Deckhand Volunteers evolving deeper into a Seamanship Culture.

 This past Saturday's Volunteer Day began on a different note for the seven Volunteers, Nate Mack, Dave Brennan, Ryan Smith, Stephen Folwell, Alex Lya, Ken Fonville, Walter Barton, and Doug Hartley, who mustered aboard. Alex was welcomed back sporting a wrist cast on his left arm. (He has a story);  Doug had just returned from his first blue water solo cruise across the Gulf Stream to the Bahamas.  But that's not the different note.

  Volunteer Coordinator Bryan Oliver  kicked off the Muster as usual with a  layout of the day's projects to be taken on.  But before breaking out on those tasks, Bryan started a topic new to most Volunteers;  Shipboard culture/the way we do things/ standard operating procedure/ whatever you may call it. It's the mundane routine of shipboard life-day-to-day at dock and at sea, that ensures shipboard harmony, good hygiene, order and discipline among people who work and live together in close, non-private conditions. It's a subtle but significant component of good Seamanship.  

Actually it's not so new to volunteers, everyone who's come aboard has learned the deck habits of caring for, and stowing tools and hardware back in proper locations, securing hatches and coiling/hanging all lines prior to mustering off at end of the day.  This time, Bryan walked the Volunteers thru the routine of caring for below decks, particularly the Saloon, the Heads, and Galley. There is a standard operating procedure for use and stowage of kitchenware,  cleaning materials; a discipline for cleaning up the Galley, and keeping the Saloon table clear.  As Volunteers spend more time aboard, and the Galley starts getting used more often for meal preparation, Shipboard culture takes on greater significance. 

One volunteer began checking all 5 bilges. 

Another finished cleaning up the Galley and l Saloon table

Two volunteers disappeared into the forepeak to secure Grease and Tar buckets that were discovered loose from their hanging hook and  resting in top of the anchor chain in precarious about-to-tip-over positions. The tar bucket was lifted out and disposed in trash.

The Bilge Check revealed the usual suspects;  Forecastle was showing 18 inches depth after less than a week. Ryan led Ken and Alex below to the engine room for a Pump-out tutorial.

Doug began assessing the Dory Damage and laying out a project plan for repair and restoring her to use. 

Walter and Bryan wrestled with gorilla double-faced jello-tape attempting to affix the replacement letters for the Gangway Steps, only to find it unworkable, and settle with the included double-faced tape.

Nate and David worked on calculating dimensions for a replacement telephone pole to control the Yokohama fenders.

As the projects progressed, Ryan took lunch orders from the rest  and phoned in a carry out from East Bay Deli for lunch. 

After lunch break, Volunteers completed projects, and began securing tools and materials, saving for last, the task of  doubling up all dock lines.

Volunteers Pitch in to Solve a high value problem, and practice to dock-handling skills on the side.

 As a Corps of Volunteers, we are starting to approach a situation where our time, our actions, our focus are taking on greater meaning.  As we approach the near future we will actually begin inviting the public aboard for the purpose of generating revenue as well as offering a special experience in South Carolina Maritime History  and Culture.   It all centers around how we prepare our schooner to receive guests who are paying for the privilege, and how, thru our competence as Tall Ship Mariners, will experience something special, worth remembering and passing on. 

A week ago today, six Volunteers crewed Spirit of South Carolina for a trip around the harbor, primarily enabling our two "Event Captains" to better familiarize themselves with our ship's behavior under power; but also to exercise our own deckhand skills underway.

At the end of our harbor cruise, in tying up to our face-dock at the Maritime Center, we exposed some some rough edges, that warranted some focus. Additionally we noticed the appearance and disorganization of the dock, where gear was stored, or maintenance projects were advanced. It generated some priority Punch List items, for the next Volunteer gathering on deck. 

That gathering happened this last Saturday. Four Volunteers, Tony Marchesani, Walter Barton, Ken Fonville, Stephen Folwell, mustered on board at 0900.  They faced a tall list.  So, they conferred on the guidance emails and texts they had received over past two evenings from Volunteer Coordinator, Bryan Oliver, and promptly set to work.  The Dock was a mess, worse, it had become an unsafe mess, with  tools hardware, timbers, and lumber piles, scattered across the end of the dock, covered by salvage awning, weighted down with bricks and other hardware.   There was no Mate, or Bos'n to take charge of the effort.

Demonstrating the standard of seamanship, and teamwork expected of competent tall ship sailors, this group set to work. By lunch time, they had carted off loads of scrap and salvage, re-organized stowage of material and gangway components to clear the areas next to cleats and  benches, returned tools and consumables to their proper stowage on board, or in dock boxes-basically transforming an eyesore into a semblance of order.

This time, the Schooner sprang for lunch, so, while orders were taken and Walter set out to pick up from East Bay Deli, other discussed the set up of a Heaving Line Derby-out on the dock, after lunch. 

Once lunch was completed, and the saloon returned to order, this team mustered on to the dock with heaving lines, to practice a few throws and trade tips and techniques hard-learned from docking experiences as recent as the previous week.   

There's a point to this story, beyond just what got accomplished.  It's how it was done. 

 A band of volunteer deckhands, having absorbed, over months of time on board, a sufficient sense of  standards aboard tall ships, a sense of seamanship built around "ship-shipmate-self"  self-organized into a team and accomplished a big thing.  No one started out "in charge".    

We're starting to build out a real crew. Now it's a matter building out with everyone .                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   

Monday, Spirit of South Carolina Volunteers get a short notice "Heads up" to crew the schooner back to Maritime Center.

If you happened into the Carolina Yacht Club Docks, this past Monday the 29th, you'd see this.  Described by several club members who remarked on "the best eye-candy on the water."  We'll take that compliment. But her week on this dock was over, as City Maritime Center Dock Master Jeff Davis notified us that our face dock space was now ready for us to return.  With that, ,and a hurried Sunday evening call for Volunteers to muster Monday morning, we kluged together a decent "pick-up" crew to take her home.

 

Bobby Noles on throttles, while
 Will Ventress holds course.

Walter Barton, Tony Marchesani, Alicia Cameron, Calvin Milam, and Bryan Oliver were able to drop plans for Monday and muster on board. Just before cast-off, Wayne Burdick climbed aboard to give us a welcome hand. We were joined by our two "Event Captains", Bobby Noles and Will Ventress, and Capt Heath Hackett. Their priority was to use a couple of hours on the water this morning to exercise their "feel" of the harbor currents and tides while performing a few "touch" and goes.  

Calvin in cruise mode

Calvin volunteered to take on Coxwain responsibilities, and soon found himself soloing around the schooner for the duration, until call for push boat  upped his operating tempo. 

Capt Hackett directed the vessel through a few 'touch-and-go's" first at Carolina Yacht club, where we retrieved all out ball fenders and inflatable yokohama 'monsters', before heading back the the Maritime Center, for another two runs. 

On final approach, our crew had a chance to shine when on 25 yards off the dock, Capt Noles called out that our starboard engine shut down.  The original planned choreography of sequenced dock line launches went out the window as  handlers were directed to "throw when able." In spite of a short throw, and the seemingly endless time it took Peter to cross the dock obstacle course to get on the bow line, the crew overall reacted well, and we touched the dock "all standing",  A bit more fore and aft motoring positioned us exactly centered to the gangway, which was immediately rolled out with its hydraulic jack.  We even used the falls to haul out and swing back over to the dock our gangway stair case.

We relearned a few lessons.  

1. Our discipline as Volunteers in maintaining a ship shape dock space as well as on deck, needs work. The south end of the dock has been largely neglected, and the accumulated 'stuff", much of it no more than debris of past projects, created a serious obstacle.  Asst Dockmaster Peter, during docking  was forced to climb across 20 or more feet of hardware with sharp corners hidden under old canvas tarps, while dragging the schooner's bow line all the way to the corner cleat. We did not look good in that area. It'll be a priority to get straightened out.  Look for it on this SignUp Genius.  

Our gangway had been left along the east side  of the dock, effectively blocking the way of dock line handlers trying to drag spring lines back and forth. It belongs on the "Inland side of the dock.)

2. Heaving Lines skills still need work. For some of us more than others.  Getting lines across quickly, while communicating with the dock, even recovering from a missed throw, though largely successful was somewhat uneven Monday. This is an independent skill and is ideal for independent practice, as long as standards are understood. This is an easy practice session, doable almost any time.

Techniques: 

• Always toss the line high and stretch the heaving line to it's limit-even if your receiver is only 15 yards away.  A lightly tossed line won't have the momentum to stretch out the coil in your hand, may likely fall into the water.
• If the line falls short. Don"t try to coil it as you pull it back in. haul it back in rapidly, allowing it to fall at your feet, grab the line near the bag and launch it high and out, allowing the line at your feet to snake out.