In preparation for a busy summer of sailing and an upcoming Atlantic voyage, the barque Picton Castle was hauled up on the marine railway at Lunenburg Foundry today.

PICTON CASTLE Going Into Drydock March 14, 2012

[iframe: width=”560″ height=”315″ src=”http://www.youtube.com/embed/rg_3HbYNF-E” frameborder=”0″ allowfullscreen]

From the ship’s Facebook page:

Getting into dry dock is an interesting process that started this morning with heaving up the port anchor and four shots of chain. That anchor was set last June, so you can imagine the amount of muck we lifted as the anchor was raised. With just a small crew on hand and no substitutes on the windlass, let’s just say the crew got some exercise and will sleep well tonight. After a short trip down the waterfront, the Captain got the ship lined up in the cradle, lines were adjusted until the ship was dead centre, then the cradle was hauled out of the water by giant chains. After a check by the scuba divers to make sure everything was properly aligned, the blocks under the bilge were put in place and the cradle continued to be hauled up until it was on solid ground, and the ship completely out of the water. We expect to have the ship out of the water for about a week for routine inspection and maintenance. Thanks to all at the Lunenburg Foundry for a smooth operation today!