We're creating, something that will last, more than oak and bronze.

 

Last week, Danny Johnson lay in
with David Brennan on his task
 to rebuild the hinge on the paint locker.

You  wouldn't notice it unless you had been spending time aboard Spirit of South Carolina on it's Volunteer days  for a year or more. But I've noticed it.  And its a grand thing! 

It's pretty subtle but  there's a definite evolution taking shape on deck. Over time, long standing volunteers, who have boarded as never-evers, or with baseline knowledge of tall ships or sailing skillsets. have been with regularity, mustering aboard- taking on maintenance projects, learning shipboard skills. They've been steadily building deckhand competence and gradually internalizing an esoteric thing some have called "the way of the ship -" her idiosyncrasies.  Most significant, a deckhand culture is slowly taking root, on deck where currently, there are no professional deckhands;  Idle hands lay in with others to help advance a project. Standard methods and procedures are being repeated and internalized.  As individuals naturally coalesce into teams on a project, they also share skills.  New Volunteers coming on deck  are assimilated more quickly, and can start being a part of something much bigger than themselves. And we, together, create something self-sustaining.

The photos taken this week interspersed thru-out this Blog entry illustrate whats  been going on.

Ya, see where I'm going with this?  If we nurture,  continue to feed the process, we are rebuilding a human culture  that built and operated our schooner successfully years ago.  Volunteers. 

Calvin Milam points to where he
 and shipmate Nate Mack  reefed out
 a seam, identified a significant deck
 leak over the Genset, and recaulked
the seam.

Just below right in the photo, Newer Volunteer Doug Hartley  holds in his hand, "remains of the brain of the GENSET; the disreputable control PCB-the fruits of a two-week troubleshooting ride that began with Craig Scott, a multimeter, some deep dives into the vessels storage for a manuel, and additional hours on the internet. Last week he handed his findings off to New Volunteer Doug Hartley who advanced the troubleshoot over the past two weekends. Between the two they identified the problem, researced solutions, recommending a board replacement, compared cost, and passed on findings/recommendations to the ship's project manager for action.  

They saved she ship weeks, and hundreds and hundreds of dollars, in professional mechanics fees.   Volunteers.

Above, John Whitsett advances a project begun 3 weeks prior by Mikell Evatt; fabricating protective "thump" coverings over the transom knees from salvaged fenders; Joe Gorman and David Brennon  backing up, with some blade sharpening, and tool searching.

Of Course, the prime motivator:  Hunter's Lunch creations! Hot and plentiful.

At left, as the Volunteer day closes, all hands lay out on the head rig to help out John Hart, who had spent the day riding the jibboom and hanking on the jib luff to the jib stay.  Together they tucked in the best harbor furl the jib had enjoyed in months.