Final Push to Up-rig Spirit of South Carolina

Thirteen volunteers massed on Saturday to tackle the last, most daunting job of making her ready for sea; Swaying over the massive main sail boom and gaff and rigging her up.  Photos and video available on the "View Volunteer Photos" tab.

All thirteen of us no doubt discovered muscles all over our  bodies that we'd not exercised much before. By 3 pm, interrupted only by a welcome lunch  created by Hunter, the entire main mast rig; boom gaff and main sail,  had been hoisted over onto the ship and up rigged, well mostly uprigged except for the mainsail outhaul, which will get done Monday.   It took everyone of us.

 Previously during the week, volunteers came aboard in small groups to finish up final paint and varnish coatings, reinstalling ironwork on all four boom and gaff spars and preparing lifting tackles for swaying them back aboard.  

For the past month, Spirit of South Carolina lay at her dock looking rather naked without sails or spars other than her two masts.  But that started changing the previous Monday.  Chief Mate Charlie concentrated volunteer efforts on the foremast boom and gaff, completing ironwork installation and leathering, and finally riggin up and swaying across both the fore sail boom and gaff, finally the foresail itself.  The jib sail quickly followed onboard. Over the remainder of the work week, crew and volunteers finished up work on the  much larger mainsail boom and gaff, in anticipation for the coming Saturday when volunteer reinforcements would arrive. 

Saturday morning arrived and by 0900 thirteen Volunteers had mustered and began looking over the task before them.  First order of business; to recognize Volunteer, Carter Edwards, USN for 50 hours of service to the ship. achieved in a relatively short time of under 2 months.

Over the past several months, volunteer activity had consisted mostly of multiple smaller projects in small groups.  Today all of us would be synchronized in a single complex operation requiring careful coordination.  Capt Dan explained the objectives for the day,, stressing  safety and, given that few had ever done this level of rigging engineering work before,, the need for discipline in listening for direction and situational awareness.  

First task was clearing the dock of weeks of hardware, storage, carts, containers and tools, that might interfere with the lifting and moving of the giant spars. Next, the Mate, Charlie positioned all of us along the main boom and explained in detail exactly how we would position ourselves and work together to lift and shoulder the 40 foot-long spar, and carefully move it down the dock, change direction, and maneuver to a position perpendicular to the dock edge, near the main mast.   We would first, lift and push the jaws end of the boom out over the dock towards the mast and secure it first, then rig up the aft end of the boom with peak halyard tackles and swing it over the stern  of the ship. 

Volunteers and crew dug in, strained, lifted and shuffled the boom over into position;  two volunteers broke off to quickly reposition sawhorses to new locations before setting it down. Next step; crew members went back aboard to  prepare to pass over the mainsail's  throat halyard tackles which would be shackled to the boom's jaws for lifting.

Crew and volunteers muscle
 the main boom out over the dock,
jaws-first before rigging the throat halyard
tackles to lift it into place.

Captain Dan rigged taglines at both ends to counter the angle of pull of the tackles as they lifted the spar up, and prevent the boom from immediately swinging out of control across the dock toward the ship.  With volunteers along the boom, and crew on deck on the throat halyards the main boom was slowly lifted up, the jaws passed over the top of the dock pilings. As volunteers along the boom lifted and pushed the jaws forward out over the dock towards the main mast. Charlie orchestrated the taglines and throat.halyard, alternately directing handlers hauling and easing until the boom's jaws gently caught the main mast and settled on the table.  Crew immediately passed over the peak halyard tackles to the dock, where Capt Dan stropped them to the boomlift eyes. Now, most could stand back as a pair of volunteers on the  aft tagline steaded the aft end of the boom as the peak halyard raised it up over the dock pilings.  Then the tag line was slowly eased allowing the main boom to swing around the mast and come to rest amidships.

The Main sail boom getting set
into its position around the main mast.

Once steadied, other crew and volunteers on deck  hauled aft the port and starboard boom lifts, shackling them to their respective eyes on the boom, then took up slack so to take the weight of the boom.

Volunteers and Capt Cleveland
 prep to rig the main gaff for swaying over.

The whole process was repeated, although on a smaller scale with the Main sail gaff. 

Mate, Charlie guides the gaff into position
 while Tony Marchesani, and
Tim Geoghegan maintain the strain.

After a well-deserved lunch, the crew mustered back on deck to began lacing on the mainsail, hanking on the jib, and lashing the foresail and mainsail luffs to masthoops.  By 1530, when the Mate stood down the crew, all that was left before the ship could set sail was to lash down the mainsail outhaul.  The could be saved for Monday.