Six Days and the Crew Focus Sharpens on the details for a successful cruise to Georgetown, and North Carolina communities get a nice donation.

 Its like any new project, particularly a complex one,, the closer you get to execution, the sharper your focus becomes , and the more to-do's, issues, and details become visible that need to be prioritized and resolved.  Our crew for Georgetown now reduced to a complement of 12 with drop-outs,and add-ins, will be converging the day before cast-off, and a few coming aboard for the first time, the day of. That's 12 souls with skills and experience ranging from vast to well, almost never-ever.  

However, before our crew could board with their personal gear, space needed to be made below for them. ,  In the past 9 months, most of the 28 berths in the forecastle and saloon had been made into staging areas for tools, cords, paint supplies, cases and crates of catering dinnerware, glassware, utensils and all kinds of hardware. Additionally, the head in the forecastle remained inoperable pending a good clean-up and rebuilding of the flushing pump. So, the challenge became, the freeing up as many saloon berths as possible.

So, this past Saturday, with guidance and priorities set by Capt Bobby, Bos'un-Bryan, Dan Maurin, Dallas Spencer, Lance Halderman and Walter Barton climbed aboard, using their best trapeze moves. [The gangway remains non-operational, necessitating boarding either by tender-ferrying , or stretching from the dock across to the Main shrouds, high overhead of the rolling yokohama's.]  Dallas and Lance stayed on the dock the first hour to advance the repair of the Dory's oarlocks and caprail, to make her ready for launch. 

The rest mustered on deck to clear the remaining hardware, miscellany out of the saloon berths, then hunt down, bag-up, and stage on deck every last piece of the existing bed linen, pillows and blankets. One of Capt Bobby's priorities was to rid the ship of the old stuff.  Walter Barton had proposed just the right solution.  Most of the bedding was perfectly usable, and recently laundered in volunteer's laundry rooms. He and his wife and a few others had been gathering household goods to deliver north into the devastated communities in North Carolina. Volunteers staged a fire-brigade-style line from below decks onto the deck then up onto the dock where approximately 40 bagged sets of linens, pillows, and blankets, were piled onto dock carts, and rolled to Walters waiting SUV.  

As the bulky stuff was cleared from below decks, the effort shifted to the odd hardware piles remaining scattered across six different berths..  Some of it went to the dock for storage, some went to the garbage, some  was consolidated into other bunks, but the net result was, that we freed up another half-dozen berths for their intended use. 

As the below decks operation was coming to a stopping point, Dallas had shifted from the Dory to the damaged 8 feet of starboard cap-rail gouged by the broken gangway. With a couple of recently procured exotic-looking rasps, and experience from his two weeks at the Wooden Boat School in Brookline Maine, Dallas chiseled, scraped and smoothed out the damaged areas, readying them for the next step of some 120 grit, and coats of Australian Timber Oil. 

In the course of the morning, Capt Bobby gave us a better picture of the near term activities for the vessel.  It's now been over a year since our last COI Inspection. We are due for another one, which may be a bit more involved since it will certify the ship from In-shore to(hopefully) Off-shore operation sailing. Without it we are unable to carry passengers out to sea. The preparation for-and COI sail are being scheduled.   

In the interim. the schooner is not authorized for paying passengers.  So in this interim, Capt Bobby is planning for a number of training sails, similar to our cruise to Georgetown. At the other end of this cycle is the delivering of the schooner to shipyard in late Spring 2025 for a few months, for it's 10-Year Inspection. which will involve really in-depth, mast-unstepping examinations; shipyard location, not yet confirmed.

Ten Days till Georgetowne and Counting Down

This past Saturday the 5th was the first chance of start resolving the suddenly burgeoning  Punch List, courtesy of Tropical Storm Helene. Five of us mustered in the Saloon, with Capt Bobby to review the list and share news, the best of which was.. Our new Mate has a name, and a resume..   She is Eva Keyes, and has been a mate on at least three different schooners if I counted correctly.  One of those was Harvey Gamage, out of Portland. Some of you involved in her last couple of ports of call likely may have met.  She remembers Spirit of South Carolina.  

With that news some additional variables fell out regarding our Cruise to the Georgetown Wooden Boat Show.  We'll be sailing with a max complement of 11 sailors and Capt Bobby.  His plan is to cast off around 0800 hours Friday morning, to make our anchorage by 1900.  

The Boat Show officially kicks off at 1100 along the waterfront Street. We anchor well outside, in vicinity of their Marina, where water is sufficient to carry our 12 ft depth.  Crew will ferry ashore in the tender .  The rest of this is pure conjecture on my part, pending decisions made by the Captain:

We can expect some" Liberty" time to go ashore to enjoy the Boat Show. 

We can also expect to set an anchor/deck watch 24 hours/day(usually a one-person job). 

It's very likely we may have a table, - we can expect to staff a table in the exhibition area, where we may have our sandwich board,, our Recruiting Brochures,. If had power from somewhere, maybe a TV screen looping some video footage, 

It's a component of our Volunteer Role to be a storyteller. Now will be our opportunity. Mostly it would require two of us, on a 2-hour shift as Storytellers, (material to be ingested, absorbed, memorized, so as to be competent story tellers of  Spirit's History, where she comes from, and her mission. The schooner's role in representing the maritime culture of South Carolina thru stories about:

• Schooners and the Seaborne Underground Railroad, 
• Francis Elizabeth and Piloting in the 19th Century- and now.
• Spirit of South Carolina's ties to the Schooner Yacht America

It oughta  be fun.  We expect to sail for other appearances up and down the coast.

This past weekend deserves some attention.  We put a good dent in the Helene Punchlist.

Steve Folwell teamed up with Capt Bobby to wrestle out the two old-worn out dorm refrigerators from the Galley, then lowered down the companion hatch two new refrigerators.  Unfortunately both were of higher capacity, and, consequently greater volume and density then the earlier-antique-y rust boxes they replaced. Only one would fit.  So, while Steve wrestled with blocks and shims to wedge into place one of the refrigerators,  Capt Bobby strategized options for placement of the second-larger refrigerator. 

Another significant punch list project lay hidden in the nicely harbor-furled roll of the Jumbo sail. In the last cruise to the sea buoy, the jib sheet's clew shackle had chafed a spot in the middle of the sail, expanding it into a  squared tear.   Turns out the clew should never have been rigged that way, only requiring the jib sheet pendants to cow hitch directly into the clew cringle.  This, Bryan resolved quickly with help of Lance and Walter. Now to fix the tears.

 Bryan challenged Lance to some herringbone stitching. 

Bryan and Lance stitching up the tear
in the Jumbo.

Walter disappeared into the saloon, coming up the stairs with the ship's Canvas Repair bag. Selecting two large canvas needles, a sailor's palm for each, and two fathoms of waxed nylon twine, the two laid out halfway down the jumbo boom to dig thru the folds and expose the torn section. For the next hour, until time to order lunch Bryan and Lance starting at opposite ends of the tear laid in stitch after stitch,,,, after stitch. only reloading twice each needle, the tears were joined, not necessarily prettily, but enough to hold together pending a correct sail fabric patch., 

 Once free from the jib sheets, Steve and Walter teamed up with a large socket set and breaker bars to take off the two bronze stanchion bases from the damaged cap rail.  Capt Bobby took charge of them for later transport to the Smithy.

Meanwhile Lance Halderman, and Bryan Oliver finished off a hugely symbolic and significant project, actually initiated by 100 Volunteer hours- Dallas Spencer when he basically made from scratch, a pair of boat tackles, traditionally stropped and tarred with a 4-to-1 purchase. Dallas completed rigging up the portside stern boat falls, at which time we ran out of Vintage 3-strand 1/2 rope. That left the bow falls gear languishing in the bo'sun's locker.. until earlier this week when a 250-foot spool of the right stuff arrived from New England.  So, once the correct length was laid out on the deck, cut and whipped, an eye splice turned in at one end over a thimble-it was rove thru the two double blocks. 

Lance on his second climb aloft
with bigger channel locks.

Next step was for Lance to lay aloft with a marlinspike and channel locks to break free the one shackle pin holding the top double becket block to it's pendant. Lance must've made about four round trips aloft trying different tools, more WD40, then something more powerful that escapes me, before we mutually agreed the pin was sufficiently seized that we couldn't attain the torque to break it, while it hung up in the air. 

As the day was closing down, our crew secured tools and finally departed, leaving Bryan staring up at the double becket block so far defying any attempt to dislodge it.  Only option left was to cut the pair of well-clapped on seizing's holding the five-foot long becket block pendant to the shrouds, about 10 feet above the running lights box, lower it down and get the block and shackle to the bench vise on the dock.  So, Bryan buckled on his rig and climbed about half-way up the shrouds, his personal best yet, and started sawing away on the double-round seizing's.  After ten minutes, the final wraps were severed and Bryan climbed back down with the stiffly rigid pendant. Reaching the deck, Bryan grabbed the small ball peen  hammer from the tool locker bag, "things that hammer", and walked across the deck carrying the pendant, to the starboard main shrouds.  Without the gangway, the crew was forced to stretch themselves across the chasm between the cap rail and the dock, usually at varying heights due to the tide.  He climbed up to the sheer pole before turning around to stretch out over the water, grab the piling and step across to the dock where the bench vice sat at the far end..  Three sharp blows of the hammer on the shackle ring, was enough to break the rusty hold of the shackle pin.  Returning to the deck, all parts now present, including the last shackle on board with apparently the exact size opening to admit the thimble end. Not so. The thimbles opening would not spread sufficiently to slip over the custom milled bronze round thimble in the block's strop. Another trip to the vice, with the ball peen hammer to pound the bronze ring "sidewall" sufficiently compressing it to allow the haul's thimble in to slip into the shackles thimble.  But now, where was the shackle pin? the one Lance had fought so hard with way up aloft, ?  Now, it was dark. it was after seven pm, and time to quit.. So the search for the misplaced shackle pin would wait till ..well,, later. 

The next morning, Sunday,, consumed with , or obsessed with, we're not sure, Bryan drove alone back to the Schooner just after lunch, boarded and started searching for the missing shackle pin, which he found almost immediately.  With all parts now accounted for the  block, bow falls bitter end, and shackle could be assembled and torqued; the mousing wire would have to wait to reinforcements arrived.  For now, Bryan's adrenalin was up to get this Bow Falls pendant  overhauled with the bow falls rope, then raised up and round-seized up again in it's position halfway up the foremast shroud. A sunday afternoon well-spent.  That would make four critical items struck from the Punch List. The next challenge would have to wait until Monday morning. 

"It's Always Something!" This time, her name's "Helene", and she's added to our maintenance "Punch List"

I just finished a drive from St. Louis home to Mt Pleasant three days ago, skirting the Tennessee-North Carolina-Georgia borders.  Sobering is an understatement.  Coupled with the news footage of the devastation visible even from the Interstate, is a jarring reminder of how relatively well we've fared here on the coast..this time.

 

Our swamped next door neighbor with damaged
 floating dock being salvaged.

Spirit of South Carolina fared better than many.  This was the scene when I walked down the dock Tuesday morning. I haven't heard the complete stories, but according to Capt Bobby, at one point, the floating docks rose higher than the fixed docks. (Dory survived on her cradle just fine, if you're asking). Coupled with winds 45 kts plus,  and wave action driving from the SSE, as I remember my PredictWind app, our Schooner rode pretty well, but not without  some injury.  The mechanics of those injuries will be discussed in subsequent crew gatherings with more lessons to be learned.  Stay tuned. 

Welcome to copy and paste: For now, our maintenance punch list has been revised so it now reads:

• Sand down and refinish 8-foot length of starboard caprail forward of gangway.
• Remove for repair/replacement, two damaged stanchions from the caprail (same area) 
• Repair with Herringbone stitch and sail tape(temporary), the hole center of the Jumbo.

• 

  Our starboard rail took a good scraping
  from the gangway pulled along the rail
   before being torn from the dock.

  Repair the air leak in the Tender (Capt Bobby may be ahead on this)
• Remove shackle from the Jib Clew, "Cow-hitch" the jib sheet pendant directly to the Jib clew.
• If available, measure out new rope (1/2") and up-rig "Spencer blocks" to port-side bow falls.
• Start Prepping for Georgetown Cruise.
• Clear out designated Saloon bunks for crew berths
• Deck Wash 
• Organize to rig rope lifelines between Fore and Main shrouds for going to sea.
• 
  

If you can lend a hand, and lay in on any of these projects, please select a date/time you're available and sign up with others. 

Click Here to SignupGenius

With our gangway no longer in operation, we are reduced to crossing from the dock to a shroud to get to the deck; fairly easy at high tide, more of a challenge as the ship lowers on the ebb, but still doable.

Something else to look forward to, next month.  This is a big deal.  For the first time since 2019, our crew will include a professional Tall Ship sailor.

Around 3 November, we're planning to welcome aboard our new Mate. Not yet authorized to provide a name, but I have seen the CV.  Turns out some of you older volunteers may have met this person at one time. Five years in tall ships, schooners mostly, South Pacific as well as east coast up to Maine as Mate.  This person knows our ship, thinks highly of her, and already knows what y'all do. Yes, I"ve been talking.  You can expect standards to go up a bit ;-).  But that's what Mates do.   

PS.  Since I can't be everywhere all the time, I"ve missed some Volunteer Activity( Last week's successful harbor charters), which as a result I've no visibility into what happened, to whom,  with whom, and generally how things went.  With a couple of donated photo's and a narrative  of what happened.. you too can be a productive Blogger.   I'll publish anything you contribute... mostly.

Gone to Sea! Spirit of South Carolina Breaks free of the Jetties!

 Woohoo!  For the first time since 2019, Spirit of South Carolina broke free of the coast.  Saturday morning, the 21st,  was an almost perfect day, fair winds-easterly, but less than 10 knots. We could've made good use of another 5 to10.  We did make good use of some other welcome help.  Coming on deck for the first time in four years, Ship's Cook, Ray Krugger and former First Mate, Charlie Porzelt came aboard to help out and provide some valuable perspective from their extensive experience aboard other tall ships as well as Spirit. 

After a muster at 0830, and organizing into 3 watches, the crew of  18 volunteers set to sea stowing the deck, launching the tender,  "dressing all four sails" and taking off the gangway. Under joint command of Bobby Nobles and Will Ventress,  we cast off around 0930 and made straight down the channel for the jetties. In another first, the crew raised the tender all the way onto the deck for sea-stowing. 

 Leaving Shutes Folly (Castle Pinkney) to starboard, Capt Bobby directed Bos'un Bryan to set the Main.  All three watches teamed up on the halyards downhauls, vangs, and sheets, raising all  four sails by the time we glided past Ft. Sumter.

Under Full Sail outbound past
 Sullivan's Island

 Now motor sailing to get beyond the jetties, the waters were still quiet until the last rocks passed our transom.  The  harbor ripples immediately increased to offshore swells, and Spirit of South Carolina began a subtle role, combined with a rise and fall.  The wind stayed constant around 10 knots, but dead on our nose, , forcing us to tack away from our charted course for the Sea Buoy- 19 nautical miles Southeast from Sullivans Island Light. So, Capt Bobby put the helm down, the crew hardened up sheets, and, under full sail she bore off to the South-Southeast on a beat. 

Now, for those of you have sailed you know that, though sails are all set and drawing, the work is only half-done. Our crew was largely newer volunteers, more than a few first-timers and visitors, so our "older salts", Nick Swarts, Nate Mack, Dave Brennan, and Carin Bloom took charge, The experienced hands each gathered three or more "waisters" around them, and together they coiled, and ballantined  15 separate piles of cordage now tangled in heaps the length of the deck.

An almost perfect Flat Coil
 of the Main Sheet

Once the deck resumed an orderly appearance, Bryan organized the three Watches around the three "stations" or duties of a standard Watch;  Helm. Forward Lookout, and Boat Checks.   For the next 90 minutes each group learned and practiced the responsibiliti


es, procedures, and protocols of "Standing Watch."   

As the Watch round-robins were concluding, Sea Cook Ray had taken charge of organizing the lunch provisions below in the salon. As the watches concluded, he roared up to the Bos'un that lunch was ready below. Crew eagerly piled down below for  sandwiches and beverages. 

As watches completed and secured from lunch, all had some time to just gaze around, back to the coast, now 10 miles to the northwest, and mostly below the horizon. The sun was warming  and intense, softened by the constant breeze, and the ship's 4.5 knots. Our sea state had grown to rolling swells of two feet, creating in the deck a siginificant yaw and roll, guaranteed to give every soul on board a "Sailor's Gait"  once they returned to terra firma. 

By 1500, Capt Bobby conferred with his officers on their progress.  As pleasant as the sail was we weren't making the progress needed to make the sea buoy and return to port by 1700.  Capt Bobby called to tack the schooner.  With even our new volunteers, crew quickly found and stood by their sheets. As Capt Bobby brought her head up into the wind, the headsails were first eased off, then backwinded to help get the bow across the wind.  the Fore and Main were sheeted in tightly, then allowed to pass over as the bow swung thru the wind.  Headsails then passed and sheeted in. Almost like clockwork. Amazing what an afternoon does.

One new drill remained to be exercised.

Mate, Charlie Porzelt conferred with Bos'un Bryan on state of the Preventer rigs, the tackles that would hold out a boom "preventing" an accidental jibe.. After Bryan's assurance they were operational, Charlie called out to rig the foresail preventer. Once set, the crew moved aft to the Mainmast and repeated the drill.

Now on a broad reach with wind over the starboard quarter, Spirit of South Carolina was at her best point of sail. Approaching six knots, even in the light breeze, she rode across the swells splitting then with spray exploding off the weather bow, and water boiling into the leeward scuppers, and sliding back off just as quickly. 

Hands to the headrig to furl the jib.

Shooting the jetties too soon - we were still relishing the ride, Capt Bobby directed crew to start taking in sail. Under Charlie Porzelt's direction, newer volunteers on the halyards did a decent job of lowering away while other shipmates lined up along the booms to flake as the sail lowered. 

By the time the tender was rigged and launched for docking, all sail was lowered and furled. New Volunteer Madison on dockline #3, reared back and let fly her heaving line in a perfect arc stretching it high over the head  Charlie Porzelt waiting on the dock;
. a first-time ever Perfect throw.  With

And... We're Back! and picking up a little speed.

 Nobody likes Dead-Air,, Radio stations hate it because it influences listeners to switch channels. Dead air in electronic communication on a network is at least, annoying, and at worst, a bit frightening, because listeners suddenly get silence where before there was information, direction, knowledge, or just plain chatter,, all a sudden,, quiet.. "something must be wrong, or we would've been warned."  

So, yeah,, after 24 August,, the Volunteer kind-a sorta went dark,, for 3 weeks.  My bad.  I doubt I warned anyone sufficiently, that I would be heading out on a two-week trip up to New York for my classmates' 50th year reunion, after-which, Jane and I would continue north up the Hudson River into the Adirondacks for some sightseeing.  

That did not mean there was nothing to write about.   Volunteer Saturdays continued, Special projects were taken on and advanced. Volunteers surpassed their 100 service hours (Dallas Spencer,(actually back in July,) and Ryan Smith-50 service hours.   New Volunteers tested the water.  and something else, notable..  Captain Bobby returned to take command; with that, a sharpened focus on priorities, like fixing once and for all those yokohama fenders.. getting more volunteers sharpened up to sail the schooner off shore. and building up revenue-generating charter sails.

Being incommunicado most of my vacation, on purpose, I had much catching up to do, starting with the two-day drive back home.  

The September 21st  Training Sail to the Sea Buoy is very much on, and signups are still open.  We'll take up to 30. There will be a waitlist. Priority aboard will go to the most competent volunteers, to build initial 1st string of Volunteer crew, capable of training other volunteers, Volunteers who will be able to return, not on their way out.  

Between now and then, there are needs for volunteers in small numbers to support the next five business day afternoons on board, with a Baker Motor Company's Teambuilding   Facilitator.  Details are sketchy, but I'll find out soon enough when I show up, how 'we'll support. 

We will cast off for a short period of time only to clear the dock space to make a final repair solution on those Yokohama's. That will require volunteer crew aboard ship, at least 9, and a separate crew of volunteers dockside and in the small boat, with tools to affect the final fastenings.

I'm supporting Capt Hobby's intent for a second. day-long Training Sail to the Sea Buoy. Hopefully a week or two before October 18. when our first really big show will occur.

Spirit of South Carolina is coordinating with the Festival committee of the Georgetown Wooden Boat Show, for us to make an official appearance. We will anchor outside the harbor (too shallow at their dock). We are marketing to fill up 10-15 berths with guest crew,  to complement our own, and pay for the privilege.     Volunteer crew will man every aspect of that four day cruise,, the passage to Georgetown, the anchorage and ferrying of guest crew ashore,  training of guest crew to perform crew duties, and the passage home.  Volunteers will signup  for that long weekend, in segments, depending on how much they can commit.   This will be our largest  and most public show to date; an off-shore passage, with passengers,, guest crew, learning from us, and receiving an unforgettable experience. 

  The ship isn't just wasting away; on the contrary.  our optempo is accelerating.     -                                                                               

Maintenance Punch List as of: August 24, 2024

Here's the link to the Maintenance Punch List as of 24 August. This list actually supersedes the hard copy currently in the Saloon.

 Maintenance PUNCH LIST as of 24 August

Shore Power regained, Progress picks up, and a New Volunteer Joins the Crew

The loss of shore power over the last two  weeks had crimped our style on a few levels, such that we agreed to concentrate our efforts in the morning, and muster off by noon. The  inability to run the fans below in the saloon and forecastle left those  spaces torridly stagnant and humid even with all hatches opened.  Worse, the lack of refrigeration  took away capacity to make our block ice in the freezer for our water jug topside, leaving us with warm drinking water for hydration.. Speaking of refrigeration, it's absence was sorely felt on discovering 150 lbs of frozen groceries, thawed out in the freezer; which had to be pulled out, bagged and carted to the dumpster.   Only the rigging up of the midships awning provided some respite.

So it was a welcome surprise that Saturday, when the five of us, tepidly stepped aboard, we notice the power had been restored.  Capt Heath had come aboard earlier in the week, and restored power by first cutting off all power from the distribution panel, then powering up from the dock pedestal, and one at a time,  bringing each circuit back on line. I guess even electrical power doesn't like being "shocked" by a suddenly large demand. 

Progress on the dory, turning her upright,
 sanding then varnishing her gunwales.

With fans below blowing, and all hatches opened the below decks environment soon became habitable, and Bryan organized the crew around three projects:  Ryan Smith, Tony Marchesani, Lance Halderman, and Steve Folwell set up power sanders, scrapers and varnish, onto the dock to work on the dory.  Wayne Burdick with  Brody Smith, pulled out of the foc'sle a role of salvage sunbrella awning to fashion a UV protecting wrap to cover the schooners topmast, which had been lying on the bench for three years.  

Jeff  inventorying the varied contents
 of the paint locker.

Bryan took new volunteer, Jeff Fabian in tow for an orientation tour of the ship, followed by first lessons in safe line handling and coiling, finally on the traditional New Volunteer Scavenger/Treasure Hunt, scouring the ship to identify location and contents of every storage area above and below deck. 

  

 Tony and Wayne secure the outer straps and come'a'long
before starting to roll the outer end, while Jeff observes.

As noon came around,  the crews secured tools and materials, then mustered under the awning to start the drill of furling it.  The crew made short work of it, down rigging the out board edge and rolling it up to the foresail gaff, where Bryan had staged five seine twine "gaskets, all set to spiral around  the furl and the gaff. 

With the awning now tightly furled onto the gaff and all gear and tools secured in their rightful places.  

In the coming two weeks, starting the 25th, Bryan will be traveling out of state,  so Volunteers will keep our momentum alive.  Bryan will leave behind a Punch List of projects simple enough for one or two Volunteers to tackle on their own schedule any day of the week.  Volunteers can find it on a clipboard, suspended above the Saloon Table, and Sign-up, via SignUp Genius, for any day of the week, time and duration of their choosing.

 

Saturday's Light Volunteer Turnout tackles aftermath of Betty

 On a typically sweltering, broiling Saturday morning, Four Volunteers braved the heat to come on down to the water and pitch in on something. As usual, Bryan, the first to climb down on the deck discovered that his agenda for the day was out the window.  

His first observation gave him a false sense of hope when he noticed the power cable had been taken out of its storage in the lazarette and run out from it's pedestal on the floating dock up and over the fixed doc and plugged in. That sent Bryan clambering down the saloon ladder hoping to switch on the powerful fan suspended over the saloon table and force the hotter sweltering stale air in the saloon up and out. The switch clicked, but the fan didn't.  neither were the two refrigerators.. All contents were warm. He didn't dare try the freezer.   So now the planned priority for the day shifted over to troubleshooting the power issue.  Help came walking down the dock in form of Tony Marchesani. While Tony stood by the pedestal to reset, Bryan tried a few sequence changes in the different Engine circuit breakers. Each sequence produced the same result, powering up the ship caused the circuit to break at the pedestal. 

Now Lance Halderman appeared. Using his recently acquired electrical engineering chops, he pointed out the possibility of moisture in the connections. Three cables, with two "extension" connections. A cursory disassembly revealed as a possibility of moisture. All disconnected and left to dry out. 

With that, By this time, Walter Barton walked in, in time for next visible issue  which had become apparent as Bryan and Tony looked over the side to inspect the handiwork of the team five days prior in resetting the Yokohama alignments on their respective pilings. What he saw made him sag a little.  There's always something!

Aft Yokohama with it's Pole "axle"
disappeared having shifted in three feet inside.

While the forward two Yokohama's remained in their position, centered on their assigned pilings, the The aftmost Yokohama had somehow slid forward, partly off it's pole by six feet, where it threatened to, once again, catch itself behind it piling rather than resting centered on it.

After end of the Yokohama with it's pole axis

 nearly all the way out.  

Apparently the combined action of current, and tide created a condition where the Yokohama, could almost float off it's pole axis, or at least sufficiently off center  to negate its use as a cushion again between the schooner and the piling. 

Using a spare 30 feet of line, the team rigged a lariat loop on the long end of the pole, snagging the loop against two bolt heads protruding out at the end. With a forward jerk, the team hoped to "shock" the pole an few inches at a time, back thru the center of the Yokohama so to expose the other end of  the pole at its  the opposite end. As the pole began to protrude a few inches out of the forward end, a second looped line snared the end, and upward pressure applied in order to take some weight of the pole off the axle, hopefully making it easier to jerk the pole a sufficient distance to recenter it in the Yokohama. With all three working together, one each on the two ends of the pole, lifting up, and the third with a long boat hook jabbing at the end of the Yokohama to force it back to center.  The team was partially successful in forcing back the Yokohama sufficiently that it now rested more centered on the piling.  A few more attempts and 3 long lag bolts into the pole to lock the Yokohama in place would stabilize it.

Now for the last pressing matter.. Up-rigging the foremast awning on port side. By late morning, the unshaded deck was a sort of hot skillet. Now the team shifted to lifting the bagged awning roll up out of the forecastle and staging it on deck.  Over the past month, various crew had become familiar with the up-rig process, benefiting from a detailed, illustrated instruction sheet, attached to the inside of the bag. In the next fifteen minutes the four had completely rigged up and tuned an effective awning, protecting and cooling the entire port side midships deck area.  After enjoying the shade, and rehydrating, the team  pulled up the gear and old sunbrella awning material that had been caught in the rain on Monday, and spread them under the awning to dry out, before restowing, which would have to occur sometime later.     Crew mustered off around 1 pm. 

No Rain, but then Rum, and then Really Serious Rain Sums up a Roller-coater Week

I was just thinking, in light of the weather decision on 31 July to cancel our Sail to the Sea Buoy. On Sunday August 4  I'll bet I wasn't the only one with a sardonic reaction to the placid weather that appeared over the harbor and approaches.  Tropical Storm Betty was still a day's watch off to the south. I was imagining us on board, already with Ft. Sumter abeam and busy with all hands hauling away halyards getting the mainsail peaked up-under full press, outward bound for the sea buoy. No doubt many of our "guest crew" from Charleston Offshore Racing Association(CORA), who had signed up for their first tall ship sailing experience, and expressed excitement at the opportunity, were just as disappointed. 

 Notwithstanding the weather decision to cancel our planned sail, it was a great day dream for a moment. And, it remains a viable goal for Spirit of South Carolina and her Volunteer Crew for the near future. All the cases for it to happen are still out there. And, I'm maintaining the original SignUp Roster of all the crew, so that all on it will be the first ones notified when this opportunity resurfaces.

So, for Sunday, to assuage the disappointment, I proposed to all participants, a Rum Tasting, on board for that Sunday afternoon. Seven accepted the proposal-four from CORA, Tim Vienneau and his wife, Scott Depung and friend, Carin Bloom, Nick Swarts and Bryan Oliver. Bryan brought aboard a diverse collection of nine rums ranging from "value-priced" to well-aged, silver-to gold-to dark, up to 18 years, representing distilleries from all over the Caribbean, to New England, and of course Charleston. With lotsa munchies scattered around the table as well as water for cleansing palates, hydrating, and rinsing, attendees tried out 1/2 ounce samplings. We compared and contrasted, discovered new ones, redefining our favorites while Carin and Bryan narrated on all topics of origins, economics, distilling secrets, and sordid history, including schooner rum runners. Carin proposed a toast to Black Tot Day, the occasion of the British Royal Navy pounding the tap into the last Barrel signifying the end of rum issued to Sailors. As a finale, Bryan offered up two different rum cocktails, each with their own stories,, one a Bermuda Swizzle from the 1920's, and the Original Rum Runner, six ingredients, four of them alcoholic. In moderation of course. With those in hand, most attendees gathered on deck to enjoy the light breeze, and most welcome temperature of mid '80's on the water. 

 Monday, the 5th, TS Betty, appeared on the southern horizon, as Capt Heath Hackett and a crew of four, along with Bos'un Bryan mustered at 0800 on deck to tie down anything on the dock that could blow or float away, and attack the issue of straying Yokohama's, once again trapped inside the dock pilings, and the schooner's hull, blown by wind and current, pressing against them, allowing no room to float out and re-center. 

Teammate, Jack Frazier relaxes in the headrig, waiting
 for Team mate Brian to climb out with more gaskets.

So the team started first on deck, adding additional gaskets to tighten up the furls on the sails, which were still a bit billowy from the last sail douse.

Heath Hackett (in red foulies) and team
 formulating a Plan A to clear the forward Yokohama
 out of it's pocket on the side of the piling. 

Within the first hour the first band of rain began sprinkling, rapidly building to soaking downpours sending us to sending below anything salvageable from exposure on the dock and closing off hatches. A few of us had foulies on board to throw on. Most just enjoyed(at first) a cooling soaking antidote to the summer's persistent 90 degree temp and 85% humidity.  At the same time Capt Heath attempted to start up the small boat engine prior to launching. A good move, since the engine, likely with water somewhere in the line, refused to kick over.- which sent him out on a search for a replacement "push boat". 

Meanwhile rest of the crew looked at methods to tension up the chain tethering each of the three Yokohama's together. Lariat loops were fashioned to snub around the chain linking the aft Yokohama to it's end piling. Snubbing the loop up on a chain link enabled us to stretch the chain longitudinally, thereby pressuring the Yokohama to float aft, and recenter on it's piling. Now it was waiting for Capt Heath and whatever push boat facsimile he could procure on this now dark gray skies, soaking raining mess. 

Bryan cheerfully waits for Capt Heath's Plan B
 push boat to appear on the horizon, 

Only a half-hour later, he appeared driving towards us around the Cruise terminal dock in a small Center console fisherman. I didn't ask where he got it. We had rigged a long tow rope off the port quarter to send over to him and he and his team mate, Richard He maneuvered close to take the line as Bryan tossed over. 

 Capt Heath, with Richard monitoring the tow cable on the little cleat, and the small fishermen made four attempts from various angles to pull the stern off the dock sufficiently to create sufficient space for the Yokohama blivits to float free of the pilings and rest properly outside of them. Each time, while the stern pulled off sufficiently, the bow countered, swinging into the dock, preventing the most forward Yokohama to clear it's piling. 

Frustrated, and accounting for the risk of damaging the little fisherman's ground tackle gear, Heath returned it to the dock. Meanwhile, on board, crew was discerning a slight expanding of the distance between dock pilings and the schooner's hull. Slightly diminishing wind, and tide transitioning appeared to be creating a time window in which the schooner was allowed to widen it's gap with the dock, sufficient for all the Yokohama's to float free of their pilings. Just as Capt Heath returned, the team had already taken the strain along two lines on the linked Yokohama's  pulling them [northwards] out and away from their pilings then centering on them.  The team rapidly tide off their "tag" lines to a piling to stabilize the Yokohama's in place.  

By now the crew had been working furiously on the dock and on deck, while totally soaked, and constantly wiping the rain out of their eyes. The temperate, cooling effect of the rain, ironically made for a much more temperate working environment, at the expense of soaking us down to, including anything in our pockets. With last of the gear on the dock stowed in the locker or slung under the lashed down dory the team took last look around, and slogged back up the dock to cars and a soggy ride home.

And Things Were Going So Well; then a Curve Ball, but maybe a base hit.

Bryan Oliver awards Nick Swarts
 his 50 Hours Pin; Shipmates, Lance and Tony
 provide the boisterous audience.

 First some catching up. A few weeks ago we recognized Nick Swarta, once a new Volunteer, but no longer, after racing past 50 hours of Volunteer Time. He's currently well on his way to 100 hours if  not already, and I haven't checked the Volunteer Log yesterday.  You'll see him often  crewing the small boat as Coxwain.  My lateness excuse was searching for this lost photo. 

Nick's in good company with a much welcomed stream of new Volunteers mustering with us over the past couple of months. 

.........................................

It was an exciting ten days-filled with a growing schedule of cruises, a growing roster of new volunteers that needed to be trained, and a sense of an increasing visibility of our schooner to the general public.  

Saturday, the 20th of July Coaches for Character Students,(Sponsored by Baker Motors) and their adult leadership came aboard for a Reward pleasure cruise.  Nevertheless, our crewmembers cajoled several of them into raising the headsails, and do some line handling and coiling.  

No sooner had we secured the ship after  putting our student visitors ashore, than a request came down from the Executive Assistance Office for another Impact Charleston Cruise for  Wednesday, July 24th. At that point the Volunteer program hit the limit all of us were  warning ourselves about- the capacity of volunteers to meet the cruise demand. As early as last year, the conversation around crewing with Volunteers, included an admonition, that to staff three harbor sails a week, would require a bench of at least 40 competent volunteers, with the concept that, out of that bench, a crew of 5 or so could easily be found for any given day.  We're still a ways from 40. And so it was, that Spirit of South Carolina was forced to decline a sailing opportunity for that Wednesday the 24, because of inability to bring aboard sufficient competent crew.  While unavoidable, it was not a good look for us, and reinforced the need for a sizeable build-up of crew capability.

The following Saturday, the 27th a regularly scheduled Volunteer Day was lightly attended, Dallas Spencer brought along his ship's carpenter tool kit, and proceeded to repair the Dory's inside gunwale that had been torn up in a previous incident of weather and a hard dock.  not surpisingly due the the highly anticipated promise of a serious All-Day Training cruise the following Sunday, 4 August, to the Sea Buoy and back, about 49 nautical miles. 

And to make it interesting, our Co-Captains invited aboard a large contingent from the Charleston Offshore Racing  Association. I initially viewed this change with dismay, since it upended plans for serious deck operations training at sea, including emergency drills.   However, the mental picture of  over 22 CORA sailors and skippers-modern day serious sailors, enthusiastically jumping in to learn halyard hauling, coiling, and tending-sailing the hard way.  This was a group from whom insinuations came that Spirit of South Carolina was no longer doing anything,, no longer worth a serious thought.. Ouch!  

This cruise would become a perfect opportunity to change some hearts, gain some badly needed moral support and visibility in the sailing community, and hopefully,, more volunteers.  Brilliant.

As Monday July 29, came along, Capt Heath Hackett, our Project Manager, pointed out the possibility of heavy weather moving up the coast around Sunday, risky enough to force a decision mid-week whether to go or cancel the cruise. 

Two days later, Wednesday a few Volunteers mustered  with our Co-Captains Will and Bobby to hoist one of them aloft for rigging inspection. Sam Sablotsky and brother Levi joined Carin Bloom and Bryan on deck to rig up the bosun's chairs on the peak halyards.  In that session Capt Bobby confirmed that earlier that day, he had declined a final offer from the organization for assuming command of Spirit of South Carolina as Captain.  An agreement could not be reached on compensation. And Wednesday would be his final day.  

Later that day, the Cruise to the Sea Buoy was cancelled.

Setback.

Ramifications extend to our ability to cast off, let alone schedule sailings, and generate revenue.

Insinuations and Allegations?  Who and what the heck happened?!  While tempting, we realistically have no time for them. They are distractions to what we signed on for, that is taking joy in something bigger than ourselves, the idea of stewarding a traditional Wooden Sailing Vessel, one of a kind, learning the skills, culture seamanship that she demands, , the best in us, as Alan Villiers would say.

 Spirit of South Carolina is still here. She still has purpose. We are the ones who board her and bring her to life.  

For a day or so, I was at a loss, but then I paid a visit to Colleen Flynn.

Colleen is the Executive Assistant to Mr. Baker, who leads our governing Board. Turns out she's been named Acting Executive Director,, a job position I thought had been vacant for 3 years. 

Colleen assured me that the game was still on.  Programs- underserved youth cruises, Team building cruises, other opportunities were still being sought, and tentatively scheduled. The serious search was on for a new Captain, and she was working on a scheme she wasn't quite ready to share yet, but had enthusiastic endorsement of her boss, and our Project Manager, Capt Heath.  In the short time we had at her office, we actually covered a number of topics, several of them relevant to Volunteers.   

The conclusion I reached was that she was bringing some new energy into the game.  So, we're holding our course.   

Volunteers Make use of Lessons Learned improve the experience for Impact Charleston Youth

Only two days later, on 19 July, a slightly different volunteer crew mustered on Friday, at 0900, this time, to take on board another Group from Impact Charleston, for underserved Youth in the City. With lessons learned from our first every Charter and this group. Volunteers were better prepared. 

Friday was to be a regular hot humid day with a light breeze. With an expected full complement of 17 or more youth plus a couple of chaperones, coupled with favorable light conditions, it was perfect for setting three sails, Jib, Jumbo and Foresail. At 0900, Bo'sun Bryan mustered the volunteers on deck and laid out the days agenda. The previous day, they had received an email with the Watch Bill, assigning volunteers to one of two watches under a Volunteer Watch Captain. Each watch would take on a specific responsibility during deck prep and sea stowing, embarkation, casting off and docking, etc. That plan enabled the entire crew to immediately lay in on their assigned responsibilities. The payoff was that all preparation was completed in time to welcome aboard our participants. 

First task was to take down and stow the huge midships Portside Awning.

 At 1030 Bryan met the adult leader at the IAAM to quickly explain the boarding process. Five minutes later, Bryan stopped the group at the "T" of the face dock. He introduced himself and offered the welcome-aboard message with a quick explanation of what they were about to experience. He then asked the Chaperone to split the group in to two equal sizes. Bryan then designated the Starboard Watch and Port Watch and sent them single file to the gangway for boarding. Volunteers on both ends of the gangway ensured a safe crossover. Once all aboard the gangway was taken off, Volunteers took in dock lines, Nick in e small boat nudged the bow outward for a clean break off of the dock. Colleen of the Baker Group, had brought aboard 2 coolers of bottled water, and sandwiches from Jason's Deli. The crowd voted for an early lunch. That was a good decision, in that it eliminated what would otherwise be a major distraction in the last part of the cruise, which required participation by passengers. As soon as the small boat pulled alongside and discharged the shore team. Bos'un Bryan called to "Standby the Foresail". At the dock, volunteers had already "dressed" the head rig, and the foresail, laying out the halyards, casting off downhaul coils, sheets, and sail gaskets. Volunteers organized participants by watch, equally on both halyards and then explained the drill to their team as well as expected commands. This time, the emphasis on a rhythm set by an impromptu Shanty, the Foresail rose slowly up the mast. The Port Watch raised the Jumbo, followed by the Starboard Watch setting the Jib. Next was coiling and hanging. That concluded Teamwork lesson #1. Sail setting evolutions were improving immensely, and some of us wistfully stared back at the still furled mainsail. Soon, as our crew competence increased and crew numbers filled in, we'll be sending up the Mainsail too.. That would be "Full Press". 

Sighting in on Ft. Sumter before
 taking a compass bearing 

 With sails full and drawing, the Watches split with their crew "coaches " across three different learning stations. One group moved aft to the helm for orientation on points of sail, steering, taking a bearing off the binnacle compass. The other watch gathered around a double-block Handy-Billy for a demonstration of "purchase". Volunteers first set up a Tug o' War on a 3 fathom rope. With sides of roughly equal weight, each side with exuberance heaved away trying to force their opponents off their feet. After just a few moments, their watch Captain stopped the competition, declared a winner, then set up a different scenario, this one with a double becket block at one end with a pendant, and a double block at the other end. 

Students line up on the line
tugging against their coach,
who has the 4:1 advantage.

 The group then selected three strong members to take up on the pendant, while one light-weight member elected to take up the standing line leading out of the double becket block. 

 The Volunteer Coach set up each end for ready, set, PULL. Each side dug in and began the strain. Not a few participants were awed as the single person on the standing line, straining herself, was actually pulling inches of line, inch by inch, while the three "strapping lads, were gradually pulled forward, finally across the marker. Simple tools, and physics, ..and teamwork. 

Coach sets  to take up the strain
 against his all of his students. 

As the schooner made her mark just north of Fort Sumter, we tacked onto a reverse course for the Ravenel Bridge. Watches switched over their activities, and continued, until Captain Bobby informed the Bos'un that the schooner was tacking and bound for the dock. On that directive, the crew and participants set to taking sail and setting up dock lines. One by one, sails came down in reverse order, Jib, Jumbo, and finally foresail. 

The small boat was sent off with two crew to take lines on the dock and send over the gangway. 

As was he day before, the combination of contrary tides working against river currents made for a confused stretch of water directly in our path to the dock.  Capt Bobby took his time powering forward, then letting the water push her backwards slowly closer, almost backing us up to the dock.  Heaving lines sent across over the heads of our shipmates on the dock enabling them to grab the lines up short and more quickly pull the dock lines across.   As soon as all dock lines were sent across and secured, the shore team was dragging across the gangway, and reaching for the falls swung up from the deck.  In minutes the gangway is set, and, with confirmation by the Chaperone, passengers began streaming up the gangway, spreading along the dock to take a last photo. As the last ones disembark, the crew reverts to securing the deck, stowing gear, and making her ready for the next morning, when some of them will be returning to start all over again.  This time with Coaches for Character, and a group of exceptional students. 

Spirit of South Carolina conducts Three Harbor Cruises in one week.

I don't think that's every been done before, even with a full-time crew. let alone all Volunteers. Tuesday, last week,approximately 25 passengers, all from the Mobile Labs Company came on deck for a Sunset Sail. At 1600, eight Volunteers mustered on deck to prepare the schooner for sailing. We really didn't know until boarding time what sort of experience our passengers were looking for. i.e. were they looking for an immersion adventure in helping set sails, coiling lines, learning about the ship? or were they intending only to be left alone for a peaceful ride around the harbor? While waiting for that answer, Volunteers set about singling up all docklines, passing up and staging all our new sunbrella seat cushions, taking down and stowing the awning, filling our igloo jug with water and an ice "bowl" from the freezer. Our question was answered at 1800 when only two men from the group showed any enthusiasm in helping to set the jumbo. While Bos'un Bryan administered the welcome and safety briefing to our guests amidships, the last of the pizza boxes arrived and were stowed below in the saloon, to be handed out sometime later. Next step take off the gangway. Not unexpectedly, taking off the gangway did not go without a hitch or two, unnoticed by the passengers, but a consequence of a relatively raw crew. Half of us had never taken this schooner off the dock before. The learning curve was steep but they were climbing it quickly, and each drill, maneuver, sail evolution was working more smoothly, safely. During this operation we discovered our gangway hydraulic jack to be inoperable, requiring three hands now, to lift it off it's braces and haul it back alongside the deck benches, cast off the falls and swing them inboard for their shipmates on deck to overhaul and secure. Undocking was made simple by the right combination of river current, tide and wind, enabling us to gain a wide bow angle quickly then power off clear. As docklines were coiled we called forward our three "volunteer" guests, and advised others to get out their camera's for a unique phot op-watching their colleagues haul up the jumbo sail, complete with sweating it the last two feet. Inspite of the inspired effort and success of their colleagues' effort in raising the jumbo, no one else indicated any interest in trying out,,say, the jib, which was already dressed for setting. The rest of the cruise was smooth and uneventful, a welcome late seabreeze coming in lasted into the evening well past sunset. Our guests shared their pizza supply with the crew, much welcomed. Just at dusk, we turned toward the dock, struck the jumbo and made up our heaving lines. Nick took a volunteer on shore in the dinghy, then took station on the starboard bow to steady the schooners' angle. As the schooner seemed to drift imperceptibly towards the dock, a bit too far south, Capt Bobby decided he didn't like the angle, and increased throttle for a go-around. This time you could see our angle spot on, as Will Ventress at throttle and Nick in the pushboat kept her perfectly parallel to the dock from 75 feet away, letting the opposing current and incoming tide slowly push the hull directly towards the dock. At 30 feet Capt Bobby shouted out Throw 4, and Volunteer Harold slung the leaded bag in a perfect arc over Sam's head, where he could grab the line and immediatley start hauling the stern line up to the dock. As Harold took up slack and made fast, Capt Bobby let the current/tide combination float the boat forward, tightening the stern dock line and forcing the ship closer to the dock, where dockline #1 went over the side, a long throw, stretching out the heaving line, and the lead ball bag just barely slapping dock inside the bench. As Will throttle alternately forward, then reverse, #2 Dockline was sent over to stop her drift south, followed by #3 Spring line. The hull sideslipped closer to the dock unti her waist rested squarely under the gangway base. Nick sped the small boat around into the marina, then joined Sam on the dock to help lift and set the gangway. Only two days off until a slightly different volunteer crew mustered on Friday, at 0900

Spirit's Volunteer Crew Explores new skill challenges as the schooner becomes more active.

 Active Volunteers aboard Spirit of South Carolina over the past month must be sensing the shifting of work aboard, on deck and in the rigging. From months of varnishing, scraping, canvas repair, etc, punctuated by refreshers in basic safe line handling and knots, they are now facing situations, that build on the basics being practiced over the past year or so. 

Last month, volunteers learned to work together to up-rig a new awning, and rolling hitches, gasket coils, lines running fair, chafing awareness, were no longer hypotheticals, but necessary, useful tools. Last Saturday, the application of "purchase" in the way of using the ship's block and tackle to perform feats of immense strength, became a tool for improvisation.  The crew rigged a pair of "handy-billy''s-each with four-to-one purchase between the bow and the dock piling, to pull the bow seven feet closer to the dock, essentially multiplying the pulling force of four deckhands 8 times.

This week, new adventures continued.  On Wednesday afternoon, volunteers Bryan Oliver, Walter Barton, Dan Feerst, Dallas Spencer and Nick Swarts mustered on deck with Captains Bobby and Will to cast off and motor the schooner out to the Middle Ground, just south of  Castle Pinckney where volunteers, almost all for the first time, walked thru the drill of "Catting the anchor" with the Anchor Burton tackle, and on que, releasing the anchor into 20 feet, timing the clattering rushing of chain overboard for 8 seconds, to estimate a rode of around 100 feet out before Dan Feerst on the wheel brake furiously twisted down on the wild cat to stop the chain. Stopper on, Capt Bobby reversed engines and set the anchor.  Another Volunteer First. 

the 

Capt Bobby and Richard from Capt's Choice
 set up the new pole into the Yokohama

Two days, later, Friday morning, many of the same mustered at the dock to rearrange, and re-string the three huge Yokohama blivit fenders more securely against designated pilings.  The previous night, Nick Swarts pulled anchor watch, suffering an evening not much cooler that the hot day that preceded. Nevertheless he was there to launch the Small Boat.  With Volunteers in the small boat to screw and bolt new chains onto the existing pole, unraveling and pulling off old, chafing barnacles bridles.  

Capt Bobby and Sam Sablonsky check the position
 of the yokohama against the piling.

Others with Capt Bobby  trucked in a new pole for the third "rogue" yokohama, first towing it over to a floating dock to thread it onto the new pole,, rig chain "leashes on either end, then tow it back into position to chain each Yokohama onto it's assigned piling.   Now we were ready for Spirit of South Carolina to return to dock.  

That happened this past Saturday morning, the 13th, when a volunteer crew ferried themselves in two runs from the dock out to the schooner, still riding anchor in the same position.    Now  for another first.  Volunteers set up the Brake handles on the big bronze windless, locking them in.  Bryan and Dan set the pawls on the starboard Wildcat, where the chain already strained in the grooves. Tony Marchesani cleared the chain anchor stopper hook away, while Capt Bobby slowly motored forward to a spot over the anchor.   With the chain up and down, Four Volunteers manned the brakes and commenced to pumping.  Dallas Spencer demanded a shanty, so he and Bryan started up with "Pump her boys, Pump her dry, down to hell and up to the sky,, Bend your back and break your bones, were just a thousand miles from home.. you get it. We ran out of verses with stiff 40 feet to go.  Pumpers were relieved, and continued the rhythm until  jarred to a stop.  No amount of leaning, jumping, would give another link. The chain was guitar string taut.  A quick report back to Capt Bobby, who concluded the anchor was just very well dug into the muddy bottom.  A throttle forward  quickly followed by a reverse, while pumpers kept up the strain, and a noticeable clanging and pop as the anchor freed, and the chain started rolling again. Bryan yelled back to Capt Bobby, "anchor's aweigh". In less than a minute the anchor broke the surface and hung suspended off the hawse hole.  Now the teamwork took on a new direction. With three on the Burton, standing by, Dallas climbed out into the starboard head rig with the  burton tackle and it's small hook. In two try's he snagged the anchor ring, called for the Burton to take up,, and crew began sweating up the 500 lb anchor to a point where Bryan could  pass a strop thru the ring,  return it back over the cathead, twice repeated, then lashed down.  Now the Burton team gave slack,  slipped the Burton hook out of the anchor ring and caught it onto the rope bridle spanning the anchor's flukes, still hanging vertically off the cathead.  In four good pulls, the Burton team hauled up the flukes just enough to clear the cap rail, where Volunteers positioned the ocean-plaited matt over the battens, and the flukes were lowered down.  Another lashing made over the flukes and a smaller one square-lashing the anchor stock onto the cathead brace. Meanwhile, Capt Bobby had swung the schooner back around and was motoring to the dock and our newly positioned yokohama fenders. Ken Fonville stood by to take lines.  Nick was sent over the side along with another volunteer to be dropped off at the dock to assist Ken. Dock lines set up to run. Heaving lines hitched on, coiled for throwing

With a little pushing from Nick in the small boat, Capt Bobby rode the flooding tide  to less then 20 feet from the dock.  in quick succession heaving lines flew over the dock and quickly hauled over to their appropriate cleat. With her hull centered on the Gangway frame. the dock line team quickly transitioned to  team. Shipboard dock line handlers shifted to the falls to receive the gangway.  The team swung the balky-tipsy aluminum bridge out over the edge settling the outboard end on the ship while maneuvering the inboard end to a position for sliding in it's hinge pole.   Like clockwork. 

Steady Progress is Outpacing Obstacles and Issues

 This past Independence Day Week has been an admittedly mixed bag of high's and lows.  If you were living last week,, with a 10-foot high- day-to-day frame of reference,  mucking around in the swamp of daily sweat and tears, you might have felt your expectations fallen short, Charters planned, some cancelled schedules changed, training sails cancelled,  more focused deckhand training, but crew billets left unfilled. Plus it's just damned hot! More time on the dock, still waiting for casting off and sailing.  A great evening on deck for Fireworks.  That's one perspective,

 But..

If you stood up higher, and gazed around at the 500 foot level (metaphor for a broader reflection of the future and recent history, trends and events-more context).You could not miss these;

Our Volunteer Roster of active volunteers has quadrupled since December. Volunteers are signing up via our Website, and referrals from other volunteers.  Volunteers are seeing Schedules appear. The Ship's operating tempo (human activity measured in labor-hours) at all levels has jumped.   Our planned time underway has likewise soared from Zero for 3 years, to now two or more cast-off's per month(cancellations acknowledged).  Already we are tracking two or more charter bookings per month.  One  significant observation,, if not most significant, is that, with every cast-off, every cancellation, training or maintenance we are learning-lessons. And we, as a crew and as an organization are getting better. And.. though it's still hot, we've got the Awning downrig/up-rig, to a five minute drill.

It's a good course to be steering, and our sail trim is improving.

Now, back to this past week.

All of us had hoped for a July 4th afternoon harbor sail in one form or another.  At best, we would've had a paid charter to sail, but despite Capt Bobby's best efforts to promote a paid charter, it did not come to pass.  Lesson Learned; Advanced Planning  using a City Events Calendar on the table.  The Post and Courier, and City Paper, both hosted ads by local charter sailboats for afternoon/ evening  Harbor sails and Fireworks Viewing. We were not in either.

The back-up plan for seven of us who had signed up as crew for that afternoon, was just a training sail. Unfortunately, by the morning of the 4th, the SignUP roster for that harbor sail showed mostly New Volunteers, and "never-evers" remaining on the crew roster, not a desirable proportion for training, and operating a traditional sailing vessel in a busy harbor at the same time.  Subsequently, several motivated  but mostly rooky volunteers mustered Wednesday afternoon with nowhere to go. Bos'un Bryan easily converted it to a New Volunteer orientation and basic deckhand skills check offs. 

Three new volunteers  US Navy sailors, Lance Halderman, his SO, Kyra(a civilian) from San Antonio, Maxwell  Dale, Alden N., and Martin Bull mustered on board at 3 pm.  For the next three hours, Bos'un Bryan conducted orientation on Volunteer Roles, the Volunteer Log,  and then on deck for safe line handling, coiling, bowlines and dock lines, intended to make them competent for the next planned sail which was scheduled for Saturday Morning 6 July. 

By 1800 the deck crew-in-training had weathered the hot afternoon, and were ready to get below for some additional Volunteer Administration under the blasting fan in the saloon. At that time, Deckhand Alumni, Danni Feerst came on deck, and volunteered to about-face and go provision for sandwich makings from Harris Teeter. 

By 2000 hours, as dusk arose the breeze cooled, the deck started filling with guests.  Harold Wilkins, and spouse, Walter Barton, Mark Held and wife, Wayne Burdick too, Capt Bobby, joined our new volunteers on deck, set up our stash of 7 operational deck chairs along the port side cap rail to watch the display.  Danni Feerst also on deck, generously invited another seven members of the public standing on the dock, to join us on deck.  The show started with a startlingly impressive display around 2115, and lasted a good half-hour to 40 minutes. 

 .Saturday morning was planned out at a Volunteer Training Sail, just volunteers aboard for a no-stress, team-building/skill-enhancing/ well-spent morning on the water.   Once again we faced a cancellation; this time, we were short a second license on board, required by USCG Regs.  The change of plans to transition to a training day were communicated sufficiently early to allow participants some flexibility back into their own weekend plans.   

Nevertheless, nine volunteers  most from the previous Thursday, to put into action their training.  Bryan arranged the morning to be performance oriented.  Having walked thru safe line handling, and undocking and docking. Bryan assigned volunteers to each dock line, and on shore. After a cursory review of  commands and actions, with emphasis on repeating commands, and minimizing chatter. Bryan and crew executed a complete undocking operation, from "Stand-by Dock lines" taking off all four lines (the doubled ones. we stayed tied to the dock for this exercise). to "Coil and nipper-up". Time for some hydration under the shade of the awning.

 The next drill was to rig up the dock lines just retrieved,  bend on heaving lines, and "Stand-by lines". Bryan set the sequence that might  be directed from the quarter deck, for warping the schooner into the dock. In that sequence, Bryan shouted out the commands for sending each heaving line over waiting heads of volunteer shipmates, one at a time. The drill was only completed after each dock line had been made to a cleat,  all lines properly tensioned with dock line commands.. "Check," Hold!",  "Ease",; heaving lines recovered and gasket coiled. Another break in the shade for hydration and an after action review.

"Haul Away Together!" with 6-to-1 purchase, an easy pull

And for extra credit, Bos'un Bryan led the crew thru the rigging of two 'Handy-Billy's" to pull the schooner's bow closer to the dock, forcing the stern out and allowing adjustments of fenders to the pilings.  

With the next break and more hydration, the crew listed their menu preferences for Bryan and Capt Bobby's run to East Bay for a carry-out lunch.  

Last task was to secure the deck, put all trash ashore, clean up the galley and finally trice up and furl the awning back onto the foresail gaff.  

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Seven Volunteers Battle Headsails and Summer Heat and Raise their Seamanship Awareness

 Ken Fonville signed on Saturday morning, at 9 AM,  as likely did a few others of the seven, with intent to participate in a discussion of the extensive lessons learned from our Youth cruise, two weeks ago.  What he didn't figure on was Bos'un Bryan's (that would be me) penchant for whimsy and improvisation. 

Now, in my defense, the audible call I made to shift the agenda was in recognizing the opportunity to define Seamanship, thru real-life example.  Stay with me.. I promise you'll like this..really.

Seamanship is a big deal aboard vessels like Spirit of South Carolina, referring not only on skills, but insight and attitude. Based partly in the Principles of 'Ship, Shipmate, and Self', sailors bear responsibility for recognizing situations, minor or major, that could affect the operation of the ship, or safety of shipmates, and taking initiative to resolve them.

 An hour before volunteers came aboard, I was walking the deck, partly searching for my misplaced coffee mug when my face collided with a length of black dual braid rope swinging freely from the mainmast head, 80 feet over my head. The other end of the rope, after turning thru a block way up to the mainmast head, then downward to a belaying pin on the Mainmast Fife rail.  Worse, on its way down to the pin, the line had been run inside two Mast hoops, creating a chafe risk, and a certain snarl and jam if the mainsail were to be raised without realizing a line was caught in the mast hoops.  The loose swinging line was maybe a few hours away from receding back thru the turning block until it could only be retrieved by climbing the mast.

Searching for a place on the Pin rail to make the black line fast, I noticed an adjacent line on the Main mast portside Belaying pinrail, poorly coiled, it's bottom lengths, dragging on the deck, a "Fail" well known by most of the crew. 

Above the oversized-coil on the belaying pin, a loose rope drooped down onto the deck. Following it back, where it twice wrapped around the main shroud chain plate, it led down to the small boat..it was the Small Boat's stern line. Two wraps of the line around the chain plate might hold John Wayne's horse to the "hitch'in rail, but it would not stand the pull of the 800 lb small boat bobbing on the water.

Moving on to a dock line neatly coiled on the lifejacket locker, I intended to re-purpose it for a later training exercise in dockline handling.  I started to untie the seine-twine "nipper" looped around one part of the coil in order to keep the coil.. 'coiled'.   The standard is for a dockline coil to be "nippered" by tying the twine around the coil with a "slippery overhand knot", which would be released by one jerk of the bitter end of the twine.   This knot was tight and unrecognizable.

Bryan with his now uncoiled and re-purposed dockline
demonstrates the standard for making it fast. Jim, and Martin critiquing.

 I was seconds from just drawing my rigger's knife and slicing off the twine, ruining it for re use when I was distracted by the fenders hanging on the starboard the rail. Leaving the dock line coil I walked the length of the starboard caprail where hung five ball fenders over the side.  Each one had been made fast to a stanchion on the caprail, with a different knot. They ranged from slippery clove hitches, the Davis Slippery PawPaw, something unrecognizable, to just two half-hitches. In the turbulence of changing Captains with their personal preferences, seasoned crew turbulence, the "Standard knot" for making fenders fast to the rail, had become cloudy.   

Each situation posed a risk at some level to the operation of the ship, and/or the safety of  her crew.  I sensed a teachable moment, so re-prioritized the Agenda. 

It being only 9 AM, the temperature was still tolerable, so, Dave Brennan, Nate Mack, Jim Morrisette, Walter Barton, Martin Bull, and Nick Swarts, mustered around the saloon hatch while I explained the tour we were about to take. From there we  moved from site-to-site, allowing each to identify the issue on their own or with help, a quick discussion on what the standard is, and remedial action taken.. All along, ran the thread of continuity of personal responsibility, regardless of your crew role, for "Ship, Shipmate, Self".  

Marty Bull New Volunteer
 lays aloft to rig the awning

View from Aloft (Nate Mack)
as Awning takes shape.
Dave in red hat stands by
 to pass the outboard strap

Once the walk-thru was completed, the temperature and brilliant sunshine on the deck increased into the nineties, so the crew set to unfurling the Main Deck Awning, stretching it out on the port side. 

Bryan, good only at supervising,
 enjoys the shade

That was sufficient to warrant a hydration break in the shade.  Martin had procured from the freezer a mixing bowl full of solid ice to dump into our on-deck igloo cooler.  So, Water bottles out, then set aside, as Volunteers laid out onto the headrig for the last major teambuilding exercise;   harbor furling the Jumbo sail, and the Jib.

All Hands layed out along
 the Jumbo to tighten the furl.

Ostensibly a simple job of flaking a huge jib, while still rigged on it's luff, it quickly becomes complicated by attempting it suspended by footropes over the water. Crews often work together over weeks of sailing  ports of call to master a smooth "burrito" furl, leaving nothing  to the onlookers eye but a smooth stretch of canvas like a noodle, unbroken by wrinkled flake folds.  It wasn't quite perfect this time, but the effort and resulting visual effect, communicated a shipshape look and evidence of a professional crew aboard. 

I did pass on to Ken, a revised copy of the Volunteer's Lessons Learned. Its available on demand.

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