Sailing From Martha’s Vineyard Bound for Norfolk

Monday June 4, 2012

We are about 90 miles east of Sandy Hook, New York Harbour and the Picton Castle is sailing along nicely with a northerly wind. This wind is from a high-level low to our east and should last long enough to get us pretty close to Norfolk under sail – we had fully expected to be motoring into the typical SW airflow we could expect hereabouts off this coast, so we count ourselves lucky. Cloudy with some sun and blue poking through and with small seas, the ship is sailing standing upright as is her wont. With these nice northerly winds it is quite cool but that is nice too, it could get hot in Virginia. We should get anchored off Norfolk Wednesday.

The gang aboard is fine and happy. We have a bunch of young Danish kids as apprentice crew who made the trip last year in the Danmark. Bob and the mates are sorting out all what must be looked after in OpSail Norfolk. Donald reigns in his galley, and expanding belts are the proof. The new kitten George is pretty funny, growing, scampering, playing, being bold but always running back to his ‘safe place,’ Michael the Mate’s cabin. He seems pretty smart and with a strong sense of self preservation.

We are doing a sail repair for the Bounty, fixing up a t’gallant for them we are. A good project for our gang. And this is why we have this Bosun School, in order to teach these skills, just basic skills that are very useful to have when working in sailing ships. There’s an introductory Bosun School too in Bristol, Rhode Island June 24 – July 3.

Anyhoo, all’s good aboard – summer in Loonyberg is going to be plenty fun what with this whole gang, schooner and ketch launchings and rigging and boats and such. Then off to the South Seas this fall. A good deal of interest in this upcoming voyage and a great time at the Vineyard. The tug Thuban helped us off the dock and get turned around in small “Holmes Hole” aka Vineyard Haven and as soon as we got around West Chop we had all sail on her again and a fair tide down The Sound, sweet it was and we are under all plain sail still after a fine night – we have plenty cakes and pies from the Black Dog Bakery now making their rounds with good coffee on a cool, very cool but excellent North Atlantic morning under sail bound for Virginia.

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