Reducing "The Pile"

 Just no way around it.  This past Saturday would have to be a grimy, stain your trousers and blacken your fingernails day. The time had come to resolve the issue of an eyesore on the Maritime Center docks; composed of stacks, shelves, and tubs full of cordage, tools, lubricants, new and used paint, timber, the remnants of Spirit of South Carolina's construction days. 

From the days of her construction for 12 years, all this material had been stored in two shipping containers on the grounds of what is now the International African American Museum.  With that ground-breaking, we lost the space, and were forced to move most of the contents out onto the dock and protect is as best we could with tarps and scrap lumber. 

For the next two years, "the Pile" languished, and deteriorated, it's visibility largely lost in the turbulence of crew reductions, staff turnovers, and focus on more existential issues regarding survival of the ship.  Until this last weekend.

With the rebuilding of a Volunteer crew, and the optimistic hope of starting up some dockside events as COVID recedes, the Pile has also gotten new attention. It was time to do something about it. And so, this Saturday, a group of stalwart volunteers, reinforced by some Old Salt Volunteers, with trucks, converged on the docks. Under direction of Chief Mate, and acting Captain Charlie Porzelt, Volunteers began pulling off old canvas and plastic tarps, to uncover, and separate out  all that material into what was salvageable, recyclable, sellable, or just disposable.  

Emptied shelve units ready
 for disassembly, and online marketing.

Danny Johnson gained contact with the Lowcountry Maritime School to gauge their interest in taking away some tools and fasteners.  Dan Maurin took a few photos, and posted them online to some neighborhood marketplaces. John Whitsitt, moved salvageable gear, tools, and parts to a separate pile where he and Adam Schaich began taking selected items back aboard for storage.

Chris Sosnowski and John Whitsitt
fill a dolly for loading onto Chris's truck.

 Bryan Oliver, and Joe Gorman hauled out and stacked 3 dozen cans, buckets, and tubs if waste fluids, epoxies, and paints into carts for Chris Sosnowski to load up and transport to a County Recycling/Disposal center,

By early afternoon, the Pile had been reduced by 70 percent.  all that remained was for Lowcountry Maritime School to pick over the remnants, and wait for hopeful interests from online buyers.  By end of next week, only PFD lockers, and a workbench or two will remain for continued use.