Planning for a memorable Low Country Boil now shared with 4 Tall Ships

 Like clockwork, Mother Nature has successfully synchronized rains and winds to coincide with the last month of Saturdays. True to form, this last Saturday's unpleasantness forced our band of happy-few volunteers below deck.   But this time there's some additional motivation.

Four Tall Ships, including Spirit of South Carolina, will be docked together at the Charleston Maritime Center. They are: Harvey Gamage from Maine, Swedish Barque Gunilla, and the Massachusetts schooner Denis Sullivan. Some of them will arrive as early as April 13.  A gathering like this hasn't happened since the Tall Ship Festival of 2017.  

Ken Fonville and Tony Marchesani
 start their dive into the paint locker
 for linseed oil, rags, and tools.

To start the morning, six of us tumbled below into the forecastle taking with us the eight brand new mast hoops delivered earlier in the week, for disassembly and oiling with linseed oil. 

While the oil absorbed, we displaced to the Saloon to start planning for the Low Country Boil that Spirit of South Carolina Volunteers would host as part Volunteer Appreciation Event, and part, welcome to the Low Country event for the crews of the three visiting Tall Ships.  

Ken Fonville, Doug Hartley in background,
Dave Brennan, Tony disassembling
 mast hoops prior to coating them
 inside and out with linseed oil.

So far, less than ten Volunteers have responded to the invitation to attend, and six of them are setting it up.  Hopefully weather will improve and  we'll have some more respondents, to take advantage of this social event to meet some other tall ship sailors,  and showcase some low country hospitality.

Before starting the planning meeting in the Saloon, Bryan Oliver awards Doug Hartley his long-overdue 50-Hour Volunteer Pin.