A Significantly Shortened Volunteer Day, Due to the Cooper Bridge Run Reprioritizing things.

 I'm sure that some among our volunteer crew participated in the Bridge Run. Hat's Off!  A commendable accomplishment in  finishing it, and also in the discipline of conditioning for events like this on deck. Wayne Burdick, Ken Fonville, Dallas Spencer, Alicia Cameron, and Dave Brennan, started the first part  of the afternoon getting an update from Bryan on events and progress.  

Weekend Update

We were still waiting on our Recruiting  brochures. Ben Walker had found away to 'break the glass" and regain control of our Facebook page. so that's starting to look hopeful.  We've had three leads for charters or docksides, all revenue generating, over the next four months. Now chasing them.  A Captain is apparently identified, but not confirmed yet.

Dallas brought with him a handcrafted double stropped block of Ash and Sapele he had created. complete with a strop served and slushed. This promptly inspired a series of proposed projects thrown at him.

Bryan introduced  an idea for better managing and executing on small tasks, easily accomplished by just one or a few, at any time on deck, meaning any day of the week. It's called, The Daily Punchlist (not necessarily daily, since some may always be left over for the next volunteer the next day. Unlike the Ship's Maintenance Punchlist, with thirty entries on a page ranging from single person work to complicated multi-day tasks, this is a handwritten list complete with instructions as needed, for volunteers less than familiar with the ship, self-managed, you complete the task, you check it off, leave your last name so you can get the credit.. . So, if you've got a couple hours time, come on board find the clipboard hanging over the saloon table, and choose a job that suits your skills and time available. Also, send a text that you're on board, to Bryan Oliver at 314.409.0433, so I'll know you're aboard if the Dockmaster become suspicious. Don't forget to log your hours. 

The Saturday crew taking a break
after successfully recovering
 the small boat and securing it on deck, 

For the rest of the afternoon we concentrated on an essential drill, unknown to probably all the volunteers, since it has not been practiced since 2019.  "Recovering and securing the Small Boat" on deck, and Launching it."  It's a normal component of the  Man-Overboard drill, since generally, the small boat will  be secured on deck when underway.  The exception will be with a private charter where deck space is a premium, and the small boat will likely be towed. 

We only had time for one tray and barely sufficient hands to operate. Our crew standard, from a standing start with the shout "Man Overboard", is just under two minutes.  We gave ourselves a generous time to walk ourselves thru the evolutions.  It's a quintessential team-building experience.

Look for it next time you come aboard.

Denis Sullivan arrives; Volunteers provide Support.

Tuesday, the 1st of April, the Schooner Denis Sullivan, Captain Chris Flansburg, 14 days out of St. Croix, arrived in port with a student crew of Ashley Hall students, and tied up to Spirit of South Carolina.  

"Bos'un With a Donut"
 (notice a more firm grip on the donut
 than the glass.)

On our deck to receive her and take lines were four of us Volunteers;   Dave Brennan, Nate Mack, Me, and Maritime Center Dockmaster, Chris.   We had been tracking  the schooner for over a week on her passage north. Weather delayed her off the Bahamas for a day.

Denis Sullivan is a representation of the typical 19th Century Great Lakes Cargo Schooners. She was conceived and built in Milwaukee, WI by a combination of professional shipwrights and over 1000 volunteers, and launched in 2000. In 2022 she was purchased by World Ocean Classrooms to replace their schooner Roseway, now in shipyard in Mystic for a major restoration effort.

Click here for more on
 Denis Sullivan

The "rafting up" operation went flawlessly, Volunteers rigged up our gangway's "drawbridge" extension to accomodate disembarking students shouldering backpacks and seabags. Throngs of excited parents, classmates, and friends filled the dock, as the 20 young women single-filed up the gangway with their seabags. As the crowds thinned,   Denis Sullivan's crew transitioned to doubling up their docklines, securing the deck, and going below to clean up. The original plan had been that they would cast off and redock at the fuel dock, which, of course had no gangway,, and return to our side Wednesday to host their reception for Ashley Hall students and parents. 

Bos'un Bryan reunites with Capt Flansburg
of Denis Sullivan;
once Master of Spirit of South Carolina

However, with favorable weather conditions predicted, and sufficient fenders stuffed between the two similar-sized ships, Capt Flansburg and Bryan agreed for Denis Sullivan to remain rafted up the duration of their 3-day stay in port, allowing crew and visitors more accessibility to the dock, via our gangway.  

With advice from Volunteers to the crew for best dive bars and burger joints nearby frequented by mariners (Big John's and Big Gun) They hurried into their civvies, grabbed dirty laundry, and scattered out to East Bay Street and beyond. 

After weathering some rough weather late Tuesday into Wednesday afternoon, The planned parent reception aboard Denis Sullivan went-ahead as scheduled;  Four Volunteers, came aboard to man the gangway, and bulwarks, assisting guests young and old across from the docks, over our rail and onto the deck of Denis Sullivan, where their celebration of their seafaring achievement was recognized. Ashly Hall's Head of School, and their Director of Studies Abroad, were greeted by the Executive Director of World Ocean Studies, parent of Denis Sullivan.

               

Nate, Bryan, and Dave, take a rest after taking
 and tightening up all lines from Denis Sullivan

While Volunteer's primary job was safety of guests, we did get opportunities to casually introduce them to Spirit South Carolina, for many, the first time they knew of it's existence. Yes, there was volunteer recruiting going on too, and a few Ashly Hall students expressed great interest in joining the volunteer crew.  

The other ulterior motive: From 2007 -2012, Spirit of South Carolina hosted several groups of Ashley Hall students, for days to weeks. It was a successful program cut short by the Schooner's bankruptcy. It never recovered.  The School however has recently expressed interest in renewing that relationship. If so, it will not likely take shape for another year.

Today, the day after the reception, Walter Barton, and Bos'n Bryan helped Denis Sullivan cast off lines and see them off to Savannah, GA, and Thunderbolt Shipyard, the same from whence sailed Spirit of South Carolina just over a year ago. They will undergo some maintenance before sailing north to Boston for the summer.

 

Easter Sunday; Denis Sullivan delayed. Her Spirit of South Carolina Welcoming Crew Makes Good use of Time

 We could see it developing,, or not developing, more accurately.. The four of us, Carin Bloom, Ken Fonville, Nate Mack, Dave Brennan, Ben Walker, and the Bos'un,(yers truly) had mustered by 10 am to finalize preparations for the schooner Denis Sullivan's anticipated noon arrival. However, frequent checks on our Marine Tracker app's, showed her still at latitude with Brunswick Georgia, easily 24 hours away. 

After leaving text messages with Sullivan's Port Captain requesting an update, The crew set to solving the issue of the imminent high tide, and centering the wai@2st of the ship under the gangway without re-endangering the stanchions underside on the caprail. With high tide and slack current coming up, the doubled #3 docklines were beginning to slack. Bryan, Carin, and Ken, immediately cast off both #3 docklines from the Kevel, taking up all slack and sweated the dock line enough to take up a foot or so, effectively pulling the ship forward another foot. 

At that point, Dave Brennan pointed out the stern quarter dockline, was taut, and likely creating resistance to the desired forward drift of the ship. While Bryan and Carin eased off the quarter stern line off the riding bitt, Ken Fonville stood at the gangway, watching the schooner's caprail slooowwwwly move past the gangway another two feet, enough to clear the stanchions out from under.  

With that adjustment made, the gangway could now be lowered, almost down to the caprail if needed, in order to safely disembark the Ashley Hall students, and their gear.  

Gazing down-harbor past Ft. Sumter, Denis Sullivan never showed. 

A look at Marine Tracker still showed her at latitude of Savannah.. at least 15 hours away. To make some productive use of our waiting time, Cox'un Dave Brennen fired up the outboard and motored the small boat out of the marina dock, back to the outboard side of the schooner to set up a Fluid Film paint station, for the final "slushing" of the head rig's bowsprit and jibboom  from the small boat. 

Bos'un Bryan and Ben Walker, walking
 their floating "slush" station aft down the portside
 martingale backstay.

As Dave had to leave, Bos'un Bryan climbed down into the small boat, and together, Ben, Bryan, and the paint station carefully drifted the boat almost under the Martingale (Dolphin Striker), tied off bow and sternlines, and slushed the headrig from the bottom up.  As Ben and Bryan completed their project, tied up the small boat and delivered their paint station gear back on board, the Sullivan's Port Captain called, expressing much regret and not informing us, but updated that Denis Sullivan would be arriving Tomorrow, Monday, at high tide(slack). By now the remainder of us, Ben, Bryan, and Rick Washington had already put in a full Volunteer Day,  We'll see what tomorrow brings at 1337 hours, in addition to high tide.  We'll be ready.

A new Volunteer Welcomed aboard, and Final touches applies before Spirit of South Carolina hosts the Schooner Denis Sullivan

New Volunteer Ryan Smith
 and Dave Brennen
 waiting for his promised shirt
 for 400 Volunteer hours,

 I would say that Saturday's Volunteer Day was leaderless, being that the Bos'n(yers truly) was away in St. Louis with grandsons.. but that really wasn't the case.  Leadership surfaced across the deck, as Ken Fonville, Nate Mack, Tony Marchesani, Dave Brennan, and Ben Walker mustered together, with a general set of objectives left to them- the Maintenance Punchlist, and a quick text message from the Bos'n, and a deadline. Also an new shipmate/Volunteer mustered aboard, Ryan Smith, USN, who fell-in behind Dave Brennan for the necessary introductions and hasty orientations followed by being thrown into the frenzy already underway on deck. Apparently unfazed, we looking forward to seeing him again soon, with some more volunteers, and even his two teenagers. 

Stalwart, Alex Ryashivich, (just Rya, to his friends) had arrived from Columbia the night before, Friday evening, but ran into difficulties in the dark on the gangway, which had been rigged unusually high on the shipboard end, to clear the stanchions at high tide. While we wait for his story, he's back in Columbia nursing a broken wrist.

The deadline itself was a moving target, based on the arrival,, sometime soon,( I keep saying), of a new Captain, and the expected arrival and rafting up to us of a visiting schooner, Denis Sullivan, the next day on Easter Sunday  at noon, to discharge a crew of Ashley Hall School students to their waiting parents, all across our decks and up our gangway. Very public, 

And so, they set to work, chose their projects, organized to teams, and set to work.  Ken went below to make organized the Aft cabin berths, and make up the Captain's berth specifically.  Tony, and Ben set up a paint station out in the head rig, a touchy scenario as you could imagine.

Tony Marchesani and Ben Walker
 in midst of time-honored job
of slushing the headrig. 

They began slushing the bowsprit shrouds and martingale backstays with Fluidfilm, a modern equivalent of tar, thinned with turpentine. Apparently made its mark as an undercoating for auto bodies... gotta be good, right? 

Coxwain, Nate in the headrig,
admiring behind him
 the successful relocation of
 the small boat(its gone)

Nate and the remainder set to lowering the small boat from it's hipped position on the starboard bow, and motoring her to a temporary dockage inside, then returning to pitch in to headrig. 

The projects went well, based on observations the following Easter Morning.  Volunteers mustered off in time to go home to lunch. 

A Personal Question: So, You think you like Tall Ships? Do you know why?

 

Bear with me on this.  Have you given any thought to that question?  I really didn't see the need to myself, until I found myself trying to explain it to someone else.  Why do these things(meaning tall ships) still exist?  Given how impossibly expensive they must be to maintain, and they're just plain hard to operate...seriously, what's the attraction?

I recently came upon some writing that does a pretty good job of explaining it. The first is a from Alan Villiers, a distinguished mariner, writer, and photographer, of early 20th century seafaring, from Australia. My favorite quote  is under the Mission Statement of Spirit's Crew Manual.

His narrative below, indirectly, offers the explanation you may be looking for.

The young apprentice may have come aboard with his head filled with queer ideas about sailing ships and the sea, principal among which is a fixed notion that all he has to do is look on while old sailors explain things to him and then later on give the Captain advice about sailing the ship.  His first month at sea may be a distressing experience, shattering illusions right and left, he sees only the bare bones of real life remain. He expected romance and found work; he expected a "great life" and found himself principally called upon to perform feats of almost superhuman endurance- feats which everybody did daily and nobody ever noticed. Then, after he settles into things, he finds that there really can be a romance in those bare bones of life if one knows how to go about looking for it.  He sings while he works aloft, and feels the thrill of the sea in his veins as he hangs on to the wheel, and laughs when he is wet through for the twentieth time in succession, and turns out quickly when the call is for all hands on deck, though he made the acquaintance of his bunk only half an hour ago and his watch is always catching it, and he fights the mad canvas aloft with the men... Yes, the sailing ship can be hard, and it is not always a pleasant process having the edges knocked off you.. But the ship casts a spell over those who sail in her.

Never been aloft, so you can't relate?  How bout this one, from the Tall Ship's America website:

The rewards of sailing a tall ship are deep and durable, because the challenges are so real and the experience is so personal.  Sailing adventure is compelling because it is uncontrived, springing spontaneously from the voyage itself.  Seafaring engages your mind, body, and spirit like never before, and inspires you to strive for your own personal best...all the while being a valued and important member of the team.  The quality of work, and the spirit in which we do it, has a profound effect on the well-being of everyone else aboard. Leadership, paradoxically, is arrived at by first learning to take direction and by becoming a team player.

Multi-talented Volunteers, lend talents to Benefit Spirit of South Carolina

The past week was just plain busy;  saw a continuous flow of several behind the scenes phone conversations, meetings, errands, and situations, not including planning/prepping for this Saturday's volunteer Day.

It began with a reluctant phone call to Caleb in New York.  Caleb, representing a faction of the New York Yacht Club was interested in  chartering  Spirit of South Carolina for a week's sail on Long Island in early August.  Unfortunately, the logistics, insurance issues, and cost of getting her there and back, without a revenue stream to cover those legs, made it a bridge too far, and I had to convey regrets.

It followed with a series of messages, then a call, followed by a meeting with Derek Astorino, of the Food Boat, here in Charleston, wishing to video a guest chef on board Spirit of South Carolina, demonstrating and cooking a lunch on board for Volunteers.. cool!  That string of communication continues with a plan to make it happen around 27 April.

In between those two was a couple of email, and phone conversations with Elliott, past deckhand, and now educator at Beaver Country Day School outside Boston, wanting a cost quote to send down 18 high school students with their 3 educators next February for up to two weeks of sailing adventure. That one looks promising. 

Another conversation with Rebecca from CORA who had some ideas for marketing the schooner, possibly even a charter sail. 

And a hurried drive to North Charleston to retrieve the schooner's sewing machine, left for repairs; the shop was being forced to vacate and reestablish somewhere else; meaning I 'm on my own for time being to order the parts and wait for dust to settle before bringing the machine, with new repair parts, back to the repair ship, hopefully newly ensconced in a new shop. 

With only a week to go before the schooner's first real public appearance, sort of , Volunteers mustered Saturday morning to jump into projects making her deck ready for inspection.  Easter Sunday, the 3-masted schooner, Denis Sullivan will raft up to us, disembarking a number of Ashley Hall students across out decks to the waiting parents and throng dockside.  very public. 

Deck Wash Crew with tools of the trade.
Bryan had already busted his brush handle.

1st order of business was a deck wash,, normally performed weekly onboard this ship, we were horribly long overdue.  The deck was first cleared of anything loose; rope coils, mats, ladders, docklines, etc. Walter Barton hauled out the fire hose to the foredeck and stood by while Tony Marchesani lay down below in the engine room to set the valve to Fire Main and start the pump. The rest of us,, Alex Lya, Ben Walker, Dave Brennan, and Ken Fonville took stations with hard bristle brushes for the teak deck and softer brushes for the painted and varnished surfaces. 

Deck Wash crew at work

Bryan opened up the Fire Main, and we all followed Walter down the the deck scrubbing or brushing everything from the waist down.  After Walter followed with a rinse and flushing of the grime scrubbed loose, the hose was drained, secured, brushes stowed and we organized for the next set of projects. 

Tricky business; heating and bending bronze

Nate Mack had just arrived, towing his acetylene welding torch cart, and set up to restore three  different bronze stanchions which had been over time, badly bent. The trick was to heat up the  damaged portion to soften it, while keeping cool the base, and the wood rail, then skillfully hammering the affected portion back into proper shape.  Tony wrapped the base in a water soaked towel and continuously ran water over it with the garden hose. Dave focused the torch onto the damaged portion of the stanchion, and Nate began the careful tapping, occasionally banging different spots to  eventually draw the hot portions back into it's original shape. Repeat three times. 

The rest of us explored the deck for anything improperly secured; re-coiling and hanging lines that were too large and dragging the deck or just plain sloppy, resecuring other lines into proper locations, or stowing unnecessary cordage in the lazarette. 

Rick serving up his choice chili.

Meanwhile, below in the galley, Rick Washington had been working a pot of chili and rice with with several fixings. The bell rang -well timed as welding projects completed, and deck organization found a pause.

Crew enjoys the break

Following lunch, Nate and team lay aft to complete his project of grinding out and setting a dutchman for a new stanchion base in the starboard quarter taff rail. Bryan, Alex, and Ben organized material and tools to fashion a UV-protective  bag from plastic tarpaulin fabric, for the rescue boat's assigned Type 1 PFD's.

Dave fitting lifelines to the newly-
 installed stanchion

Stanchion Welding repair crew
 on their third project.

By 1400 most of the work was completed, and volunteers began exfiltrating for home and their own weekend projects.  Ben hung back with Bryan for another couple hours to  work on dock line bowlines and handling and heaving lines.  Alex was keeping a berth over the weekend to make the most of a Volunteer day before heading back to Columbia Sunday.

Bryan, the gangway and the repaired stanchion

 As the say was ending, Bryan was still on deck with the speedy stitch awl, sewing together the PFD bag they had measured and cut out, and waiting for the king high tide to lift  the schooner and test the gangway height over the just repaired stanchion.  It turned out fine.

 

Three Projects Completed this Saturday- Good Progress,, With good weather it's Maintaining our Momentum

 Some welcome weather for Saturday definitely boosted morale, after seemingly 3 straight past volunteer days sabotaged by rain. With the seven of us, Bryan, Alex Lya, Tony the Wiper, Chef Walter Barton and his signature comfort food for lunch, new Volunteer, Ben Walker, and Dave Brennan.  

With a little more organization than usual, Bryan divided the Watch in to three projects;  

• Walter and Alex were assigned the project of fabricating and installing a new Mast Boot for the mainmast-not as simple as it looked. 
• Tony and Dave began rigging up the foremast throat halyard with a bos'uns chair to take somebody aloft and linseed oil the Foremast-top-to-bottom. When set, they spread the ship's  20x20 foot canvas ground cloth around the bas or the mast to catch the inevitable drips and linseed oil spatter floating down from on high.
• Bryan coached Ben, and Dave thru marling-hitching of the foresail head onto the gaff, and properly lashing  down the peak.

The last two projects were completed in short order,  As Alex and Walter continued bulding out a cloth template to fit on the mast before laying it on a slab of fresh canvas to begin cutting out, the rest of us gathered around the foremast. 

Somebody has to set the example..

With no takers, Bryan sent helpers to retrieve a clean painter's coverall suit, a canvas bucket with plastic insert to fill with linseed oil, a large fresh rag for sopping down the mast.   Meanwhile, Bryan with  Dave's help, struggled into the suit, then fitted a chest harness, followed by two tether straps;  one to keep Bryan in the bos'un's seat, the second to snug the seat next to the mast. With oil bucket clipped on to the the sling, and three shipmates standing by the jumbo halyard, and Dave on a tag line, Bryan shouted out "on the halyard,, Haul Away!). 

And they hauled, and hauled, and hauled.. stopped for a break, then hauled away some more, until Bryan could touch the top edge of the mast copper sheath, and shouted, "That's Well, make fast".  For the next 45 minutes, They alternately eased Bryan down the mast 2-feet at a time, while he reached down into his bucket for a rag soaked with linseed oil, and reaching  around the mast, slopped copious quantities of oil around the mast, hoping not to miss a spot. Meanwhile, Walter excused himself to the galley to prep his buffet of meatloaf and green bean casserole. 

Once Bryan was safely back on the deck, everyone set everything aside and hurried below into the Saloon for lunch.  As it was completed and clean-up accomplished, Nate Mack came aboard with his tools and a huge Come-along strap rig. First, he trimmed and set the wood dutchman into the taff rail for curing, in preparation for reinstalling the lifeline stanchion into it.  Next he rigged the come-along strap around one of the bent stanchions on the starboard rail, and with slow steady pressure was able to straighten it back into a vertical.

Immediately after lunch as the rest of the crew began securing tools, and other equipment, Bryan teamed up with Walter and Alex on the Mast Boot template. Inexplicably, none of us were much in remembering out spatial algebra/geometry, beyond defining "pi". and We struggled with computing the various variables into a cone surface, laid out flat.  Finally, in frustration, we cut out one large rectangle, and shaped it around the mast base, alternately cutting, taping,, stretching, more cutting, until we had a rough cone shape.  This we lashed onto the mainmast base "collar" on the deck, stretching it upward so to tape it around the mast, just about fife rail-height. Bryan broke out the canvas repair kit, and with sail palm, sail twine, and a monster needle, began stitching together the  opposing vertical edges on the aftermost side of the canvas cone, of course largely unreachable, between the mast, and the Cabin trunk.

By this time, it was 1600 hours,, motivation was sinking, and family demands were coming to the surface, so we reluctantly found our stopping place, secured all of our tools and supplies below, and left the vessel under charge of Rick Washington.

Next morning, Bryan returned to finish the stitching, and  apply the first coat of white enamel over the entire surface of the cone, to shrink some of the folds out of it, and waterproof the thing.. Another project completed.

With arrival of the new Captain still up in the air. Volunteer priorities remain, addressing our spreadsheeted punchlist, but with increasing emphasis on honing our deckhand skills, making the deck shipshape in prep for our visitors crossing it on Sunday when Denis Sullivan ties up to us to disembark her Ashley Hall Students. We have three signed up for that Easter Sunday afternoon, and could use three more., for about an hour or so.

A Captain's Farewell, More Educational Programs Contacts Developed, and a drowned out Volunteer Day. Maintenance-Not so much.

 'S no use fighting a Low Country Monsoon and a King Tide on the Charleston Waterfront.  I"ve been sitting here this morning at Toast, on King Street, for 3 hours  ordering a breakfast I should not have.   At same time, since 0830, texting back and forth with Rick Washington who's been on deck and below all night for past two,(nights) tending the bilges and constantly checking our shifty ball fender-yokohama alliance, as 15-20 knot winds clock.. around the clock. 

The tides were enough flood to keep four of us from making the Maritime Center this morning for our Saturday Volunteer Day. We may salvage some of the day, but in the meantime I'm catching you up.  

Bryan attempting to coax a medium-grilled
 double cheeseburger out of Danny.

This past Monday I met socially with Jonathan Green, the successful Maritime Artist whose bright, colorful images of Gullah Rural life are visible just about everywhere in the area. Turns out he' an advocate of education in African American Maritime History, and partners with Dr. Kim Long, with whom I had a meeting the previous week on the same topic.  We may find the schooner partnering with their projects in that area.  That translates to more active dockside and sailing opportunities, likely higher end clientele, looking for a more enriching experience on the harbor, than the normal tourism references to points of interest.  It can be in our wheelhouse, but the onus lies on Volunteers.   Time to start getting ready.  More later, as that develops.

Tuesday, the Crew bade Fare Winds to our Captain, Davis Alford.  Davis finished his official responsibilities officially, a month ago, but remained on to attend the Tall Ships America Conference,, afterwards flying directly to the Caribbean to retrieve his ketch, and bring it north.  His shifting itinerary gave us scant advance notice of his return, so a farewell soirree' was organized on board with whoever was reachable via text and email.  Amid a hastily put together burger and chicken grill on the dock, several of us gathered on deck.  

Danny describing the minimum social distance
 required to observe his grilling technique

As of this writing, Capt Davis is back in Puerto Rico, affecting final repairs of boat's diesel. He is pursuing possible opportunities in the Caribbean, or possibly returning to the Charleston area. 

Dave Brennan, Rick Washington,
 and Ken Fonville

Meanwhile, there is a short-list of replacements which Capt Heath, our Project Manager has been managing. which have yet to be announced.  It will include the selection of a new Captain, and possibly a Mate.  The hiring process is being unfortunately stretched, to my understanding, to accommodate peculiar marine insurance requirements.

Tony Marchesani and Mark Held
 waiting to transport burgers and chicken aboard.

Capt Davis, Frank Frazier,
 Ricki Washington, Hayden Hartley

As all that settles down I can report on our new access to an entire Google Drive Folder of  Educational Materials;  Curriculums, Lesson plans, teacher guides, games and activities created back n 2011 by the Low Country Maritime Foundation.  This sharply focuses our foggy notion of what educational programs might look like aboard. 

At end of the month, the Schooner Denis Sullivan is returning to Charleston with a manifest of Ashley Hall students, to drop them off after a 10-week, semester at sea.  She will be rafting up to us around noon on the 31st (Easter Sunday)  for only an hour or so, to disembark these students. Afterwards, she may be at the fuel dock.  On April 3, she will again raft up to us so she can host a Reception aboard for her recent Ashley Hall crew, their parents, and faculty of Ashley Hall. All that will be passing over our deck.  It's apparent that we've an excellent opportunity to showcase Spirit of South Carolina to this audience. Ashley Hall has been a past regular client, and has recently asked our status to hose education program cruises.  While we're not anticipating doing so for rest of the year, it's in our interest to cultivate the relationship.   Volunteers are the visible element to delivering the message. 

Wetnes puts a damper on maintenance projects, but Advances made on other Directions .

 The past Friday night's deluge left a residual sogginess to the deck, limiting much of our planned maintenance projects.  Rainwater had soaked the area around the Mainmast boot, and Fife rail base, nixing further work on reefing out seams and caulking.  Which left only some linseed oiling and up-rigging of the freshly varnished foresail gaff.  

Todd Cole's
handiwork

Bryan brought aboard copies of a Volunteer Recruiting tri-fold brochure to pass around for review. Todd Cole designed around the content to give it a more professional look. The plan is to have printed about 200 copies for distribution, leaving with various clubs, organizations, lobbies, colleges, etc.  

Alex Lyashevich broke off to search for three grits of sandpaper to sand down the two thumb cleats that had been removed from the gaff.  Their position, intended to keep the vang loop around the gaff from slipping forward, was suboptimal, so it would be repositioned after sanding and coating. After a good rub down with the final 220 grit, Alex applied two successive coats of linseed oil, and set the two thumb cleats aside to absorb.

Nate gets started repairing
 the stanchion  base

Nate Mack brought aboard his palm router and proceeded to cut out a space in the starboard quarter taffrail for a dutchman that would provide a new base for the lifeline stanchion. Bryan dropped down into the lazarette to scrounge around for a spare piece of sapele, or teak to shape the dutchman, coming up with a small block of teak. 

"It's always somthin!"
in this case a hidden bolt head
in the way of a screw.

Now the challenge will be fitting a piece over a just discovered thru-bolt head which was in the path of one of the four stanchion screws. All this time, it had prevented one of the screws from properly driving in and anchoring the stanchion. The task will include re-setting the four stanchion base screws in an arrangement away from the submerged bolt head.

As Ken Fonville, Tony Marchesani, and Dave Brennen prepared to set up the suspended gaff for resetting, Dave pointed out to Bryan the worn thru leathers lining the gaff jaws. Change of plans. Now, the priority shifted to a search for sufficient scrap leather to replace the shredded remnants of old cowhide. All that could be found were strips of buffalo hide normally used for the berth seat cushions. It would have to work. Tony and Dave set to work measuring and cutting out double layers of leather to replace both sides of the jaws. Ken started on pulling out the carpet tacks still securing the old leather. 

Somewhere in between, Walter Barton collected money and departed to pick up sandwiches phoned in to East Bay Deli. 

By the time lunch rolled around, our ranks had shrunk by a third due to conflicts. Shortly after that, all left aboard were Bryan and Alex, who promptly shifted to some deckhand skills training.  Going down the skills checklist, Alex demonstrated several knots, talked thru situational awareness with passengers aboard, and added in a little storytelling.   

On another Note, Bryan received access  from  Crew Alumnus/Education Director-Sarah Pewinski, to a real treasure trove of educational materials developed several years ago to support the schooner's mission. Themes and topics covered STEM, Geography, History, all configured for educating 5th thru 8th graders on board, including activities and games designed to engage kids with hands on things.  Their content is designed so to be delivered by, shall we say, amateurs-professional educators not required.  Volunteers can fit that bill perfectly.  So, if you're a Volunteer, and reading this, look forward  to seeing more on the topic, including eyes on the curriculum that's available.  It's extensive. 

The Ship's Visibility improves with boarding of Special Guests. Critical Maintenance Projects Advance

Carin, in deckhand mode,
 steadying the gaff jaws

 While we're all waiting to welcome a new Captain, work thru all the usual "breaking-in" the Captain, restarting a Volunteer Crew operating rhythm that includes regular harbor sailing, another dimension to the schooner is slowly taking shape;  Educational programs.

Just two weeks ago, Carin Bloom, historian, educator, and interpretive presenter came aboard as a Volunteer, bringing with her a number of ideas for organizing and delivering historic aspects of  Charleston's Maritime Heritage.

Two days after that, I received an inquiry from the Flatrock Middle School in Winston-Salem NC, regarding chartering Spirit of South Carolina for a day/field trip, likely this fall and/or next spring in April.

Bryan and Dr. Long
exchanging ideas  

And just this past week, Dr. Kim Long PhD, of the African American Maritime History organization (not affiliated with IAAM) stepped aboard, and sat down for an hour and half with Bryan Oliver trading ideas for delivering a variety of educational experiences for high-end customer/city visitors. Dr. Long already delivers historically themed presentations at selected venues, and sees Spirit of South Carolina as an excellent setting for such programs.  Because her programs are already well formed, proven and priced, they could be almost turn-key and the first to appear on deck.

And then came Saturday. Several Volunteers mustered in the morning, ostensibly, to down rig the fore sail gaff so it could be sanded and varnished, and to continue the deck leak repairs under the main mast boot. But for most of em, think the real draw was to meet P.C. Coker III.  More on that later.  

After grabbing some coffee from the saloon,  All hands mustered at the Mainmast where Bryan explained the priorities for the morning,, and the plan for afterwards. Ken Fonville, Tony Marchesani, Carin Bloom, Gary  , Dave Brennan and Rick Washington  teamed up to down rig the foresail gaff, from its current position, jaws around the mast, lashed to the head of the foresail, steadied by the lazy jacks.  Their task was to:

• First, tie down the furled foresail, securely to the boom with sail gaskets
• Unlace the head of the foresail from the gaff 
• Lower the port side boom lift to slacken the lazy jacks on that side. 
• Rig taglines to run forward from the jaws, and aft from the gaff peak.
• Remove the parrel bead line securing the gaff jaws around the foremast.
• Using both throat and peak halyards, lift the gaff up one foot.  
• Then with hands on the tag lines, force the gaff aft, for the jaws to clear away from the mast
• Swing the jaws to port, then pull the gaff forward, clearing the lazy jacks, and lowering the gaff until it is waist level, suspended and lashed down horizontally on the port side of the boom-ready for the scrapers and varnishers to pile on. 

• 

  Once jaws clear of the foremast,
   gaff cleared out of lazy jacks
  then lowered to its suspended
  resting position.

  
  

[There you are, steps all nicely bulletized, for any of you to simply reverse the process and up rig the gaff after it's once again shiny and new, hopefully next week]

While that exercise in teamwork was being masterfully executed,  Mikell Evatt and  Alex Lyashevich took on the more circumspect project of fixing the deck leak from the Main mast area down into the saloon. The job involved scraping, digging out deteriorated deck caulk around the main mast boot ring, and Fife Rail Post, then brushing it clean for caulking.  Grabbing a reefing tool and mallet, Mikell also dug out three feet of deck caulk adjacent to the Fife Rail Post, which was separating from the inch-deep sides of the teak plank, allowing rain water to migrate towards the lowest point.. the mast partners.

Around  1100 hrs,  Walter Barton appeared at the gangway,, with a large grocery bag of sliders, and our special guest, Mr.. P.C. Coker III.

P.C. Coker III's book, Bryan's annotated copy.
 A clean copy belongs to the ship,
 A couple personal copies may be available.

Now, if you're a history buff, more specifically a Charleston history buff. This would be on your bucket list. P.C, is a Maritime Historian, professional model shipwright and author of the definitive Maritime
History of Charleston Harbor. Four years ago, a young Coker relative brought aboard two copies of that work as gifts for the ship.  The book has been a cornerstone of our Volunteer work of formulating historically themed programs around Maritime Heritage of this city and harbor.

P.C's arrival on the gangway provided the perfect excuse to pause operations.  While Bryan gave the walking tour around the deck. The rest secured tools, and lay below into the Saloon.  Walter laid everything out,  Sam Gervais, Director of the Low Country Maritime School, joined us below, and shared in the animated conversation that ranged from history to the future.   

P.C. had brought with him two additional copies of his book as donations for the ship.  They are currently out of print.  Our copies, will  most likely be purposed as fund raiser.. The ship already owns a copy. it's visible in the library rack over the saloon dining table.  As volunteers, ya'll would have first right of refusal, so anyone interested in making a donation to the ship in return for one of these beauties, please contact me.  It won't be a bargain price thing,, up front.  This  is a fund raiser.

And a BIG thanks to Volunteer deckhand, Walter Barton for arranging P.C.'s visit.

Saturday's Volunteers gather around P.C. Coker III
our lunch guest.

Mast Sanding is Done! Now to oiling and slushing; New Captain is selected; Name TBP, Next month to include Harbor Sea Trials.

 Expectations for low Volunteer participation due to the confluence of SEWE Events, and President's Day Weekend. were borne out this last weekend.  Nevertheless, the four of us who did muster aboard, did, with grit and determination, take on and complete the last project that had bedeviled us for months.  You guessed it-  Sanding down the foremast.

Mostly weather,, cold, wind,, rain, low motivation,, all  combined to delay for months, the completion of that last middle 30% of the mast.  And so it was, with Tony Marchesani and Walter Barton on the Jumbo halyard, and Bryan Oliver on the tag line,  

Alex waayy up the foremast
 taking down the grime with
 an orbital sander.

Alex Lya was slowly hoisted up the foremast with his Dewalt orbital sander and a bucket full of spares. After a 1/2, Alex signaled he was ready for someone else to have some fun.  So he was lowered to the deck, and Bryan Oliver replaced him. 

Alex, shouting down,
 "This is fun, so who's next?"

Another 1/2 hour later, Bryan was back on deck, and everyone took a moment to gaze upward, partly admiring our handiwork, partly wandering why it took so long, feeling the weight of an unfinished onerous chore being lifted up, the gates finally opening to... more projects?

Well, yes. that will always be so.  After all, it's the way of traditional sailing vessels. But as we all secured the deck, our bosun's chairs, loose hardware, etc, and mustered below, Bryan updated with news.

Carin Bloom, Historian, had met with Bryan again, this past week, onboard, to advance discussions on education standards, and topics for docksides, and cruises, with schools, and adults. Grants of $15,000 plus are available with proper application for Charleston 250 celebrations.  Carin also provided contact information for the African-American Maritime History organization, a possible partner in educational programming. Bryan is making contact.

Heath Hackett is within hours(?) of naming a new Captain.  The immediate objective is to onboard the new Captain, and take him into the harbor with some of Heath's motoring pilot team mates to familiarize said new Captain with piloting the schooner safely on/off the dock.  Once satisfied with progress in that skillset, Capt Heath will schedule a Volunteer Harbor Sea trial, likely first of several, over the month of March.

Meanwhile, we advance the projects of finalizing the twin personae of Spirit of South Carolina,, a Traditional 19th Century working schooner, and a more modern yacht, each personae to suit a targeted clientele. 

Transitions come and go, but the direction of our Schooner, and her needs remain the same.

 The past week, or two, has brought to the schooner and her Volunteers some motivational highs and lows: 

 Low; It brought news that our Captain would be transitioning out of his command. Capt Davis was popular with crew. but, to quote the Bull Durham movie:  "management wants to make a change." 

High; It also saw new contacts made with educators from Middleton Plantation, the South Carolina Maritime Museum, and a Middle School in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, all interested in Spirit of South Carolina's potential as an educational platform. 

Low: Volunteers came aboard Saturday to face the consequences of heavy winds and shifting Yokohama's (those huge hard rubber cylinders)last Sunday. "oof."   

High:  Hopefully they were heartened by Bryan's recap of the 51st Tall Ship's America Conference, at which 15 tall ships, and their crews and several other boards of directors were represented-every one welcoming Spirit of South Carolina back; that support was spoken none more forcefully, than by the Delivery Captain and his "A Team" who delivered her to shipyard.   

We are the crew of a ship that is respected in the industry; Her crew of volunteers, especially so, for their achievement in helping to bring her back, and successfully regain her Certificate of Inspection. 

This Saturday, TEN of us, Tony Marchesani, Nate Mack, David Brennan, Walter Barton, Ken Fonville, Alex Lya, Bre McCormick, Rick Washington, and Darryl Darby, all mustered with Bos'un/Volunteer Coordinator, Bryan. After collecting lunch money and handing it off to Danny Johnson, they divided up to three tasks.  Darryl took on the project of sanding down and prepping the stern light platform, for oiling.  Nate, Bre and  Alex set to rigging up two bosun's chairs on the foremast, using the jumbo, and foresail throat halyards. The remainder gathered to mull over the sticky problem of a renegade Yokohama-the gi-normous rubber blivits that floated between the schooner's hull and the pilings of the face dock. The north-most yokohama had drifted under the dock overhang, rendering it useless and allowing the bow, and the port side anchor to drift up to the dock. And so, after several minutes of brainstorming, the team set out with boat hooks, marlinspikes,  crowbars, and not a little rope pioneering creativity, maneuver the rogue yokohama out from under the dock, center it on it's piling, and fashion a bridle with guy line to hold it in place, mostly.  

As the last hitches were made into the Yokoyama's sling, Darryl finished the last hand-sanded touches to the stern light platform, and both bosun's seats hung snugly against the foremast table.  Walter declared lunch to be ready.  

Dave Brennan sauces up his selection,
 while Tony Marchesani starts some big bites.

Thanks to Danny's good tastes, the crew helped themselves to a true hoagy smorgasbord.  A few of us, torn by real-life family and house maintenance commitments, went ashore.  The remainder of us cleared the table, secured from lunch and mustered one more time on deck for a last task.  

All hands to freeing up and rerouting 
spring lines 2 and 3

During that urgent situation the previous Sunday with high winds forcing the schooner's hull forward and aft, then against the dock, as the tide rose, it's lines slackened by the high tide, the yokohama nearest the bow(as previously described), slipped under the dock, making it useless as a protection. To counteract the bow's tendency to drift into the dock, the engines were started and  reversed to warp the bowsprit away from the dock. Dock lines were hastily rerouted . While the maneuver worked, it also stretched the #2 spring lines such that the hull shifted six feet south.  That shift placed the dock-fixed gangway over lifeline stanchions,  promptly bending one. 

Bryan making a tugboat hitch
of the stern quarter line over its bitt.

Dave Brennan and Tony Marchesani
overhaul the #2 lines to their
 proper deck cleat

 

Spring lines askew
and a-tangle.
Hands restored order.

So now the remaining hands faced the task of maneuvering the hull north about six feet, to restore it's centered position below the dock-mounted gangway, eliminating the threat of another gangway/stanchion collision. The hasty actions the previous Sunday, created a spider web of cross-routed spring lines, and others made fast to different, not optimal, dock cleats. And so the remainder of us, spend the remainder of the afternoon, loosening, rerouting, doubling up, and at least once, bending on an additional dock line to restore order to the four systems, all aimed at stabilizing the hull against those three critical Yokohama blivits, to keep the head rig from scraping the dock, and the gangway centered over the deck. 

Mustering off, we all went ashore looking back on the several projects still needing attention, oiling the masts, slushing the masts, caulking the mast deck ring and reinstalling the main mast boot.  And then there's our skills to polish up.  line-handling, sail-setting, knots, watch-standing..
  It never really ends,, but there-in lies the fascination,,, if you're drawn to Tall Ships.

And finally, a Fairwinds wish to shipmate-volunteer,  Petty Officer 3d Class Logan Day, USN, who in next couple of weeks will ship off from his Naval Nuclear Engineering school just up the river to a couple of additional short courses up north before taking station aboard a Nuclear Attack Sub in Groton, CT.   Keep us informed, Logan, You've always got a berth aboard. 

Attending Tall Ships America (TSA, formally ASTA) Annual Conference now in the Annual Bucket List

 Well, Wow.  I've been missing out! 

 Davis and I just completed our  attendance of the 51st TSA Annual Conference.  This three full day Conference was held at the Maritime Conference Center outside of Baltimore. Around 160, maybe more people attended, representing most of the tall ships on both Coasts and some in Canada.  Attendees were Captains, other deck officers, a few crew members, Educators, Board Members, Company reps who support the industry. 

I'll add the organization's website at the bottom of this blog entry. You should take a look. 

This was my first TSA Conference.    Given eight years of deep involvement with Spirit of South Carolina, and other Tall Ships, I  had known of it for several years. But not being licensed, nor a professional mariner, I didn't see much of a point in spending the bucks to attend. Up until COVID, Spirit of South Carolina had been an Organization-level member. That would give us status as "crew".  It's still possible, but until our member ship is restored, some features are beyond us.

 I had learned from shipmates that membership included access to a "Billet Bank", a bulletin board for ships to post "positions available" and for mariners to search , and advertise themselves.  The organization's website is a portal to a decent inventory of professional articles, planning templates, training opportunities. 

 Other online resources available to members thru the organization's website are adequate, and recently the organization has been actively adding to them.  For instance, in one workshop all about preparing for Shipyard, attendees conversed on lessons learned, shared tips and techniques, dealing with contractors, vendors, suppliers,, and  warnings. All agreed on the need to post a best practice Project Plan template onto the website for easy access. I know we could've used one last year. Expect to see some contributions there in the near future.

But most of all, by far, attendance was your invitation into a special community. The networking, the sharing of insights, experiences, advice,  was easy and natural. The atmosphere was like attending a huge reunion, and being pulled into it like an old friend.  I reintroduced myself to Hank Mosely, who, 15 years ago was Mate on the Schooner Virginia when I shipped aboard as "guest crew", basically a paying passenger. From that moment on it was like we'd been shipmates all along. Just about all attendees knew Spirit of South Carolina. As a sailing vessel, she's got a great reputation.  Post-session social activities ensured that the camaraderie extended well into the evening. In fact, there's a snippet video involving me and Kareoke that I'd rather would disappear.  

But,, I won't lie, the most fun part was:

The Maritime Center's Bridge Simulator 

Davis at the helm trying to  thread the needle...

..between an oil rig platform to starboard, and a burning Car carrier,
 in a cross-wind gale, in a snowstorm,
in middle of  Baltimore Harbor.  

.. while I stood outside, in the snow, 

smirking and pointing at all our conference shipmates "coaching" 

Of course the sessions, keynotes, workshops.  None disappointed.  You'll be getting take-aways from me over next few weeks .They are listed with their synopses on the Conference Blog, accessible through the website. 

The TSA Website:  Tall Ships America Home page

The 51st Annual TSA Conference:  Conference Page: Agenda, Attendees, Resources