So I just got an email from the Barque Picton Castle, still in the Caribbean, currently en route to The Saints from Antigua where crew members participated in last weekend’s Antigua Classic Sailing Regatta. Not being a racing sort (the ship’s motto is We may be slow but we get around), the Picton Castle sat at anchor for the weekend while crew members signed aboard a host of beautiful schooners that needed extra hands. Those crew who weren’t otherwise engaged took the ship’s newly refurbished dory out sailing a number of times.

Many thanks to the crew of the sail training ship Picton Castle who sent us these pictures of their newly refurbished sailing dory, Sea Never Dry, sailing off Mayreau in the Caribbean. Built by The Dory Shop, this Fishmaker dory has been around the world at least twice, maybe three times, we’ve lost count. Recently the crew got all creative giving her a very customized paint job and sewing a fresh set of sails from cloth purchased during the ship’s call at Dakar, Senegal this past January.

Jay always says that no two dories are exactly alike, and I’m often commenting that it’s rare a dory doesn’t have some sort of customization for the customer. This can be as simple as adding a stern seat or a motor well, a particular paint job or a sailing rig. Some clients ordering larger dories have wanted spray hoods or partial cabins. Sail maker Jill once crafted an entire tent to fit overtop a client’s dory for camping excursions. When finished, it resembled a sort of water-based pop-up trailer. Our latest dory, a Fortune Bay bound for Massachusetts, features a number of dory add-ons including a pull-up motor well, bow and stern seats with lockers, and a false sole (basically a deck overtop the dory bottom). She’s also fitted with an electric pump to look after any water that needs bailing.