an extensive career as a sailing ship mariner, marine educator and long-time successful sail trainer. He has been Captain or Mate of the schooners Harvey Gamage, When And If, Pioneer, J.N. Carter, Ernestina, […]
Here at the Barque Picton Castle we are naturally keenly interested in weather, weather trends, weather forecasts, and of course, the North Atlantic Hurricane Season. With a little research, we offer you the following synopsis. It has already been a record-breaking hurricane season for the Atlantic coast, and meteorologists are estimating that we will likely […]
Any of you who have sailed into Cape Town, South Africa in Picton Castle on a world voyage, or any of you who have virtually followed Picton Castle’s voyages there will know what a special place the school Christel House South Africa holds in our hearts. Christel DeHaan, the school’s founder, passed away on June […]
Here on Lunenburg’s working waterfront, with the Picton Castle’s Voyage to the South Pacific on hold, we want to do something worthwhile and interesting. So, we are looking to do a modified short and sweet summertime Bosun School in July and August with a big emphasis on small boat sailing and handling. Summertime on Lunenburg […]
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Spring Cleaning
It has been a long winter for Picton Castle alongside. She longs for her crew. Crew in this and any ship are the life-blood of a ship. With isolation restrictions now easing in Nova Scotia (no cases in western Nova Scotia in some time) allowing for groups of 10 to gather, the Captain and Maggie […]
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Whale Ship or Training Ship?
I’m a bit embarrassed to admit that I only just recently read the excellent book “In The Heart Of The Sea” by Nathaniel Philbrick. It has been on my reading list forever but I just hadn’t got to it for whatever reason. My interest was renewed a couple of years ago when I heard Nathaniel […]
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Drying Sails
It had been a long winter, and an even longer spring – with the Pandemic making molasses out of time. With a beautiful forecast predicted for the week, Captain Moreland and Maggie recruited a small group of willing hands to participate in an afternoon work party. It was one of those perfect spring days. Blue […]
On Thursday of last week, the sun was shining and it was the perfect opportunity to spend some time working on the Picton Castle at her winter wharf. We had a small crew come together to help tighten up some of the lines and check off a few of the planned work jobs on our […]