Schooner and Volunteers Shift Gears to Face Down Idalia

 Coming off the weekend with high spirits of rigging up the Main Mast (mostly- the boom lifts are still an issue), Volunteers were now facing a new challenge.  Roiling northward up the Gulf of Mexico, Hurricane Idalia, three days out, was growing into a Category 4 monster, and threatening to drive right over Charleston.   Capt Davis immediately shifted from normal operating tempo and project priorities to a new set focused on protecting the ship, minimizing risk of damage to ship, property, and people. 

 In an ideal situation, it's called, "Risk Avoidance" . It would have involved the schooner sailing northward in June to avoid Hurricane Season, staying out of their paths, at the same time generating revenue  with summer programs and New England cruises.  

Since that option was off the table, the next favorable option would entail motoring the schooner up the Cooper River approximately 14 miles to a "hurricane hole;" a favorable upstream anchorage minimally impacted by a decreasing storm surge and soft grounding in the pluff mud-there to drop both anchors, and using the tender, ferry crew to the nearby landing at Bushy Park. 
This option would require an operational tender, and a crew of six to eight competent deckhands.   We had neither.  The outboard engine of the tender had been proven stubborn to restart after months of idleness stowed on deck.  Assembling a sizable crew of volunteers  on short notice in the middle of the week has not been achievable.

So, that leads us to PLAN C. Preparing the schooner to withstand the weather while tied to the dock. The preparation work would prove to be an excellent exercise to identify issues early on before they were exposed during our COI examination.     Starting on Monday, all the way thru Wednesday, Various Volunteers came down the dock to help out with whatever spare time they had.  Nate Mack came down to tackle the reluctant outboard motor on the tender.  In spite of a number of enticements like fresh spark plugs, new gas, and filters, the engine would just not cooperate.  Good to catch it now.  

Capt Davis and Nate Mack power their way
into the marina to tie up for the storm. 

Together, Nate and Capt Davis cast off in the powerless tender from the schooner's side and paddled her into a quiet protected slip inside the marina to continue their attempts on the motor. 

Meanwhile Volunteers took down, folded and stowed the midship awnings that had provide shade on the deck. All dock lines were doubled up. The furled jib and jumbo sails were further lashed more securely to the jibboom and jumbo boom. Capt Davis ran the generator thru some tests, including pumping out of all bilges.  Capt Davis and Bryan Oliver pulled out the new Trash pump for a test, it ran perfectly but would not gain a prime.  Another catch. 

At some point Tuesday, given the number of volunteers aboard, Capt Davis expressed a wish to set the anchor.  No one had ever executed that drill before except Bryan. So, Bryan called a muster around the Anchor Burton and explained the evolution, then assigned stations. The exercise actually went more smoothly than Bryan anticipated, and the anchor splashed into the water right there at the dock... and stayed there until Thursday evening, when Dave Brennan, Bryan, Capt Davis, Walter Barton, and Jody Smith, somehow, managed to retrieve the anchor and eventually secure it on the caprail. 

Meanwhile everything loose on the dock or on deck gets lashed down, stored below or thrown away.  With most of he work done Tuesday afternoon, Volunteers, Ken Fonville, Dave Brennan,  Jack, and Capt Davis joined Bryan and Hunter at Big Gun's on Calhoun for a Fair Wind's libation and a burger salute to Hunter who would be disembarking  the next day. After 31 years, on six different tall ships, around the world, Hunter was headed home to the Dominican Republic to "throw out his anchor". He leaves behind a draft of his book, "The Complete Galley Guide", which we hope to be published on Kindle in the near future.  Look for it.

Wednesday morning and early afternoon were last minute checks.

Capt Davis and Jack adjust a dock line
 as the second belt of rain and wind arrive.

By 1100 the first belts of rain were approaching. As we finished the last tying down of gear, in early afternoon, the second  belt of rain arrived with 26 kts of wind. Per  directive, all crew were to disembark, so the last to leave were Bryan, with Hunter, Capt Davis and Jack. By 1500 consistent belts of rain with 26 sustained kts wind  SSE were  blowing thru the harbor. 

Later on Wednesday evening, Capt Davis  waded thru water on East Bay to return to the docks and assess the situation.  Our schooner was riding well, yokohoma fenders and the big ball fenders were doing their job against winds pushing 37 knts SbyE. The only casualty noted was a bronze stanchion next to the gangway, which was sheared off at the base.  As crew and volunteers arrived throughout the day, it became clear that Spirit of South Carolina had weathered Idalia very well.  Thursday, Walter Burton, Jody Smith and Dave Brennan joined Bryan to start recovering from the Storm.  Awning's came out and were reset over the deck. Next, and the last act was to try our hand at raising and securing the anchor.  Of all the volunteers present, only Bryan had participated in this drill, the last time being three years previously. Nevertheless they all jumped in.  It wasn't pretty, but after a few restarts, the crew succeeded in successfully weighing anchor, catting the anchor, then hoisting flukes over the caprail and lashing all down.  

Major UP-Rig Milestone Accomplished -Mainmast Boom and Gaff are back on position.

  A lot of emotions cut loose late Saturday afternoon on Spirit of South Carolina's quarter deck after we'd successfully set both the mainsail boom, and gaff onto the mast and rigged. It really was sort of a big deal. All volunteers just pulled off a pretty complex Marlinspike seamanship  project, and under some motivation-sapping hot weather conditions. Somebody quoted Shakespeare's  Henry the V, .. 'we few, we happy few, we band of brothers,.. and gentlemen now abed[or kicked back in their lazy boy with the AC blasting] will think themselves accursed they were not here, and hold their manhood cheap while any tells our story.." 

It was a long time coming.

At first, the plan was not to start until mid-afternoon when the high tide would give the crew a more horizontal angle for pulling the main sail boom up and out over the dock for the best angle of setting the jaws.  

Bryan and Logan using the
 Crew manual for  walking
 thru the Pinrail layout.

So Bryan organized the morning with some deckhand skills refreshment, especially since our ranks were flush with four new volunteers.  By lunch we were done, and noticed the tide was already at a sufficiently high state to go to work, and so we shifted.

 After a two-hour  preparation of  fairing-out and securing  the massive main peak and throat halyard tackles to the boom, along with three separate tag lines to steady the boom's position in mid-air, and a deliberately methodical rehearsal of the  five different volunteer teams manning those tackles testing the strain, the 11-person volunteer crew was ready.

With the gangway pulled onto the dock,
 Dan Maurin maintains tension on a tagline
 keeping the  just-raised mainsail  boom centered
 over the deck.

  Phase II; the gangway was removed and secured on the dock in order to clear the deck obstacles over the boom lying there. Next, Volunteer Coordinator, Bryan Oliver, acting as conductor, directed each team separately to haul or ease, or hold, slowly raising the massive boom up off the deck inching it aft-ward 25 feet, and into a position to sit the jaws around the main mast., cradling the end aft end of the boom in a specially fabricated "crutch".

Volunteer deckhands Walter Barton, Alex Lya,
 and Doug Hartley on the main boom's aft tag line
 maintaining aft pressure on the suspended
 boom, angling it over the transom.

The half-ton main mast boom was suspended over the aft deck in a counterbalance of opposing tackles and taglines when the massive jaws of the main boom eased onto the mainmast table. 

Volunteers Dave, Nate, and Dave Lazar control
 the mast boom's slow descent into it's cradle,
as Matt, Ken, and Todd Cole at the jaws
push the boom aft to clear the mast

Two volunteers jumped to secure the parrel bead loop around the front of the mast, effectively tying the boom to the mast. The rest then swarmed the aft end of the boom to set up the quarter tackles, preventing it from swinging our of the crutch.

Dan Maurin, Nate Mack, Tod Cole, and Walter Barton
 complete rigging up the mainsail gaff
with her throat and peak halyards,,
now ready to haul up into position.

Phase III; Now all that was left was setting up the mainsail gaff, a much smaller spar, already configured to receive the peak and throat halyards. 

Again, a pair of tag lines were made fast to either end of the gaff to control the swing and yaw as it was lifted up and swung over to open arms at the mast to set the jaws and secure the gaff's parrel beads around the front. 

The gaff up-rig took less than 15 minutes.

One last task,, lash the boom to the gaff, using the gaff's halyard holding power to also hold up the boom, taking some of the compression  strain off the crutch until the boom lift pendants could be uprigged. 

It was complete! worthy of a group selfie which was quickly organized.

The Band of Brothers who finished the job;
 Ken Fonville, Frank Lazar, Walter Baron, Nate Mack,
Dave Brennan, Jody Smith, Doug Hartley, Todd Cole,
 and Alex Lya.  Not pictured are Dan Maurin,
Logan Day, and Jamie Wert. 

And a special thanks, much gratitude goes to Hunter, who took care of us volunteers with some great lunches, over the past two years, a most attractive incentive  for returning volunteers. This was his last Saturday with us, since he's be heading home to the Dominican Republic and 'throwing out his anchor".

The job's still not complete. During the of the mainmast Peak and Throat tackles, the UK Sails rigger could not locate the two pendants that would secure the boom lift blocks aloft.  A search of the vessel did not produce them.  An easily fabricated thing for traditional ship sailors, so we'll wait a decision to go internal or contract out to produce the replacement pendants, or "jeers," depending on which rigger's resource you reference.

September 20. All Hands on Deck. COI Day is Set.

It's really going to happen.  Capt Heath has arranged for the Coast Guard to come aboard Spirit of South Carolina on Wednesday, 20 September to observe the ship and her crew for her Certificate of Inspection (COI). Capt Heath is also negotiating with Capt Andy Hudak come down and act as a sort of coach  for our "Afterguard" during train-up.

We have four Volunteer Saturdays, and the same amount of Volunteer Thursday Afternoons to make the ship ready, and to get ourselves ready to perform as a competent crew.  The mainmast  peak halyard and boom lift tackles will be uprigged this week, the mainsail boom and gaff likely this weekend, assuming sufficient hands can muster for it.  Same for bending on the foresail and mainsail in coming week. That takes us into September.  With sails bent on, she's ready to cast off. 

I can't overstate the significance of this event. It will determine our schooner's future, and affirm all the countless hours all of us have devoted to her recovery. This is the scenario we have often mused on; taking the ship off the dock, with majority of the crew being volunteers.   But we have to show up. 

I have been challenged with training up a volunteer crew. The talent and motivation in our ranks makes that a given as far as I'm concerned,, as long as we can muster a  sufficient crew regularly to train together. That, and a commitment to muster on deck 20 September. With work and family a priority as always for volunteers, I"m looking for creative ways to advance skills refreshments when a Saturday or weekday warm-up sail won't work. I'd appreciate hearing your ideas.

And per my email to Volunteers last week:  Hunter's last day is 30 August.  We're looking at taking him out on the 28th or 29th, to Big Gun's his favorite dive bar on Calhoun Street, and maybe close it down. It would be great to see alot of you there. Let me know if you will come. I'll try to reserve some tables. 

So what got accomplished this week.

Lexi Fine laying on a fresh coat of Fluid Film
 onto our brand new Mainsail Boom lift cables.

Thursday afternoon, Volunteer Lexi Fine returned on deck after a long hiatus working her clinical career across three different medical systems. Together, Lexi and Bryan Oliver strung up the two new 150 ft-long mainmast boom lift cables between dock rails, and began applying two coats of "Fluid Film" preservative/sealant. 

Saturday, Ken Fonville, Dan Maurin, Dave Lazar, Dave Brennen, Tony Marchesani, Logan Day,  Nate Mack, Doug Hartley, and special guest star, Dr. Peter Alford, visiting his son, Captain Davis,  mustered at 0900 to start prepping the main mast tackles that would be up-rigged on Tuesday.  Just before breaking the huddle,  Volunteer Coordinator Bryan passed around his tablet with the East Bay Deli's sandwich menu.  Peter generously volunteered his credit card to cover a carry-out lunch.

Bryan demo's clapping a flat seizing
 onto the boomlift cable and lazy jack end

 

After a demonstration on how to clap on a seizing to bind a lazyjack line to a boom lift cable. Volunteers laid out along the marked segments of new freshly slushed boomlift cable. In short order, volunteers had clapped on a total of twenty flat seizings, binding ten lazyjack lines to the two boomlifts. 

Volunteers line up on a tape marker where they
will clap on a flat seizing around the
boomlift cable and lazyjack end.

Volunteers Ken, Dave, Nate, Dave Brennan
 and Bryan Oliver lay out on the bowsprit
 to furl the Jumbo.

Early completion merited a welcome diversion for some real sail training. Capt Davis proposed walking  thru and  practicing an actual sail set, using one of the headsails. Volunteers jumped on it.  Bryan organized the muster on the foredeck and started walking the crew thru the evolution of dressing, then setting, then dousing the jumbo sail. Volunteers listened to the orientation, then stood by for Bryan to issue the first commands.  Beginning with, "Hands to Dress the Jumbo!", thru the entire raising and dousing evolution, the volunteers managed five different lines to haul up the jumbo, douse it(rapidly take it down), then lay out on the bowsprit to furl it.. Just in time for lunch.

Doc Peter starting the winding of  an 8 foot string
 of baggywrinkle

Lunch over, and we weren't done yet. Notwithstanding losing a third of our crew to afternoon home commitments, the remaining stalwarts mustered on the dock to attack the infamous "Baggywrinkle". Actually fairly innocuous, baggywrinkle is simply 12-inch segments of old rope unlaid all the way to it's yarns, then cow-hitched onto an 8 foot length of seine twine. The long string of cut rope is then tightly wrapped around the cable at each "high point" where it might chafe the sail. Ten strings of baggywrinkle lay at our feet to be wrapped on.. So we begun.. slowly. 

By Recall, and mustering off, we had secured six wraps of baggy wrinkle with four left to be accomplished some time later in the week.

 

This week The JUMBO is Up-Rigged; continuing a trend of Volunteers Getting Things done-Advancing towards the COI Goal.

Richard finishing up the Salon Butterfly hatch's
 portlight frames.

Thursday, 10 August 

Capt Heath's Project Team hasn't been exactly idle these days either.  Daily, they've been painting, varnishing, and reinstalling hardware.   After the final varnish coats, Richard took on the bedding and reinstalling of the Salon Butterfly hatch cover's  brass port light frames. 

Out on the bowprit, Jack and another team mate were finishing up a last coat of white on the bowsprit.

Starting our third Thursday afternoon Volunteer session seems to be catching on.  It was gratifying to see six of us muster at 1630, to take advantage of any moderating temperature and late afternoon sea breezes. Bryan continued the routine of hauling aboard two bags of ice, for the drinking water jug on deck, and igloo cooler, for individual water containers, and beverages. Capt Davis took charge of all hands, Dan Maurin, Gerin and Julie Choiniere, Tony Marchesani, Doug Hartley and Ken Fonville for the first twenty minutes to temporarily down-rig the portside awning, set up the boat falls and launch the tender, which has not moved from it's position on deck since leaving for shipyard  over a year ago. 

After securing the falls, and tying the tender off the schooner's port quarter, Volunteers set to lowering the foresail gaff sufficiently to reach the peak halyard blocks for refinishing.  During that drill Bryan pointed out to Capt Davis the yet unpainted, very new looking peak halyard block, as the one created by Volunteer Dough Hartley.  Davis was sufficiently impressed, to suggest that the block  be varnished, rather than painted like the rest, in order to show off  its cypress wood grain, and highlight it as representative of the work Volunteers have contributed to the ship.  Doug's block,  along with Danny Johnson's gangway steps, dory cradle, and head soap trays,  Bryan's galley counter top, Kenny Blyth's belaying pins, all examples of significant contributions by volunteers.  

Other volunteers took to completing the refurbishment of most of the ship's 52 rigged blocks;  screwing copper sheave covers back onto the 20 plus blocks recently repainted. 

Gerin and Julia diverted onto the dock to study the persistent problem with the aft Yokohama - the huge hard rubber blivit floating between the ship's hull and the wood dock piling.  It was precariously unbalanced on the piling, with it's jagged telephone pole axle, threatening the schooners hull. Different lines had been hastily rigged several weeks ago to stabilize the yokohama on the piling. Pending permanently replacing one of the lines, they rerouted two lines steadying the aft yokohama between its dock piling and Spirit's hull.  

By 1800, we had found a good stopping point to retreat under the awning, open up our rewards of a cold beer, soft drink , or just bottled water, and reflect on our handiwork. 

Saturday, 12 August

Today was "Up-Rig The Jumbo Day. Much of the same crew from Thursday mustered at 0900, with

exception of Logan Day, who was welcomed back after the past few weeks of rather intensive training at the Naval Weapons School, including transitioning from classroom to hands-on practice aboard a Sub. Also appearing was Nate Mack with a bag of freshly repaired and polished brass T-Hinges for the Salon butterfly hatches. 

While Capt Davis ran ashore to return with a jug of coffee and breakfast pastry for crew snacks, Bryan quickly collected funds for lunch, handing them off to Hunter who stepped off to go provision for lunch.  Nate gathered tools and bedding compound, and began the project of  reinstalling the six now glistening brass T-hinges on the salon butterfly hatch covers.

Ken Fonville refinishing
 the Jibsheet's bullet blocks

The rest of us divided across two  tasks.   Ken Fonville  took  on the final steps of spot painting the remaining blocks, and prepping, and varnishing the Hartley Block,, that is the peak halyard block restored by Doug Hartley. 

Bryan Tails while Logan and Doug
 ready to raise the jumbo off the dock.

 Gerin Choiniere organized the remainder of hands, dividing between deck and on dock where the rolled up bundle of the jumbo was wrestled off it's dunnage, untied and rolled out to identify locations of head, tack, and clew.  While dock hands re-packaged the jumbo and rigged a strop and sling, the deck crew selected a combination of  Anchor burton and Jumbo Halyard tackles to send over to the dock crew. 

With tag lines, and jumbo halyard manned, Gerin orchestrated dock and deck crews alternately lifting off the dock, steadying, and swaying over the water to the deck, the 1/4-ton bundle of Jumbo sail, settling it gently onto the foredeck next to the windlass.  

Julie measuring out, cutting and
end-splicing 24 luff lacings for the
 jumbo sail.

Julie split off  to select a roll of seine twine, and start cutting and eye-splicing 24 Jumbo luff lacings.   All remaining hands then assembled around the Jumbo sail, unrolling and stretching out it's length, this time rolling it lengthwise into a long "burrito" with the head and tack corners at the forward end, and clew exposed at the aft end. 

The jumbo's downhaul was made fast to the forward tack/head end for pulling it forward over the bowsprit to the forestay.  Again using a combination of halyard at the forward end, and anchor burton near aft end of the burrito, the snakelike jumbo was hoisted p sufficiently to clear the deck, windlass and knight heads.  Two hands manned the  jumbo downhaul to pull the forward end of the jumbo burrito forward along the jumbo boom. Gerin, out on the bowsprit guided the forward end of the burrito sufficiently close to the jumbo tack iron to shackle on the jumbo tack ring.  He then reconnected the halyard block to the jumbo's head ring. Finally, he unknotted the down haul line and reran the downhaul line from it's turning block on the bowsprit directly up to the Jumbo head, securing with with a buntline hitch.

Logan, Doug, Gerin, and Tony
 on the Fores stay starting luff lashings

All set now for the final phases, Julie handed off a fistful of readied luff lacings to Tony who climbed
out onto the head rig and passed them off to Gerin.  Logan, and Dennis also laid out to the forestay to assist  Gerin with the first five lacings, then take over from him for the remaining work. 

Somewhere in that activity, Hunter sent up the call on deck that lunch was ready- which sent some of us below grateful for the break and a second chugging of cold beverages. For other's of us, it was their  reminder to find a stopping place and disembark for other weekend shoreside chores. 

Following lunch the remainder of volunteer crew laid out on the forestay to finish up lacings.  Gerin organized a team to rig up a handy billy tackle from the foremast to stretch out the jumbo clew sufficiently to shackle it to the jumbo boom clew iron.  

Nate Mack checks the gap on the
 last hatch hinge installation

All Done!

Another group gathered round the salon hatch covers with a garden hose to water test the seals after the hinges were installed.

Next week, the Foresail, 

Maybe the Main mast to be uprigged!

Volunteer Talent Showing Through amid dealing with obstacles.

Since our last episode, During the last week of July,, the Harbor Master passed on the new restrictions to the Maritime Center Parking lot. Because of the influx of construction contractor traffic, most or all of available parking space would be preempted for construction and contractor parking.  Likely for the rest of the year.  

Inconvenient.

That leaves only metered spaces in the area, except for 12 free spaces two blocks further out- slim chance.  Nevertheless, Saturday morning, several volunteers tried some metered spots.  Nate Mack was one of them.   Cost 5 bucks for 3 hours,, effectively the morning.  Somebody else risked the Maritime Center Parking Lot on Saturday; there was evidence a Meter Maid came thru, but he wasn't ticketed. Dare we interpret this as "the Man's" willingness to accommodate our volunteer parking passes? I"m going to check it out.. likewise for after 4:30 pm on Thursdays. like tomorrow.

Thanks to renewed direction and focus by Capt Davis, our Operating Tempo has picked up. The brightwork on deck is largely finished, except for the helm. The Caprail will  be left as is for time being, possibly a cleaning and application of something like Outdoor Oil. I'm sure she's seen the last of the Deks-olje D1-D2 products. 

Last Thursday, Capt Heath brought four of his own team members who scrubbed down the deck. He also invited LtCdr John Daughton, USCG, our COI Inspector. on board to go over the vessel informally.  John Doughton  has inspected Spirit of South Carolina several times before, and knows her well.  He was impressed by her progress since last aboard in Savannah.  He's on our side.

Following on, this Saturday morning on deck saw a flurry of activity until the heat and parking fees turned onerous.

Dave Brennan as far aloft
  as he'd like to go, refinishing
the throat halyard block.

Dan Maurin touches up
the Foresail sheet blocks.

Ken Fonville checking the
 blocks for sheave covers

Dan Maurin has produced a nicely done five minute Volunteer Recruiting Video. Look for this link once we've properly posted it, then start spreading it.

Nate Mack finished up filling  the screw holes for the salon butter fly hitches.  It's ready to secure. Turns out Nate also knows metalwork.  He took home the severely cracked brass salon hinge, and braized it..,,like new, critical since they don't make em any more.

Also, Saturday afternoon, Shipwright John Little and his team mate completed their repairs on the port side Plank sheer rail.  All that's left if for a few of us to go overside and sit on the scaffolding he left rigged for us, to repaint the project area. Good as New.

What's next?

 Heath plans to bring on UK sails to go aloft and uprig the mainmast halyard and boom lift tackles, as early as this weekend.  He's also commissioning them to install a modern bosun's chair for rigging aloft. With the boom and gaff varnish project finishing this week, we should be in position to rig up the boom and gaff the following week.  

And then, ON WITH THE SAILS!

Oh.  Still is the urgent need to "slush the masts" - two coats linseed oil and a slathering of vaseline.

Then we start training for the COI.  Think these thoughts;

Plan to participate. It's likely a significant portion of our crew will be Volunteers.

Think about what you need to learn, in order to participate.

Dockside drills, 

    -Walk-thru's basic deckhand skills refresh and check-off.

    -Launching and retrieving the tender.-piloting it.

Sea Trials, Expect to participate in several. Possibly starting later this month.

    -Starting simple, Casting off, setting sail, tending sail,  deck discipline,  

    -Practice MOB, Abandon Ship, Fire, setting/retrieving anchor.

  

While con 

Momentum Growing under New Captain

 Spirit of South Carolina received it's best surprise of the year when Capt Davis Alford came aboard last Monday morning. After some introductions, inspections, asking lots of questions , Capt Davis, assumed command of the schooner. I did not get into a proper interview that Monday, since I was already due to depart for 10 days vacation, but in that short period  Monday I learned several heartening things.

Capt Davis is focused, experienced, and a good listener with a great Command Philosophy. Most significantly at this point, he already has a plan.   The PRIME Objective is to regain our USCG Certificate of Inspection (COI). If you've been on board over the past couple months, you know what that entails-lots of uprigging,, bending-on sails, repairing, and painting.  But just as significantly,, crew training.  To be ready for COI Sea trials, a competent crew must be developed. Capt Davis sees the volunteer crew as a significant  component, bult around a small core of professionals, which means deckhand skill-building and practice will start taking on more precedence. I've pretty much promised him, he's got a significant bench of motivated volunteers who are up to the the job.  

I believe he's already sensing that.  Although I've been away all this time, Capt Davis has already involved himself in last Thursday's Volunteer afternoon, and Saturday's Volunteer Day, including a low-country's typical disruptive rain squall passing thru in the middle of it. It started Thursday afternoon , during a short two-hour session. 

Dave Brennan polishing up
 some copper sheave covers removed
 from blocks being repainted.

On Saturday, Heath Hackett came aboard with Biscuits and Coffee. Volunteers manned the starboard rail or clambered overside onto the Yokohama's to reposition ball fenders along the hull.  Life jackets the deck boxes were  set out to  air out and dry.  Volunteers with the inventory list of 52 blocks, searched fore and aft, for the ones needing repair and/or repainting.  

Nate Mack laying on a final coat
 of primer sealer on the mainsail boom.

Nate Mack laid on an additional primer-sealer coat on the main boom. The morning rain squall disrupted the momentum and forced the crew below for a period. 

With Capt Heath applying a little throttle
to shift the hull fore and aft, volunteers
 on the rail and overside stuff ball fenders. 

Waiting for the squall to pass, Capt Davis mustered the volunteer crew for a meeting to introduce his plans and priorities for the vessel.  Fortified with a supply of fresh biscuits and coffee donated by Capt Heath, they listened and asked questions, about his priorities balancing revenue generation with mission-related programs, and several innovative options.   More on that with his interview in a subsequent posting.                  

Doug Hartley looking satisfied
 after cleaning up a bowl-full of sheave covers.

Capt Davis successfully completes
 the traditional crew initiation of "Rolling the Yokohoma"