Volunteer Kalev Kruuk sends Greetings from Portugal and their own Replica Sailing Ship

 

Here's some news always welcome from our Volunteer Shipmates.  Kalev sent this photo almost 3 weeks ago, and I'm just now realizing the value. 

Kalev Kruuk, who has volunteered on Spirit of South Carolina with his son, passed on this photo of himself in front of a serious sailing vessel from the 16th Century... in Portugal. This vessel is docked at the port for which she is named:  "Vila do Conde". 

Think Ferdinand Magellan. 

Volunteer Kalev Kruuk checking a replica
 of one of the first serious ocean-going vessels
 to challenge "The World is Flat" theory. 

This from Wikepedia:

In its most developed form, the carrack was a carvel-built ocean-going ship: large enough to be stable in heavy seas, and capacious enough to carry a large cargo and the provisions needed for very long voyages. The later carracks were square-rigged on the foremast and mainmast and lateen-rigged on the mizzenmast. They had a high rounded stern with aftcastle, forecastle and bowsprit at the stem. As the predecessor of the galleon, the carrack was one of the most influential ship designs in history; while ships became more specialized in the following centuries, the basic design remained unchanged throughout this period.^[1]

One and a half Milestones Surpassed this Week. And One Mast starts its road back to wellness.

 For the past three weeks, Capt Hacketts's crew from Captain's Choice Yacht Management Services have been laboring-seriously scraping, cleaning, sanding, varnishing and painting large swaths of Spirit of South Carolina's deck, furnishings, and brightwork from midships- aft to the cockpit, . As of this past Friday, when our Investors/Board Members met on deck for a look-over and lunch, she has not looked this good since she was launched. And they're not done yet. The crew has been gradually advancing forward, the saloon butterfly hatch glazing (windows) suffering from delamination, have been lifted out, and new ones ordered as replacements. The bulwarks below the cap rail is being scraped and prepped for new coats of Sandtone paint. 

 Below decks, a Diesel engine expert has been steadily restoring the engines and generator to peak operability, and a Marine electronics specialist has been rewiring and testing the navionics, VHF, and radar.  

Word has it that her suit of four sails are on schedule for restoration, cleaning, and repairing. They may leave for volunteers the final task of patching the smaller areas.

Neither have Volunteers been idle. As the past few weeks since returning from Thunderbolt Shipyard, volunteers have beaten out three straight weekends of poor weather to make strides in getting all the sails rolled and swung over onto the dock for transport. All 27 mast hoops removed, sanded, linseed-oiled and remounted on the masts. As rainy weekends disrupted plans for going aloft, volunteers mustered below with lengths of line, and learned to whip ends, secure strands with constrictor knots and splice eyes in both ends; all to replace the worn rope sections of lifelines at the shrouds. 

Bryan introducing his Master Class
 in crafting the Excellent Eye Splice

This past Saturday, a rainy morning continued to force volunteers below for other projects.  While Tony Marchesani, and Jim Leonard, dropped down into the forecastle to string up hang all the berth curtains, Bryan Oliver gathered Danny Johnson, David Lazar, Mikell Evatt,and Ken Fonville around the Saloon table for lessons and practice in turning an eye splice into the end of a line, with aid of whipping or constrictor knots to control the rapidly unraveling strands and yarns of newly cut "Vintage" 1/2' rope. Meanwhile, Hunter hiked off to Harris Teeter to provision for a crew hot lunch. 

By noon, a clearing sky was helping dry off the deck and rigging, so while Tony and Jim finished up in the forecastle and started troubleshooting the frozen trash pump, the rest began installing their newly eye-spliced rope lifelines at the shrouds. Some looked better than others, but for first attempts they all met the standard for functionality and durability.  so there., and just in time for a robust lunch of Chicken Teriyaki over rice with fresh steamed green beans. 

Ken and Bryan assessing the bosun's chair
 soon to haul one of them aloft.

After lunch, with weather clearing, Bryan Oliver looked around for volunteers willing to go aloft up the foremast in a bosun's chair with a power sander to start in on the first stages of restoring our UV-damaged wood surface.

  

Seeing none he promptly strapped on a harness and with help of Ken Fonville, Mikell Evatt, and David Lazar, climbed into an already rigged up bosun's chair and started up the mast. 

Bryan with his trusty Makita Orbital
 slung low, starts up the mast.

Dragging up 100 feet of extension cord, David and Mikell hauled him up to the copper sheathing, where Bryan powered up the orbital and began a series of swipes as far around the mast as possible, and downward about two feet, before Mikell and David lowered him three more feet, and the process repeated. After about 40 minutes in the chair, Bryan had used up two sanding disks, and sanded down most of the top third of the mast, leaving a ragged stretch down the front of the mast where he couldn't reach.

 

Tony, Mike, Ken, and David
on the throat halyard
 pulling Bryan up the mast.

It was time to come down.   With a proven process tested, and hopefully consistently better weather, and of course, additional volunteers for the adventure, the goal is to return both masts to operation in next three weekends. 

The Milestones- almost forgot.

Friday morning, Spirit of South Carolina received two crucial visitors;  a Marine Surveyor, commissioned by the Insurance Underwriters, and Cdr John Loughlin, USCG.  Their purpose was to officially inspect the vessel and assess the progress in resolving issues discovered during Shipyard in Thunderbolt. 

After conducting their joint inspection and concurring, they informed Capt Hackett that they would complete a satisfactory report for the Insurance underwriters, and the Coast Guard would clear the vessel for her final milestone which would be to sail for her COI.  

He's up there somewhere. 

 

One milestone ; attaining a satisfactory Marine Survey Report; and half-way to the next big milestone of sailing for her Certificate of Inspection.   All great news, since the failure in any of these areas would be too dismal to contemplate. 

Enough with the Mast Hoops!

There are probably three maintenance projects on board, that, by their duration and tedium tend to draw a groan from deckhands when the time comes to take them on. To discourage more colorful sailor-pejorative descriptions, we will agree to label them, "The Triple Challenge."   In no particular order;

•  Refinishing the Cap Rail, 
• Scraping, oiling, and slushing the masts, and 
• restoring mast hoops. 

We have Capt Hackett's team to thank for taking the cap rail off our hands. They've been hard at work, sanding down and refinishing all the bright work on deck as well as repainting the aft cabin trunk, and other superstructures.  

Mikell Evatt and Laura Johnson stoked for
the last step;  getting the freshly oiled mast hoops
 back onto the masts.

This past weekend, five volunteers, Danny Johnson, Laura Johnson, Mikell Evatt, Jim Leonard, and David Lazar wrapped up another of Triple Challenge; the reinstallation of freshly restored mast hoops.  Three Saturdays past, was the de-installing of 27 steamed oak mast hoops from both masts. Two Saturdays ago- the sanding, oiling,  and now the reinstalling of 24 .  

Why the odd number?  The Mainmast had always been short three since that squall on the Bermuda passage back in '17. During deinstallation we discovered three to be "sprung", that is, stretched to a point of cracking, thereby compromised and unusable.  

Each hoop consists of two six-foot oak bands, steamed and coiled within each other like a laminated wood hoop, held together by six copper bolts.   

Close-up of restored Mainmast Hoops
 reinstalled; note the bolts
protruding from each hoop.

To be properly maintained, each hoop must be removed from the mast by first, unscrewing each of the six copper bolts, bagging them and their nuts, carefully, without springing them, twist the tightly coiled strips off the mast, as you would removing a key from a split ring. Next step; sand the black grime off the outside, inside, and sides of each.  Finally, using clean rags, slosh two liberal coats of linseed oil onto all surfaces of the mast hoops, inside and out ensuring a good soak in for preserving and protecting.  

Finally, each hoop must be re-sprung/threaded around the mast, then tightened to align all six bolt holes.  Given number of volunteers available these past three Saturdays, (approx 5), this component of the Triple Challenge consumed about 40 labor hours.  

We're not yet whole. In the next six weeks, we hope to have delivered from Massachusetts, eight new mast hoops, that will be sprung onto the masts, enough for 15, plus a spare on each mast.            

 It's not that we've saved the best for last, it's just that winter weather has done it's share of creating unsafe conditions for going aloft for the remainder of the Triple Challenge.  We're hoping this coming Saturday will promise some tolerable weather that will enable volunteer deckhands to go aloft in bosun's chairs. 

 Project Manager Preps Ship for First Visit by Board of Directors- and the Marine Survey.

While Volunteers, and his own crew take on the Triple Challenge and beyond, Capt Hackett has been looking to preparations for the Ship's upcoming Marine Survey.  It's been three years, with a significant portion of that, spent out of the water.  Marine Insurance underwriters don't view those circumstances favorably in a traditional wooden vessel, and therefore are insisting on a comprehensive survey, before granting dockside or go-to-sea insurance coverage.  That date has been set, but not yet shared. All that of course is prerequisite to Spirit of South Carolina's preparation for regaining her USCG Certificate of Inspection. 

One step at a time.

Mast Hoop Maintenance and Advancing Marlinspike Skills

 

Horrid foggy windy raining absolutely disgusting weather. Yeah? So?  What sort of person would turn-to in those conditions, and muster together just for maintenance, and some time on the water? 

Sailors,, in this case traditional wooden ship sailors, the type that recognizes there's things that must be done to preserve, and keep their ship well-found, and that weather conditions are just another variable in Mother Nature's tool bag challenging our ship's crew  to look to the best in themselves.  

And so, six of us,, Danny Johnson, Laura Johnson, Tony Marchesani, and new volunteers, Scott  and Jim Leonard, along with myself, mustered together in the forecastle to take on projects aimed add advancing our readiness for sea. Last weekend Volunteers down rigged a total of 27 mast hoops off both masts.  Three of those were condemned for salvage due to being "sprung" (distended and cracked). The rest needed to be sanded down to wood then coated with two applications of boiled linseed oil.

With the weather in a total mess on deck, our only feasible workspace would be below decks.  Earlier in the week, Bryan had set up hoop oiling station in the forecastle, spreading out  a large ground cloth over everything, and staging cups, rags, and a gallon of boiled linseed oil. Somebody went aft to bring back one of Capt Heath's power sanders to complete sanding of the remaining seven hoops on deck if the weather window cleared for a 1/2 hour. 

Bryan explaining the mast hoop issues
 to Scott, Tony, and Laura

The workspace in the forecastle wasn't conducive to more than 3 people, so Bryan split the group in two, leaving Tony,  and Laura, to work in the mast hoops in the forecastle.  He led the other group of three to the Saloon around the table to practice some graduate-level marlinspike skills.  After two hours, just before lunch, the groups would switch stations, so that all would get the chance to practice learn and practice some skills, as well as advance the mast hoop maintenance project.

In the saloon, Bryan positioned Scott, Danny, and Jim around the table and described the situation, passing out diagram's copied from Garrett's book "Arts of the Sailor" in the ships library.  The ship was in need of some additional "lizards" (short length's; 3-feet) of line, with eye splice on one end and either a toggle, or double wall and eye knot made into the other end.
It would require the exercise of three new skills;  a common whipping, a constrictor knot, turning an eye splice, and making a double wall-and-crown end knot. 

Bryan laid out a long length of 3/8" three strand rope, and demonstrated where and how to whip the rope at the ends, or to-be ends.  Once everyone had actually whipped their ends, the rope was cut into three three-foot lengths.  

Next, Bryan explained the purpose, and circumstances for making a constrictor knot as a quick temporary substitute for a whipping, particularly at the point where a rope's strands would be unlaid, and to seize up the end of each strand. 

With each rope length properly whipped, Bryan demonstrated the making of a double wall and crown knot (or Man Knot), on one end of each rope length. It would would serve as a "stopper" ball when slipped through the spliced eye on the other end.  Uses aboard this ship or any other are plentiful.  The photo at right illustrates its use in securing coils of line.  Using the demonstrator knot, Bryan used it to mark out the size eye on the other end of the rope. Now the last skill was introduced, the five tucks of strand into the standing end of the rope, in another half-hour, with an occasional untangling and restarting, the group had produced two satisfactory "lizards". 

At this point Bryan called for the station switch;  Tony and Laura in the forecastle, were relieved  by Scott, Jim, and Danny of their Mast Hoop finishing tasks and sent aft to the saloon to learn how to create the last lizard.

Our finished product; a "Lizard" secured
to the starboard foremast shroud's shear pole
 holding up  the coiled jibsheet

Activity ceased around 1230 just long enough to push the projects to one end of the saloon table so that all could sit around it with a big bowl of hot New Orleans Gumbo and french bread, frozen left over from the previous week-a perfect antidote to the wet mess howling above us on deck. Over lunch, new volunteers Scott and Jim listened as Bryan provided an orientation, introducing the Volunteer Log, skills checklist, and typical volunteer roles.

Once lunch was completed, some of the group cleaned up the mess area from lunch. And began putting away tools  and other hardware. Tony and Scott assisted Bryan in screwing the paint locker's heavy lid back onto the Locker.   Following a triumphal group photo with their work, volunteer crew stood down, and hurried thru the rain back to the parking lot and home.

The crew Jim, Scott, Bryan dripping wet,
Tony, and  Laura with their product; 
 three functional "lizards"

 

Mast Hoops; Consider the lowly but frustrating Split Key Rings-

 Split Key Rings! Those frustrating little fingernail torture tools- Who out there really enjoys engaging with those  things?   We're forced to it with the acquisition of an new key, or disposing of one and the distasteful to dreaded experience of prying, pinching,  and coaxing open just enough space to slip the key eye into it, and force it twice around the circumference of that sinister circle before finally freeing it? Sometimes, there's even a little blood spilt.

Stay with me here,, I"m actually going somewhere with this.. 

Now, what if you found yourself having to slip that key ring, not thru the  little eye of a key, but around a dowel almost the same size as the diameter of that cursed split key ring?!  Impossible you say?  Tell that to Mikell Evatt, or Tony Marchesani, Todd Cole, Dave Brennan, or any number of other schooner sailors. They can show you exactly how it's done.  

That's exactly what Volunteers took on last Saturday, and continued this past Saturday, when they stretched and twisted off a total twenty-seven 23-inch diameter wooden mast hoops from both fore and main masts.  Think humongous split key rings that need to slip off and back onto a mast-something nearly as large as their ring circumference.

What for, you ask?  Those mast hoops serve a critical purpose as an early version of a sail track on a mast, lashed to the luff edge of a sail and sliding up and down along the mast. They take on the sun's UV and an enormous amount of strain , being constructed of 8 feet of thin oak batten stripping, steamed and coiled into four-ply hoops, held together with screws around its circumference. Being wood, subject to wear, they require maintenance, the application of boiled linseed oil to seal and preserve the wood from moisture.  

So, periodically, Schooner sailors must  down rig all the mast-hoops to rejuvenate them by first, scraping off grime and UV damage to bare wood, then applying two liberal coats of boiled linseed oil . That's the bragging point for any schooner sailor's "rite of passage" their experienceing

Mikell Evatt (left) and Tony Marchesani
teaming on removing the six bronze bolts
holding together the tightly wound mast hoops.

 the classical mundane-but essential - along with the exciting. 

Saturday morning, Dave Brennen, and Tony Marchesani, mustered loosely in the darkness of the Saloon (skylight covered with tarp due to windows removed for replacement.) Tony organized  around the primary task of taking off the remaining fifteen mast hoops from the foremast, then sanding to wood, all 27 hoops(fore and mainmast), preparing for taking on two coats of boiled linseed oil before being sprung back onto the mast and made fast with bronze thru bolts.  

While David searched for tools and sandpaper,  Danny Johnson, Mikell Evatt, and Wayne Burdick  came onboard.  Danny brought with him a new volunteer, Jim Leonard, who pitched in on sanding hoops as they came off the foremast. 

Wayne Burdick, back to us, and Jim,
studying the
 remnants of the old awning

Wayne Burdick split off from the rest with his own project; creating a technical drawing of a new midship's awning to replace the massive frayed, ripped and torn sunbrella fabric that has shaded the midship's deck for the past six years, surviving two hurricanes and countless tropical storms and and rain squalls. It's poor state, drew Capt Heath to rule that a replacement was needed rather than an attempt at Repair-by-Volunteer.

Mikell Evatt extracting
a tight fitting bolt while
 Tony steadies the hoop.

It was a pretty cold morning with an onshore breeze of course, temperature's in low 50's. Work was initially slow in momentum searching for the right sockets drives  and other tools to remove each of the six long bronze bolts fastening each hoop together.   Tony took up a collection from five volunteers  for lunch, and passed on to Hunter who hiked up to Harris Teeter to provision for what would be a big Mack and Cheese Lunch, prepared largely in the dark using the ship's generator since shore power was apparently inadequate to handle both power tool operation on deck and the ship's electrically powered galley stove/oven. Having taken all the measurements and dimensions from the old awning, Wayne departed to finish up his rendering in the more appropriate environs of a work-study.  

Jim trying to reshape an "unstrung" hoop
 in preparation for sanding it.

By early afternoon the remaining volunteers secured tools and materials, after having dismantled all 15 mast hoops from the foremast, and sanded 2/3 of the total of 24 serviceable mast hoops in preparation for applying two coats of boiled linseed oil before re-installing on the masts.