We’ve been burning the candle at both ends lately, completing a couple of interesting small boat refits in time for the departure of the tall ship Picton Castle. The ship, whose dock is just a ball’s toss from our location on the Lunenburg, Nova Scotia waterfront, is bound for the Caribbean where she’ll spend the winter sailing from one tropical island to the next. Makes us a bit jealous as we wait for the weather here to turn. So far so good, as the saying goes. But the latest forecast did include the S-word (that’s snow for you who live too far South).

Our head boat carpenter Jay Langford is working with another fine Lunenburg builder, David Rodenhiser, on repairs to the 23-foot longboat Monomoy. This fine boat has seen a lot of service these past few years, having traveled the world four times with Picton Castle. A second skiff, found in the nearby community of Blue Rocks, is also being refit as Picton Castle’s new ship’s boat and rescue launch..