Back-to-Back Training Sails Sandwiching a Volunteer Day- Whew.

On three out of the last five days, Spirit of South Carolina felt the energy of a volunteer crew muster aboard, twice to cast-off lines, take her into the harbor and raise sail. In between those days, she got some care she deserved. Like a lathered up racehorse, gave her a long overdue deck wash, and a wipe down, and some fixin' up. 

Doug Hartley takes the helm one last time
 before sailing his own boat to the islands.

The first sail, last Thursday the 25th, didn't start out well-I'll be honest.  Flush with volunteers, more than 19, actually, with a few of them never-ever's. All of you who have been aboard and helped cast-off can appreciate the complex synchronized dance between the deck and the dock-line handlers, timed and  orchestrated by the deck-officers, requiring two-way communication all along the deck, instantly acknowledged and acted on. When it works it looks effortless.  When it doesn't, well....  I'll say we relearned some lessons. to be covered later. 

Todd Cole at the helm

The rest of the  harbor cruise was a successful motor sail broad reaching down toward Ft. Sumter, raising the foresail and jumbo, then jibing up-harbor toward the Ashley River simultaneously striking the jumbo and setting the jib,  tacking just east off the Battery, coursing  up the Cooper just past the Aquarium, dousing all sail and setting up for a portside tie up.  

Swinging over the Gangway

Danny Johnson,
Gangway Master

Head Rig Crew; Those of us remaining
after Lunch securing the jib.  

The docking maneuver was just about perfect, with the gangway setting operation appearing to tighten up with every execution. Danny Johnson's on-call cutting out of work to run the operation providing some welcome continuity. While crew adjusted all dock lines then laying out on the fore boom to harbor furl the foresail, Capt Heath took a headcount and rounded up sandwich making's as lunch. After a welcome break, a few volunteers regretfully departed early to get back to real-world weekday commitments. The remaining six mustered out on the head rig, and made quick work of harbor-furling both the jumbo, and the jib. 

The next day, Friday, came a message from Capt Davis of a Training Sail opportunity for the next Monday. Alrighty then!

Even with Saturday's disappointing volunteer turn-out would've been a good day to finish up the masts, sanding the last foremast section, starting greasing the mainmast and sealing the mainmast boot, but the darned fog and resulting wetness everywhere, ka-boshed both. 

Bryan demonstrating the Popeye
cross-grain deck scrub technique.

Tony starts to flake down the fire main.

Calvin gives the brightwork and cap rail
 a fresh water rinse, a luxury available dockside.

And so the five of us split up between disassembling damaged stanchions and lifelines, and "brushing down our racehorse;" scrubbing the deck- a much, much long overdue piece of basic hygiene for a teak decked schooner.  Switching over the pumps from "Overboard"(bilge pump) to "Fire Main"  and running out the aft fire hose, we thoroughly sloshed down the deck, bulwarks, furnishings and cap rail. With hard bristle brushes, scrubbed cross-grain,  the entire teak deck-followed by a squeegee and chamois wipe-down of the cap rail and brightwork.  By early afternoon we were done. 

On Monday, Not unexpectedly, given the short notice, nine Volunteer deckhands did muster; Walter Barton and sister,  Ken Fonville, Dallas Spencer, Tony Marchesani, Calvin Milam, Captains Jen and Jan, With help from Danny Johnson( old stalwart phone call away) to get the gangway off, and Matt and Christian, dockmasters to cast us off.  First things was a quick review of the four things identified that, combined, brought us misfortune on Thursday's cast-off.  Evidently, lessons were in fact, learned.  Cast off this time was flawless. 

With just us nine crew, it felt sort of hectic. First time ever we would be doing it all, with a bare bones crew. With barely sufficient time to coil and nipper-up dock lines, idlers immediately stood by boat falls to retrieve Calvin's push boat and our crew on the dock. Immediately set to dressing foresail for setting.  I'm sure all hands felt their stomach tighten a bit at raising the foresail with only four on each halyard. This time, with a thumping out-of-tune shanty, the pace of hauling was more measured and synchronized, and both peak and throat crews were able to hoist her  3 quarters up the foremast, before the Bo'sun ( that would be me) yelled out "Peak, make fast! hands to the throat halyard."  

Lines coiled and hung, close-hauled west bound,
 the crew takes a couple of deep breaths.

With seven lined up on the throat halyard she reached the copper sheathing at the mast top in short order. Dallas set the stopper knot, halyard made fast, and all hands lined up on the peak halyard to finish the job.    With all that, crew still had reserves to immediately lay forward to the jumbo, out on the bowsprit to cast off gaskets, loose the clew outhaul, run out the down hall, stand by the sheet, and with two on the halyard, take her all the way up the forestay.  Somebody with a camera would've had some good footage..

Dallas taking his trick at the helm,
steering west towards the Battery.

This time, Capt Davis cut the engine, and we enjoyed a real sail.. Wind NNW (Tony was estimating 15knots-were kicking up white caps. With just foresail and jumbo we consistently pushed 4 knots or more, following the same triangular course as the previous Thursday.  

This time we set up dock lines on port side, dropped sail and set up just off the fuel dock. This time, docking went flawlessly. Capt Davis judged current and winds just right, setting the schooner pointed north parallel and fifty yards off the fuel dock slowly slipping sideways directly up against the fuel dock.  Ken had to toss the #1 heaving line only 15 feet to Matt, the dockmaster waiting for it.  Crew stood by along the port rail with set and floating ball fenders and both fender boards to block the pilings. Once secured,  crew set to opening deck orifices while Fuel and pump-out hoses were handed across.  Within 20 minutes we had taken on about  75+ gallons of diesel and pumped out three holding tanks worth of nasty. 

All Hands portside, harbor-furling the foresail.

Lines cast off, Davis pointed Spirit of South Carolina straight ahead and we ghosted forward to our dock where Danny was waiting again with the same dock crew we'd just left. Again, the gangway was sent over and set up without a hiccup. By now it was after 1300.  After a short hydration break, the crew surged to the last tasks; harbor furling the foresail, and the jumbo. All Fast- All secure around 2 PM.  Realizing at that point we hadn't done any lunch, most of us hastily disembarked.   

 Just now reflecting, I think all of us surprised ourselves a little at how well we performed as a crew, and what we accomplished. It was busy, physical-as expected, but we demonstrated, as with other crew members on previous training sails, a steady progression to improving our ship-handling and seamanship skills, everyone.  We will feel sometime, in the near future,  a point in time when Volunteers can stand on deck together and take our schooner to sea, and and "wow, our students and guests, with a singular, memorable experience.