The 179 foot Barque Picton Castle has called Lunenburg her home since August 1996, when she underwent a 2 million dollar refit, in preparation for her first 18-month world circumnavigation. The Picton Castle is a classic square rigger, like those from the latter days of the age of sail when deep-sea sailing ships reached their highest development. The Picton Castle's clipper-like hull is built of riveted steel with clear, open decks or oiled pine.

Of North Sea design and built in England, the Picton Castle spent years trading from the Arctic Circle to southern Europe. Now, after a recent transatlantic voyage, she has been completely refitted and upgraded for comfortable tropical trade wind voyaging.

In late November 1997 the Picton Castle began a monumental 18-month 25,000 mile world voyage. Sailing from the charming sea port town of Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, she headed south for the trade winds then westward through the Panama Canal to the Galapagos Islands. On to the Pitcairn Islands, Tahiti, Samoa, and the Salomans to Darwin, Australia and Bali, Indonesia, across the Indian Ocean to the Seychelles, then down the coast of Africa to Cape Town, around the Cape of Good Hope then crossing the South Atlantic Ocean and the equator to the Caribbean.

The last tropical passage will be North to Bermuda where she will get ready for the final leg home to Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, arriving in late June 1999. Thirty-four dedicated men and women were chosen to crew under the ships officers. All hands will stand regular sea watches, share in all ship work, trip costs, and the achievement of sailing their own ship around the world.

The Picton Castle has a 200 ton hold capacity for carrying cargoes for trade on voyages through the tropics and to emerging third world countries. Delivering supplies and picking up exotic goods in the Far East and Africa makes the Picton Castle the first cargo-carrying square-rigged ship to voyage in many years.

The Captain of the Picton Castle, Daniel D. Moreland, is one of the most respected American sailing ship masters at sea today and an internationally recognized authority on square rig and traditional sailing ships. His early training in West Indian transatlantics in the magnificent full rigged ship, Danmark, as senior petty officer, gave him an unparalleled mastery of square-rig seamanship. Captain Moreland has served as master of many of the most beautiful and demanding square riggers and large schooners now in commission. Further, he holds the highest license awarded by the US Coast Guard, Unlimited Master in Sail, any tonnage, any ocean. With 25 years at sea in training, school, passenger and expedition ships, there are few who are as well-qualified to lead a world voyage and train amateur sailors.

Between voyages, the Picton Castle will make the charming seaport of Lunenburg her home. Famous as the town that built the magnificent schooner Bluenose, Lunenburg retains the skilled shipwrights and shipfitters as well as the working character and atmosphere of the age of sail.