Only Days ago from this posting, the remaining Moving Parts apparently crunched into place and Spirit of South Carolina received the signals to get a crew on board and cast off for home. Capt Hackett called Bryan the Volunteer Coordinator notifying him of the short time window within which the schooner was expected to be delivered home to Charleston; possibly as early as Jan 8, only days away, but not later than the weekend of the 15th of January.
It required the quick intensive search effort for an available delivery Captain and Crew. At Bryan's suggestions, Capt Hackett allowed for the crew augmentation of two or three Volunteers. Deliveries of this sort are not normally staffed with volunteers because of the nature of the operation, a cheap no-frills passage best executed by an efficient highly proficient crew. Volunteers would be expected to perform alongside the "pro's" with no time for close supervision, coaching, or demonstrating as normally carried on when volunteers come along. Capt Hackett's earlier observations of volunteers on deck, and during her year-ago sea trial, apparently influenced his acquiescence.
As Capt Heath passed that decision onto Bryan, he'd been studying weather forecasts, and concluded the vessel needed to be docked in Charleston not later than Tuesday, meaning she would have to cast-off from Thunderbolt Shipyard Monday for the expected 20-hour passage. Bryan selected from his logs, five names of volunteers who best met his criteria of tall-ship experience, most recent time on deck, demonstrated skills-and time onboard Spirit of South Carolina. Of those five, three, responded with availability. As of this posting, Bryan and the three will be departing Charleston Maritime Center Sunday afternoon, by car for Thunderbolt where they will meet the rest of the crew, and Hunter, and immediately begin the sea-stowing, provisioning, standard drill rehearsing in preparation for a Monday morning departure. With weather holding, mechanical systems running to expectations, and our intrepid mixed bag of crew, Spirit of South Carolina should reach the Charleston Maritime Center sometime Monday Morning.
Stay Tuned, I will ask, if we'll have AIS for shipfinding.
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