Spirit of South Carolina is back on the water!

David Brennen makes off a bowline
 at end of #1 dock line

 Maybe not what you'd call history-making, but for Volunteers and others following Spirit of South Carolina, yesterday was a BIG DEAL.

For the first time in 21 months, Spirit of South Carolina cast off from her berth at Charleston Maritime Center and motored out into the harbor. Capt Heath Hackett, Project Manager, along with Acting Capt Charlie Porzelt  and a crew of 8 volunteers, piloted her on a two-hour cruise to stress test her two newly repaired Cummins diesels. 

The test took her up the Wando River, returning down river  around Castle Pinkney to Fort Sumter and back to the dock. During the trials Capt Hackett, with a Cummins marine diesel mechanic  pushed the rpms to 3,000 driving Spirit of South Carolina a 9 knots thru the water. 

A sea trial is intended to force potential issues up to the surface both mechanical and human. This was no pleasurable harbor cruise.  Every soul aboard had to be pumping high adrenaline levels, not only for the significance of the trials, but that there would be a "First" for everyone on board.  Capt Hackett,, and  experienced large Motor Yacht Captain had never before stood in command of a 19th century wooden tall ship.  Acting Captain Charlie Porzelt, it would be his first time at the throttles, piloting the vessel off, and the hardest part-safely piloting her on to the dock.  As for the crew, everyone had practiced the  tasks they might perform, as the ship was docked, but they all appreciated it would be a different scenario, less structured, more highly charged when the deck under their feet was drawing away or coming in to dock, and the pace of everything accelerated. Bryan Oliver, Volunteer Coordinator, would run the deck as Chief Mate for the first time. It would be John Hart's, first time as coxwain in the push boat.  For deckhands Danny Johnson, Dave Brennan, Calvin Milam, Nate Mack, Jonathan Bautista and Keshaun Holmes, it was showtime.

Bryan,Keshaun and Calvin secure stern falls
 after recovering the small boat while Joe Gorman
 in foreground  monitors a dredge nearby.

And sure enough, the sea trial exposed what is was supposed to.  It started with casting off lines. #3 dockline snagged on it's yokohama fender, and was lost overside when it had to be cast off from the ship. In a miscommunication to the dock, the dock end was also cast off.  The  diesels, under load and high rpm's shut down three times during the trial, blowing off an exhaust coupling. The diesel mechanic, likely anticipating the issue was able to quickly effect repairs and adjustments to handle the higher rpms.   While underway, the crew took advantage of the down time to "dress the foresail", that is, make the foresail ready to set by taking off gaskets, and laying out all the different lines needed to run free or be tended as it was raised.

The first shut-down left the schooner drifting down river from the Ravenel Bridge on it's own momentum, causing Charlie, on the quarter deck to call for the anchor to be "catted". i.e readied for deployment.  Prior to departure, the starboard anchor's lashings had already been reduced to minimum turns allowing them to be released with one twist of the wrist. Now Bryan shouted for crew to swing the anchor burton hook over to the anchor in order to raise if off the rail, and lower it so that it was suspended entirely from it's cathead.  The crew had practiced it once on the dock, under Charlie's supervision, but now with Charlie way back in the cockpit, it was up to Bryan and team to complete the maneuver of the 500 pound pointy ended fisherman overside and down without gouging the hull.  

Coxwain, John Hart ferries Keshaun and Danny
 away for the dock to take docklines
 and swing over the gangway

And finally came the hard part. Airplane pilots will tell you that taking off is easy.  It's the landing that hard. And so it is,, particularly with wooden sailing ships.  Capt Hackett turned this over to Charlie who took his time.  In fact, he wasn't satisfied with his first approach, seeing the head rig drifting with just a bit too sharp an angle towards the dock pilings, and backed off for another approach. Getting alongside 30 feet off the dock, each of the line handlers in turn tossed heaving lines, nailing their targets.  Volunteers Ken Fonville, Kenny Johnson, and Keshaun Holmes took lines in turn, made fast, then, swung over the gangway. It took another hour of coiling, hanging, re-securing the anchor, chafing gear to the docklines, after which Charlie mustered volunteers together one last time and dismissed all.

We understand that Capt Hackett will submit his report to Mr Baker with favorable comments  on the ship's performance and her crew. Expect to hear  in near future,, plans for regaining her COI, and possible haulout. That means sailing time.