Project Manager, CAPT Hackett affirms intent to have Spirit of South Carolina functionally operational around Mid-June.

 In a phone call last Tuesday with CAPT Hackett, he affirmed in detail the components remaining to be installed and tested, and their status. He reiterated his intent to set a date/time for a sea trial based on the actual completion of those installations and testing, which would be mid-month (June). 

That news reinforced the priority for Volunteers to be prepared to help run the deck for casting off, and safely bringing her back to the dock after sea trials. With that, 9 Volunteers who came aboard this past Saturday at 0900, immediately organized to walk thru and  exercise their skills at:

• dock line handling, turns on the kevels or quarter bits,
•  making the big bowlines, 
• making a highwayman's hitch of the heaving lines to the bowline.
• Sending the messenger line over the rail, up over the head of the dock hand to retrieve it. 
• swinging the gangway to the the dock, and back again;  
• Launching the small boat, 
• maneuvering it as a push boat, then 
• retrieving the small boat to it's hipped position on the port bulwark.

While John Hart and Nate Mack took turns as coxwain of the small boat for a 1/2 hour. Danny Johnson and John Whitsitt made up the dockside party to cast off lines and down-rig the gangway.   Meanwhile, Layne Carver, Joe Gorman, Dave Brennan, and Dan Maurin stood by on the dock lines to take them in. Once the first cycle of casting off was completed, deckhands rotated around to a new task, and exercised  "docking" the schooner.  

With the cycles completed, all took a turn at coiling and heaving the messenger lines over the side once, followed by a hasty "failed throw" drill, retrieving the heaving line without coiling it and re-throwing it. As the last line was being retrieved, Hunter, down in the galley, called out "Lunch!" and started handing up on deck all the settings, including a huge pot of seafood pasta, and pound cake for dessert.  

After securing from lunch and from drills, some volunteers departed for other activities while a few hung back to perfect their gasket coiling techniques.  With the day over, we were much closer to being ready for the day when Spirit of South Carolina  draws away from the dock for the first time in 18 months.