Volunteers out-do themselves, and set some high (literally) bars for the rest of us.

Bryan points out Philippe's ultimate
 destination while Laura stands by
to help hoist.

This last Saturday, the 21st of November promised great weather.  What better conditions, and circumstances for going aloft.  Eight Volunteers mustered on the foredeck to take on a new level of team-oriented deckhand projects.  The two masts of Spirit of South Carolina were suffering  overdue maintenance, drying out due to sun exposure and weather. To fix it would require swinging someone aloft with sanding and scraping materials all the way to the top in a bosun's seat; then being slowly lowered down the mast, all the while swinging themselves around the mast, scraping and sanding down the weathering, splinters, and grime, making them ready for fresh coats of sealants and preservative.  And so our crew stepped to it.  Under Chief Mate Charlie's supervision, Calvin Milan, Philippe Agafonovas, and Madison Pulley rigged themselves into bosun's seats, to be hoisted up the foremast in sequence, with sandpaper and scrapers and instructions to scrape and sand down the surface as preparation for applying subsequent coats of DeksOlje D1.  Chief Mate, Charlie made last minute safety checks of harnesses and hoisting tackle. Then, one by one, Volunteers were hoisted up to different points on the foremast to begin work.  Charlie, and Laura Johnson, with Bryan Oliver tailing, sweated halyards to to raise each volunteer crewmember to their assigned position. Meanwhile, Mikell Evatt and  Danny Johnson were applying the final waterproofing steps to their completed canvas tool bags. 

Laura balancing on the
 Foremast Gaff Throat
while sanding down the
lower mast.

Chief Mate Charlie sands down
 the lower section, while
above him, Madison, Philippe,
 and Calvin finish up their
 assigned sections.

Laura took station on top of the foremast gaff with 80 grit sandpaper to reach the lower mast sections. Once crew were safely aloft, and between tasks of lowering the bosun's seats on demand to sand down new sections,  Mate, Charlie Porzelt joined Laura sanding on the lower sections.  

As waterproofing tool bags wound down, Mikell, Danny,  Laura, and Madison took advantage of the remaining minutes before lunch to carefully lift up the finished outer hull of the Dory, and fitted over the butterfly hatch to the opposite side of the deck.  

Meanwhile, Hunter collected contributions, and hiked to Harris Teeter to provision for lunch.  His efforts were notable, and always seemed to surpass his previous triumphs.  This time it was  Pork Loin Chop seared with a multi-spiced and creamed mushroom sauce reduction, Gruyere Potatoes Au Gratin, and a melange of fresh steamed vegetables.   There was nothing left.  

Laura, Mikell, and Danny
 team up on the Dory's grimy interior
 to make her ready for next paint coat.

As lunch concluded, some volunteers secured from lunch, and put away tools, rigging,, and trash. Laura, her Dad, Danny, and Mikell tackled the inside hull of the Dory, sanding, scuffing, and finally washing everything in preparation to painting her at the next Volunteer Day. 

The day was notable in a number of ways.. For first time ever in the ship's life, Volunteers laid aloft to conduct maintenance, a task usually reserved for paid crew.  With the increasing need for teamwork, safe line handling, and self-direction across a myriad of simultaneously ongoing tasks , Volunteers were exercising and demonstrating what they've learned in the way of taking care of the ship.  Not since last January had this ship experienced such a sense of purpose in the people aboard her...perhaps sensing that she once again had a real crew aboard.   I'm sure this crew of 8 aboard this Weekend had to sense the same thing.  Of all the 107 Volunteers currently in contact via the Coordinator's Master Contact list;  Here's hoping they take an opportunity to experience the same sense of being part of the Ship, here over the next few months. Volunteer Days will recommence on 5 December, with opportunities to lay in with the crew on weekdays, by confirming you're intent with the Volunteer Coordinator. 

A few more photo's are available on the Schooner's Volunteer photo album at the link above.

Aeralists Calvin, Philippe, and
Madison take in the unique views
while embracing the sawdust.

Introducing the Schooner Gig, "Charles S. Sneed"

Wednesday evening, Capt Dan Cleveland and your Volunteer Coordinator were invited over to the LowCountry Maritime Society, with a few other Charleston luminaries of the Wooden boat/tall ship world to get acquainted with a long-time secret of the Spirit of South Carolina story. (For more on the LMS, see their Facebook page link at bottom of the story)

This episode begins during the inception of the schooner's design and planning.

In 2002, as the keel for Spirit of South Carolina was being laid on the same grounds as her Pilot Schooner ancestor, Francis Elizabeth, off to the side another, smaller keel was being squared up and framed up.  This craft was envisioned to be commissioned as the schooner's "gig".  A pilot schooner typically carried one to two small boats capable of being rowed or sailed, as a means of transferring her pilots to and from their client vessels.  Originally intended as a larger version to match the scaled-up Spirit of South Carolina.  As her plans were being finalized, her creators concluded she would still be too small to fulfill her intended mission of educating and training youth, so they enlarged her size to 16 feet.  She would be propelled by three banks of oars, or a two-masted fore-and-aft sail rig. 

The same volunteer group and skilled shipwrights, using timbers and materials from the Spirit of South Carolina, fashioned her ribs, thwarts, spars and lap-strake hull.  On finishing, she was christened Charles S. Sneed, after the visionary-Co-Founder of the South Carolina Maritime Foundation who led the efforts to building the Schooner Spirit of South Carolina. 

But as far as we know she was never actually launched. 

 Now she has a chance, with our help.  The LowCountry Maritime School, under supervision of their Educator and Boatyard Manager, Rachel Bergquist is organizing a volunteer effort to refinish her, fit her out and make her ready for the water.  She's banking on volunteers willing to spend up to two hours at a time late Wednesday afternoons to lay in with her on the job. As an educator as well as project manager, Rachel is also a great teacher in marine woodworking skills, so you're in for some free advice, coaching, and instruction as well.  

The first Wednesday session is tentatively set for 2 December, at the LowCountry Maritime School Boatyard, on 1230 Pherigo Street, Mount Pleasant.. (Behind the Red Drum Restaurant.)    For some more information on LMS, See their FACEBOOK Page. 

https://www.facebook.com/lowcountrymaritimesociety

Stalwarts keep the maintenance momentum;

Saturday the 14th was a pretty fair day. clear skies, roll up your sleeves, maybe your pant's too,, still a bit breezy w/NE winds gusting across. Six Volunteers mustered.  Capt Dan opened the muster with an admonition about the current Covid flare-up, and to reinforce the ship's policy for social distancing.  Philippe Agofonovas brought along his drone to capture some aerial shots. See a few more on the Volunteer Photos Link.

 Danny Johnson and Mikell Evatt continued their canvas projects, putting final stitches into some custom tool bags, then switched over to sanding down the Dory hull fiberglass repair job, in prep for it's coat of white enamel. Gary Pope, and Calvin Milam set to work repairing the wind damage done to the wet varnish job from last weekend. Joe Gorman worked on restoring canvas sewing needles, salvaged from their rusting state.  Their lunch contribution sent  Hunter off to provision.  We were not to be disappointed. While some had to depart before lunch, meaning that much more for the rest of us.. and it was... Chicken Piccatta, Italian seasoned noodles and brussel sprouts.  After lunch, with a good walk thru of the deck to make sure we'd restored order to everything, and tools secured, remaining volunteers disembarked, leaving Bryan Oliver and Joe Gorman staring at the dory.  Why not? we thought.. So we broke out the roller and tip brush, stirred up a batch of super thick fast-setting marine enamel (gloss white), and set to work covering the entire hull exterior. To credit of the sanders and scuffers,, it was quite difficult to identify the repair job. 

So Much for a Rainy Forecast; This Volunteer Day Turned out Pretty Productive

Alright-Alright-okay! Sure, the prediction was 40% chance of rain, which would kabosh some planned projects and force others under the awnings. So, what really happened?  Just look at the pic's.. clear skies.. albeit a growing 15-20 knot blast down the Wando, but otherwise a great day to be on the water, particularly on a schooner. Ten Volunteers mustered at 0900,, or thereabouts to take on five separate projects. Danny Johnson and Mikell Evatt, volunteered their nascent canvas repair skills to start up creating a couple of tool bags. John Whitsitt, and Carter Edwards took on the greasy task of processing a pile of rusted tools thru their vinegar bath, to an oil bath, then returning to storage. Layne Carver, took on coaching of Zach Smith in the proper application of Varnish to applying the 7th coating to the quarter caprails and taff rail. Joe Gorman took Adam Schaich along to finish up the rigging of a bosun's seat. And finally, after lunch, Volunteers  teamed up to trice up the jib, unbend the jumbo and and down/prep the head rig spars for some spot varnishing.

Philippe Agofonavas accompanied by faithful friend, Lulu, came on board shortly afterward, and joined Carter Edwards laying out on the head rig to set up the jib for tricing up, clearing it off the jibboom.

Adam Schaich comforts Lulu,
worrying about her master's footing out on the jibboom

Volunteer Crew taking well-deserved lunch break 

 

Meanwhile, taking contributions from the crew, Hunter hiked off to Harris Teeter to provision for lunch. The result was, a welcome Lunch break, Baked burritos en chile verde, with spanish rice and frijoles. 

On an emotional note, Today we sent off with a literal "Bon Voyage" our Volunteer, Carter Edwards, just finishing his training at the Naval Weapons School just up the Cooper River, and now reporting to his next assignment, a Virginia class Submarine based in Groton CT.

Bryan and Carter Edwards sharing a last task
 out on the head rig before Carter departs for Groton.

 He and his wife, Alex, both Annapolis Grads, and their six month old daughter will be heading north shortly, where he'll report aboard in mid November for a six month cruise.

Old Salt, Joe Gorman taking a critical look
 at the crew's work on the head rig.

A Spirit of South Carolina Volunteer signs on for a month-long internship on "A.J. Meerwald"

For the past three weeks, one of our own, as sought out her own adventure, and signed on for a berth on New Jersey's official Tall Ship, the 1928 Schooner A.J. Meerwald. Check out her website at: A.J.Meerwald. Madison Pulley, who normally has driven down Saturdays from Greenville, learned of an opportunity to ship aboard as an intern. A.J. Meerwald is a Sailing School vessel converted from an Oyster-dredging schooner. As such, she's distinctively different from Spirit of South Carolina in both hull and rig. Madison attached a few pictures,, below. She's expected back on board here on November 14th, and looking forward to sharing her adventures up north.

A visit by the Schooner Roseway, and Weekday projects by Volunteers.

Hopefully, volunteers at work on Saturday, and up til Tuesday, took the opportunity to visit SSV Roseway, an original historical schooner, with a reduced complement of students bound for St Croix. Roseway had been anchored near the north channel for a few days, but since Saturday had tied up at the fuel dock. She has a website: About Roseway Over the past week, Mikell Evatt and Adam Schaich found some time to spend a few hours during the week onboard.

Adam laid on coat #6 of Varnish over the cap rail, then spent some time on the deckhand's repertoire of knots. Mikell and Bryan teamed up for a 7th varnish coat on the quarter caprails, then started a vinegar bath for a small pile of rusting tools. Every little bit helps, and most of it, like the 24 volunteer-hours during the weekday, keeps the momentum going for the rest of us.

Combining maintenance and Deckhand skillbuilding

On Halloween Saturday, eight volunteers mustered at 0900, and immediately divided into separate projects. The brisk breezes canceled hopes of lifting volunteers aloft in bosun's seats to scrape the masts. Nevertheless, One team set up the varnishing station and began prepping the quarter cap rails and taff rail for another coat of Deks olje D2 varnish. The second group assembled around the foremast port pinrail. After months of maintenance projects requiring the moving of rigging from their assigned belaying pins, almost 32 different lines were currently belayed off in all numbers of disorganized spots. There job would be literally starting from scratch, armed only with the rigging principle of "running fair, and foremost rigging starts on port side", this team started matching individual running rigging lines with belaying pins. Starting portside Foremast, over the next three hours, volunteers moved from one belaying pin rail to the next; rerouted lines, moved lines from one belaying pin to another to improve leading fair. All the while, volunteers were polishing basic line-handling skills; belaying a line, making it fast, coiling, hanging,, tailing a line, sweating a line. Anyone who wanted the practice, got it. Meanwhile, Hunter was on foot to Harris Teeter with lunch contributions to provision for lunch. By 1240 he had handed up on deck for buffet, a pan full of roast chicken and rice pilaf, to spread over the salon butterfly hatch cover.