Tall Ship Chronicles

The series begins in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, Canada where the tall ship Picton Castle is being prepared to begin her 19-month voyage around the world. The Picton Castle is commanded by Captain Daniel Moreland and his crew of a dozen paid professionals and 35 paying trainees.

The Picton Castle has arrived at the Panama Canal and the crew are amazed by this engineering wonder as they pass from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean. Arriving on the Pacific side of the canal marks the beginning of their passage through the sultry South Pacific.

The Picton Castle have arrived in the famed Galapagos Islands, and the crew take full advantage of the opportunity to explore the exotic wildlife which inspired Darwin's Theory of Evolution. Several of the crew have decided they aren't interested in evolving any further, so they pack their bags and jump ship.

After spending almost one month at sea and having traveled 2700 miles without seeing land, the Picton Castle and her crew arrive at one of the most isolated islands in the world. This remote piece of land isn't just any island, but rather the home of the descendants of the mutineers from the HMS Bounty.

Having sailed nearly 8,000 miles in less than four months, the crew of the Picton Castle arrive in Tahiti, the heart of French Polynesia. This is the beginning of many months of island hoping through the South Pacific and the part of the voyage many of the crew were looking forward to the most.

6The crew of the Picton Castle are now deep in the heart of the picture prefect South Pacific Ocean. Having left French Polynesia, many of the crew are relieved that are once again able to communicate with the locals in English.

As the Picton Castle continues to island hope through the South Pacific, all is not well in paradise. Hygiene problems, infections, and bad water have lowered the crew morale to an all-time low. As the ship approaches the island of Puka Puka, the crew is understandably tense.

The Picton Castle's visit to Fiji represents another emotional turning point for everyone aboard as they say a painful goodbye to several long-time crew members who are leaving the ship and welcome a new first mate, a new engineer, and a new third mate.