Southward Bound

9/25
Departed from Milford Haven, Wales, today. Stopped in Portsmouth for a couple days on the way over from Ipswich. Portsmouth is the home of three historic ships, the Mary Rose, The Warrior, and Lord Nelson’s famous man-of-war, The Victory. Mike, Nadja and I took a tour of all three.
The Mary Rose was Henry VIII’s flagship and had been at the bottom of the sea for four centuries before the recovery efforts began in the 1970’s. The exhibit there is a fantastic example of not only archeological restoration efforts, but a thrilling (at least to us sailors) display of the efficacy of our traditional rigging methods. On display were pieces of tarred hemp shrouds and ratlines, looking like pieces that could have come off of our own proud ship. The excavators were astonished, and we privately took it as an endorsement of the best kind.
It was also the first place historians were able to put their hands on actual English longbows, the legendary weapons that England’s adversaries were so sourly acquainted with.
The Warrior, when she was built, was the largest battleship on the seas, and one of the first with an auxiliary steam engine. It is a massive thing. It actually never engaged in combat at sea due to its imposing presence. The other guys just got the hell away from it.
The Victory was a bit of a surreal tour in it’s own way. It was reminiscent of Twain’s description of his tours in the Holy Land.
“This is where Nelson ate.”
“This is where Nelson slept.”

“This marker here is where Nelson stood when he was shot.”

“This is where Nelson died.”
“This was Nelson’s favorite chair”

“This was Nelson’s favorite cup.”
“This is where Nelson did potty.”
“This is where Nelson did potty once on accident.”
They rather worship him there in England.
All in all, though, it was a fantastic experience in the ancestry of this life I’m living, and gave me a great appreciation for being able to enjoy life at sea without all the weevils, scurvy, cat-o-nines, or cannonballs.

The Warrior. 400 foot long floating death monster.

"Princess is Much Pleased"Nadja and a big brass cannon. No touch! Mike and I and the gigantic deadeye on the mainstay on Warrior.The Victory's transom.

From Portsmouth we headed to Milford Haven, Wales, the ship’s first home port as a trawler, and home of our namesake, the Picton Castle. The castle was built in the 13th century, and the Phillips family had lived in it until the late 1990’s. We were given a tour, and treated to an afternoon tea. The castle, which was renovated in the 1770’s is beautiful, but the garden was the real show stealer, with flowered archways, stone walls, a hedge maze, and big green open lawns.

Afternoon tea at Picton Castle with Deckhand Ryan, homemade beer, and chocolate cake made with Guinness. A very good way to spend time.
9/26
Night watch was surreal. Making five knots under full sail with a gentle breeze, clear black sky, a thick blanket of stars, and then the dolphins. They darted through the water, luminescent comets of pale neon, arcing beneath the waves; they were our spectral playmates for nearly three hours, jumping and twisting, whistling and clicking. I’ve never seen anything like it. It was beyond anything my own imagination could conceive. Welcome ushers in our eager journey south towards warmer weather.

I laid out canvas today with Lynsey for a new jib for the dory. It was my first experience in sailmaking. She and I cut the canvas, seamed it together, and then cut it into shape so it draws properly. A great project, though my seaming is not nearly at the level of Buddy’s, our fulltime sailmaker. Practice, practice, practice.

9/27
100 miles south of the British island. Wind piped up last night. More phosphorescent dolphins, accompanied by a meteor shower overhead. Unbelievable spectacles the sea brings. I’m learning the stars, slowly building a map of the sky in my head.

The dolphins have been around all day. I spent the morning in the headrig, tarring and replacing worn ratlines, while five or six were jumping and playing directly beneath me. Even now, lying in my bunk after morning watch, I can hear them talking to each other through the ship’s hull.
I think my life has been touched by some benign form of sorcery, so filled with hard work, few full nights of sleep, little comfort, deep pangs of loneliness and separation from family and so many loved ones, and yet all of it trumped by the reward of the job well done and the satisfaction of life at sea. The hardships season the triumphs and make it all worthwhile, to the point where they are even joys in their own ways.

10/1
Arrived in St. Nazaire, France yesterday. The last of our historical Picton Castle tour stops. Our ship took part in the Allied raid here during WWII, in the effort to destroy the German dry-docks used for maintaining their big warships like the Bismarck. She also participated in D-Day, and was the liberator of Norway, being the first allied vessel into Bergen after Nazi occupation. This ship has rich history, and it’s been a special homecoming tour to say the least.