Two Volunteers-Two Significant Accomplishments.

 Today, the 19th was another steamer on the water, according to Walter Barton and Tony Marchesani; temperature in the mid 90's with humidity seeming to share the same number, and no breeze to ease the slow poaching.  The two volunteers  mustered this morning to tackle two projects what had proved troublesome to complete, or resolve. Both projects involved ship's hardware that, while not highly visible or glamourous are critical to the safe and proper operation of our schooner. 

Portable Trash Pump:  This is a critical back up to the ship's bilge pumping system. Its a small lawnmower engine configured with impellers and souped up hardiness  to survive a marine environment. It sucks water out of the bilge with one fat flex hose, and throws it overside thru another flex hose. For years, crewmembers, including myself pulled this contraption out of it's locker behind the main mast, assembled it, and tested it. In the process they rebuilt the carburetor, replaced plugs, took apart and put back together everything. The engine would fire up, just fine, the suction appeared just to meet sufficient vacuum power, but nothing was coming out the exhaust hose pipe.  Tony Marchesani, with some help, and an exploded diagram he downloaded, tracked the issue to beyond the impeller.  Suspecting something else, he returned to the pile of gear piled into the lazarette and discerned another length of hose, somewhat similar to the one currently installed as the exhaust conduit.. He replaced it with the one found in the lazarette, and the bilge water gushed thru it.. I'm still waiting for him to share the secret, it being in the hose apparently, but he's gone no further.  

The Inflatable Rescue Boat/Tender/Pushboat:   This multi purpose water craft is also critical to the schooner's operation. It's our Man-overboard retriever, our tugboat and side thruster for docking and undocking, and while at anchor, a water taxi for getting groceries on board from shore, or more important, getting sailors ashore for well- earned liberty. Walter meanwhile staring down at the four rubber patches terraced upon each other for eight inche around the bulb-shaped aft end of the inflatable rescue boat, was heard to mutter at the patch job  "Nows it's personal!", or something like that. After carefully applying each subsequent patch to block a residual leak still seaping from under the edge of the previously sealed patch. a leak -smaller than before, persisted.  This time, in addition to the fifth patch applied terraced over the fourth, he examined the intake valve for inflating the pontoon. It appeared to be slightly clogged.. A quick blowing out, brushing off, reinflation of the pontoon, and ,, waited, waited,,, no further bubbling thru the soap film. We may have peace at last, thanks to lots of perserverence. 

While the Bos'n is away... Well, things keep going just fine

 
Last Saturday's Volunteer Day on the 12th was typical July Summer,, Hot, humid and breezeless, the kind of day in which to get things over with early. Nevertheless Volunteers mustered on board to do what needed to be done. Meanwhile your scribe wasn't much better off, just in a different spot, He,(that would be me) was, and still is-as of this writing somewhere on the Chesapeake delivering a sailboat. And back in Charleston, judging from the accomplishments on deck  made in that morning, I wasn't even missed. 

Four stalwart Volunteers mustered on deck; Walter Barton, Ken Fonville, Tony Marchesani, and David Reid. They went right to work, As always, the Forecastle needed pumping, as usual. Tony climbed into the engine room to  charge up the pump. David and Ken remained on deck to check the stream of water being emitted. They saw seawater then bilge water go out discharge. The bilge pumped out well, volunteers getting some  learning experience looking down into the darkness of the bilge. The Deck was surprisingly clean from an early morning downpour, so they set aside the plan to do a deck wash.  

David and Walter worked on the push boat's persistent slow leak, adding another patch- the fourth patch overlapping earlier ones. Maybe this one will be the charm. According to Walter after working the first three Patches, "its personal."
Ken and Walter lifted out the trash pump from its locker on the deck onto the  fixed dock and connected intake and exhaust hoses. The pump started and ran well but created no suction-  priming water made it to discharge hose but nothing else. The crew moved the whole rig across to the floating dock to see if lower suction lift (it was low tide so much suction needed from the higher fixed dock to water) would help, NO such luck. Tony was last seen online bringing up the pump's exploded view. His Engineer-mind now hardwired to isolate the cause.

Volunteers July 4 Annual Muster and Society Social Draws a Crowd.

 

Every year since the Volunteer program was resurrected in 2019,  Volunteers gathered on deck, the evening of July 4, along with family members, bringing their own appetizers and beverages, to celebrate our Volunteer Contributions and enjoy the City of Charleston's Fireworks display over the Aircraft Carrier Yorktown. 

As the day approached this year,  the atmosphere was understandably tentative. After all, for the past six months, Volunteers had maintained the Schooner in a "Standby" status, waiting for a signal that she would finally be dispatched to a shipyard for her 10-Year haulout. This year, Bryan remembered he had a source of funding with which to sweeten the pot.  In a second email, Bryan added that Home Team Barbeque would be supplying a BBQ buffet, and beverages were included.  The responses measurably perked up, such that, by Wednesday, the deadline to RSVP, 12 Volunteers with another 31 of their guests, had signed up. 

Volunteers and Guests  aboard for a July 4 Celebration

Lance Halderman, Maxwell Dale, and their friends, Ashley, and Kyra, came two hours early to help set up retrieving serving containers, utensils, and glasses. The schooner also welcomed a small crew from Baker Motors,, led by Simona Kerpidyova, Assistant to Tommy Baker. 

But before that could really start, the volunteers needed to complete two sailor jobs, down-rigging and storm-furling the large awning, which was no longer providing shade in the afternoon. With the awning furled and out of the way, Volunteers could now tend the boat falls to raise up, then swing over the side and "hip" the small boat on the port rail. That action freed up a large area of deck for visitors on board to set up chairs.  Compliments to Ashley and Kyra who supported their guys in hauling on the forward and aft boat falls, tailing lines, forcing the heavy small boat out over the rail and easing her into position. 

With traditional Maritime music floating over the ship, Walter  Barton and wife Amanda brought out two serving tables. Bryan picked up all the food and drink from Home Team, and Harris Teeter, where Amanda then took charge in setting up the serving line.  Walter filled the huge Yeti with ice and a large assortment of beverages.   By 1900 hrs, the deck was full of people, seated in the chairs they brought, or along the lockers and cabin tops, filling glasses and gazing at the layout. Amanda opened the buffet line, and a line immediately formed.  Time to shift from traditional maritime tunes to American Patriotic.

As plates emptied, refilled, and re-emptied, Bryan passed the word along that he would like to address the crowd, and offer a few toasts, before the fireworks started.  Meanwhile a large crowd of the public had gradually gathered on the dock for advantageous views, looking out over our deck and the expected show across the harbor.

At 2045, fifteeen minutes before the scheduled performance, Bryan Called out for a "Muster Midships" the traditional call for all hands to gather in the center of the ship.  Bryan offered a message that recalled the significance of Spirit of South Carolina's existence, some tidbits of history, and restatement of her hoped for operations going forward post Shipyard. Finally, he offered three toasts.. to the United States,, the Armed Forces and Veterans here.. Lance Halderman, representing the US Navy, offered his own toast to the Navy's sailors.   At that, the fireworks commenced a truly extraordinary show that had to last 45 minutes before culminating in one large illumination. 

Check out the video reel that Walter Barton created.. now on Facebook.

July 4 Celebration aboard Spirit of South Carolina

A special thanks to all the same volunteers, and others, Carin Bloom and husband who helped secure the deck afterwards, start the dish and cutlery washing, wrap leftovers, and cart the full garbage containers all the way back to the dumpster. It was almost midnight when the final items were cleaned and put away or disposed.                                                                                                                        

Saturday morning brought the same stalwarts aboard who had helped clean and secure the evening before. Hugh Sheldon, a welcome addition to the Volunteer Crew was welcomed aboard and immediately stepped into some hands-on deckhand work. By end of morning, he had already checked off five deckhand skills.  They tied up some loose ends, including hauling the smallboat up and swinging her over onto the deck setting her firmly in her chocks and lashing down the gripes.. 

Their reward was a break from maintenance and clean up, in order to get an introduction into the Schooner's Bloom six-knot challenge, with the help of chief instigator, Carin. Bryan and Carin teamed up to lead a hands on session, first introducing the six knots composing the challenge, then for starters, zeroing in on the practical, historical, and wondrous aspects of the traditional bowline.  By noon, and mustering off time, the group was well into the knots intricacies. Their next introduction would be up to them. Next week, on their own. Are you ready to join in?

Summer Volunteer Daze; Stuff happens-We fix it. Short Crews still making a difference.

 Ahh, summer vacation! Everywhere, everyone shifts routines to include just getting away, or just kicking back, and sorta, in a sense, virtually getting away.  Even if its from your year-round fun stuff, like schooner stuff (okay, I"m a little prejudiced here), there's still good, in just getting. away. from. it. In fact I'm about to get away from it myself, for the next 3 weeks, seriously away-helping a sailing buddy deliver his sloop from Newport down to Yorktown VA, then link up with darling daughter for our annual father-daughter Newport Folk Festival weekend, interspersed with small reunions with other Tall Ship Sailors in the area. 

And so

these past few Saturday Volunteer Days aboard Spirit of South Carolina have been understandably, well, sparse. And I won't lie, it brings a bit of frustration. As is the point of crewing aboard a traditionally rigged wooden sailing vessel, virtually nothing can be accomplished by one person alone. Everything requires shipmates to work together, synchronized. These ships are purposely designed with that in mind. It translates to;  eight hands to launch and retrieve the rescue boat; seven hands to cast off lines and push the ship off the dock; five hands to send over the gangway.. I won't mention raising sail.

Therefore,

Our Maintenance Punch List (the to-do list I revise for each Saturday) must necessarily restrict itself to projects that can be advanced by one or two deckhands. Yes,, it's hot.. damn hot!, but the awning rigged over mid--ships makes the deck more than bearable.  This past Saturday, on the 28th, three of us, myself, Tony Marchesani, just returned from the Chesapeake, and Walter Barton faced the work of triaging the list to work we could advance between the three of us.  On this date the situation of "important and urgent" as a priority, wrote the list for us. Tony found the first one.

On boarding the gangway and looking back from the deck, Tony noticed a critical situation.  The gangway rails, in the last king tide accentuated by swells,  tilted beyond their limited arc, pressing and deforming the wood rails on the dock, and forcing out three lag bolts, securing the gangway base to the dock. Basically the gangway base holding the dock-end of the gangway was attached to the dock by only one serviceable lag bolt. Tony made this his individual project.

Tony confirming the depth for driving a
new lag screw supporting the gangway.

It took about a half-hour of prep just gathering the tools,,  a socket set, power drills, assorted bits,, searching the schooners collection of stainless steel lag bolts for three viable replacements, running extension cords from below decks. Once set up, Tony made fairly quick work of it,  tapping out and removing broken screws, pre-drilling three clean holes, and driving in three replacement lag bolts, all of course while hanging over the edge of the dock, under the gangway. 

Bryan tackled the next "important and urgent task", the repair of the step-up railed platform that enabled boarders to step up from the dock onto the gangway to embark/disembark the schooner. It had been deformed by pressure from the gangway rails, stripping out lag screws all over the frame. The job was simple enough, more tedious than anything. Bryan started by searching the three possible lockers to located and stage his corded power drills/drivers, extension cords,, replacement 4 inch lag wood screws. All set up, Bryan releveled each brace and rail in the platform, then drove the four-inch hex-head screws into new fresh wood for improved boat. Additionally, Bryan down-rigged the sliding handrail that designer Danny Johnson had created to bridge the gap between gangway rail and dock platform. That would go home with him to mill out and extend the sliding slot to fit the new platform with the gangway. 

Walter with using a ball peen hammer
as lever to twist down
 the compression of his glued joint.

Walter's project was a continuation of an individual task he'd started three weeks prior;  the refinishing of the top half of the mainsail gaff spar, which was suffering significant varnish peeling and beginnings of UV damage.  In the past two weekends, Walter and other volunteer shipmates had sanded to wood the entire top-half of the 22 foot douglas fir spar stretched out on the deck just forward of the cockpit.  Once sanded, they started wiping on a coat of Interlux Schooner Varnish diluted with two parts of paint thinner, penetrate and seal the wood. The following week, was three more coats of the thinned varnish until it stopped absorbing and formed a hard satin sheen.  In between coats, Walter took on the task of repairing the schooner's iconic folding cane chair, originally  fished from the harbor in Bermuda. The cross member had pulled out.  Coating both surfaces with Tite Bond III, Walter applied a double eye-spliced rope "tourniquet" to tighten the two legs together. 

 Now, on this Saturday, Walter scuffed the surface, tacked it down, started the first coat of undiluted Schooner Varnish, daubing on gobs of varnish with a sponge brush then dry brushing it back over the previous band finely feathering it into the earlier band. In the hot sun and steady breeze, the first and two successive coats "kicked" such that Walter was able to boast the application of one then two successive hot coats of gloss varnish by quitting time.