Spirit of South Carolina Shake-Down Cruise tests New Volunteer Crew as well as the ship.

With a complement of 4 professional crew, 9 new volunteers and 3 guests, Capt Dan Cleveland cast off Saturday afternoon, from Charleston Maritime Center to exercise the ship and crew.  For the next five hours, Spirit of South Carolina  ranged south to Fort Sumter, and up the Wando River to the Shipping Terminals before returning to a well- executed docking at the Center. Besides four professional crew, four Volunteer Deckhands, with one or two full days of dockside training under their belt came aboard, along with four Citadel Cadet Volunteers, recruited by Citadel Senior, and new professional crew member, Ryan. Rounding out the ships complement were three guests of Captain Dan, who quickly found themselves pitching in, as Spirit got underway.  

Immediately following the Captain's orientation muster, Bryan Oliver,  Ryan, a Citadel Cadet Senior and Professional crewmember, with help from Ken Fonville and Sean McQuilken set to coaching  newer crew volunteers in making up dock line bowlines, bending on and throwing heaving lines, and handling dock lines.  Meanwhile, Chef Hunter called up from the the Galley and crew members individually went below to bring up on deck, a fried chicken lunch, then returning to tuck a reef into both Fore and Mainsails. 

Crew, Catie and  Cadet Volunteers
sweating the Foresail Throat Halyard

Once all was stowed for sea, Capt Dan called for dock lines to be taken in, and the new crew  immediately repeated their docking and casting off drills as Spirit maneuvered over to the fuel dock for refueling. Now that our diesel tanks were topped off, dock lines were cast off once more, the helm made hard-over to port and Spirit's bowsprit slowly swung out towards Fort Sumter. Once on a southerly course, into the wind, in a deliberately measured pace, the Captain ordered "Hands to set the Mainsail";  next came the Foresail, quickly followed by setting the Jumbo. Once the mainsail was properly hauled up and trimmed, crew made quicker, more efficient work of raising the Foresail, applying experience learned only moments before to executing the next sail sets. As the Jumbo filled, Captain Dan immediately shut engines, and bore off on a starboard tack down the North Channel.  Because Spirit's design and high rig made her inherently fast, the reef in the sails moderated our speed down the channel, but she was still sailing fast.  Dan quickly explained his next maneuver and the crews duties for it. When the command came to "come about" Volunteers and professional crew together took stations to pass the Main and Jumbo; Spirit's bow slowly slowly swung thru the wind, helped by the back-winded Jumbo. Crew trimmed all sail to the new course towards Fort Sumter. 

Cadet Volunteer Ed Marshall, with Volunteers, Chuck, Sean, and Ken,
 trim the Starboard jib sheet on a new tack.  

Captain Dan explains crew actions for their first Gybe maneuver

For the next four hours, with Mother Nature's cooperation of a moderate southerly breeze and the last half of an ebbing tide, Capt Cleveland exercised the ship and her crew thru a number of evolutions and drills.  Twice more, Spirit Tacked, then executed two Gybes.  Now bearing back towards the Maritime Center, Captain Dan must've sensed a growing competence in his crew, and no doubt a little consternation at the Beneteau 42 creeping up on our stern, so he called to "Hand's to Set the Jib".  Now, under "full press" Spirit slowly pulled away from the Beneteau, and crew took a moment to savor the reason they came aboard. Lots of smiles and big grins on faces! It was reflected back in the several modern sloop crews out on the harbor that crossed our stern or came along side to stare, snap cellphone photo's, wave, and cheer.  Some of us took turns at the helm, others tended sail trim, a constant drill as we angled back up the harbor and under the Ravenel Bridge.  The Captain and professional crew member Jaymi, set up the small salute cannon and fired a round as we passed beneath the bridge. The lasting reverberation surprising everyone.  
By sunset, Spirit was turned towards home, passing under the Ravenel, one by one, sails were doused and flaked, lines coiled, Fenders and dock lines staged and rigged  to starboard, in preparation for coming alongside. In another exercise of ever-improving teamwork, the crew manned small boat stations, together, lifted, swung out and lowered the small boat  to land the dock handlers and act as push boat. The docking, and gangway rigging was just short of flawless;  couldn't have asked for a better high note to end the cruise.  Without a reminder, Volunteers and crew set to coiling, hanging, tucking in canvas and clearing up her decks. It was dark, but crew members were in no hurry to disembark. But the reality of the shore part of our life started calling, and one by one we left her to shipmates now living aboard with a  common thread of conversation seeming to be, "when can I help again.?"