Considering where I am..
While my courage and fears have been tested in the past two months, and been shaken in a transit not too long ago, recent news has brought the all-too-real possibilities of sailing into focus.
From the Barque Picton Castle's site:
On Friday, December 8, the Barque Picton Castle encountered gale force conditions while on passage from her homeport of Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, to the West Indies. At approximately 2200, the ship's decks were overwhelmed by an unusually large wave and crew member Laura Gainey of Montreal, Canada, was swept overboard. The ship immediately stopped, deployed life saving gear, and employed all of its extensive emergency and communications equipment in the call for assistance.
Search and rescue efforts began immediately. Assisted by fixed wing aircraft from the Canadian and United States Coast Guard, as well as two merchant vessels, the Picton Castle, her captain and crew scoured the Atlantic for four days without respite in hopes of finding their shipmate. Their search was suspended December 12.
The Picton Castle is currently heading southward to calmer, safer waters where our crew can get some much-needed rest and the time and space to grieve. We are fiercely proud of their performance during this most trying ordeal. We pray the ocean, which has recently been so cruel, will also help them to heal.
The entire extended Picton Castle family extends its deepest sympathies to the family of our beloved shipmate Laura Gainey. Laura joined the Picton Castle at Cape Town, South Africa for the last 7000-mile leg of the ship's fourth world voyage and was with us all summer on our recent trip in the Great Lakes.
We also express our heartfelt thanks to members of the Canadian and United States Coast Guard, as well as the crews of the merchant vessels who have worked alongside our crew in the search for Laura.
We have been comforted by the many messages and kindnesses extended to us by former shipmates, friends and supporters of Picton Castle, both near and afar. Your help in getting us all through this ongoing difficult time is immeasurable.
Captain Daniel D. Moreland
From the Barque Picton Castle's site:
On Friday, December 8, the Barque Picton Castle encountered gale force conditions while on passage from her homeport of Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, to the West Indies. At approximately 2200, the ship's decks were overwhelmed by an unusually large wave and crew member Laura Gainey of Montreal, Canada, was swept overboard. The ship immediately stopped, deployed life saving gear, and employed all of its extensive emergency and communications equipment in the call for assistance.
Search and rescue efforts began immediately. Assisted by fixed wing aircraft from the Canadian and United States Coast Guard, as well as two merchant vessels, the Picton Castle, her captain and crew scoured the Atlantic for four days without respite in hopes of finding their shipmate. Their search was suspended December 12.
The Picton Castle is currently heading southward to calmer, safer waters where our crew can get some much-needed rest and the time and space to grieve. We are fiercely proud of their performance during this most trying ordeal. We pray the ocean, which has recently been so cruel, will also help them to heal.
The entire extended Picton Castle family extends its deepest sympathies to the family of our beloved shipmate Laura Gainey. Laura joined the Picton Castle at Cape Town, South Africa for the last 7000-mile leg of the ship's fourth world voyage and was with us all summer on our recent trip in the Great Lakes.
We also express our heartfelt thanks to members of the Canadian and United States Coast Guard, as well as the crews of the merchant vessels who have worked alongside our crew in the search for Laura.
We have been comforted by the many messages and kindnesses extended to us by former shipmates, friends and supporters of Picton Castle, both near and afar. Your help in getting us all through this ongoing difficult time is immeasurable.
Captain Daniel D. Moreland