The Ship's Visibility improves with boarding of Special Guests. Critical Maintenance Projects Advance

Carin, in deckhand mode,
 steadying the gaff jaws

 While we're all waiting to welcome a new Captain, work thru all the usual "breaking-in" the Captain, restarting a Volunteer Crew operating rhythm that includes regular harbor sailing, another dimension to the schooner is slowly taking shape;  Educational programs.

Just two weeks ago, Carin Bloom, historian, educator, and interpretive presenter came aboard as a Volunteer, bringing with her a number of ideas for organizing and delivering historic aspects of  Charleston's Maritime Heritage.

Two days after that, I received an inquiry from the Flatrock Middle School in Winston-Salem NC, regarding chartering Spirit of South Carolina for a day/field trip, likely this fall and/or next spring in April.

Bryan and Dr. Long
exchanging ideas  

And just this past week, Dr. Kim Long PhD, of the African American Maritime History organization (not affiliated with IAAM) stepped aboard, and sat down for an hour and half with Bryan Oliver trading ideas for delivering a variety of educational experiences for high-end customer/city visitors. Dr. Long already delivers historically themed presentations at selected venues, and sees Spirit of South Carolina as an excellent setting for such programs.  Because her programs are already well formed, proven and priced, they could be almost turn-key and the first to appear on deck.

And then came Saturday. Several Volunteers mustered in the morning, ostensibly, to down rig the fore sail gaff so it could be sanded and varnished, and to continue the deck leak repairs under the main mast boot. But for most of em, think the real draw was to meet P.C. Coker III.  More on that later.  

After grabbing some coffee from the saloon,  All hands mustered at the Mainmast where Bryan explained the priorities for the morning,, and the plan for afterwards. Ken Fonville, Tony Marchesani, Carin Bloom, Gary  , Dave Brennan and Rick Washington  teamed up to down rig the foresail gaff, from its current position, jaws around the mast, lashed to the head of the foresail, steadied by the lazy jacks.  Their task was to:

• First, tie down the furled foresail, securely to the boom with sail gaskets
• Unlace the head of the foresail from the gaff 
• Lower the port side boom lift to slacken the lazy jacks on that side. 
• Rig taglines to run forward from the jaws, and aft from the gaff peak.
• Remove the parrel bead line securing the gaff jaws around the foremast.
• Using both throat and peak halyards, lift the gaff up one foot.  
• Then with hands on the tag lines, force the gaff aft, for the jaws to clear away from the mast
• Swing the jaws to port, then pull the gaff forward, clearing the lazy jacks, and lowering the gaff until it is waist level, suspended and lashed down horizontally on the port side of the boom-ready for the scrapers and varnishers to pile on. 

• 

  Once jaws clear of the foremast,
   gaff cleared out of lazy jacks
  then lowered to its suspended
  resting position.

  
  

[There you are, steps all nicely bulletized, for any of you to simply reverse the process and up rig the gaff after it's once again shiny and new, hopefully next week]

While that exercise in teamwork was being masterfully executed,  Mikell Evatt and  Alex Lyashevich took on the more circumspect project of fixing the deck leak from the Main mast area down into the saloon. The job involved scraping, digging out deteriorated deck caulk around the main mast boot ring, and Fife Rail Post, then brushing it clean for caulking.  Grabbing a reefing tool and mallet, Mikell also dug out three feet of deck caulk adjacent to the Fife Rail Post, which was separating from the inch-deep sides of the teak plank, allowing rain water to migrate towards the lowest point.. the mast partners.

Around  1100 hrs,  Walter Barton appeared at the gangway,, with a large grocery bag of sliders, and our special guest, Mr.. P.C. Coker III.

P.C. Coker III's book, Bryan's annotated copy.
 A clean copy belongs to the ship,
 A couple personal copies may be available.

Now, if you're a history buff, more specifically a Charleston history buff. This would be on your bucket list. P.C, is a Maritime Historian, professional model shipwright and author of the definitive Maritime
History of Charleston Harbor. Four years ago, a young Coker relative brought aboard two copies of that work as gifts for the ship.  The book has been a cornerstone of our Volunteer work of formulating historically themed programs around Maritime Heritage of this city and harbor.

P.C's arrival on the gangway provided the perfect excuse to pause operations.  While Bryan gave the walking tour around the deck. The rest secured tools, and lay below into the Saloon.  Walter laid everything out,  Sam Gervais, Director of the Low Country Maritime School, joined us below, and shared in the animated conversation that ranged from history to the future.   

P.C. had brought with him two additional copies of his book as donations for the ship.  They are currently out of print.  Our copies, will  most likely be purposed as fund raiser.. The ship already owns a copy. it's visible in the library rack over the saloon dining table.  As volunteers, ya'll would have first right of refusal, so anyone interested in making a donation to the ship in return for one of these beauties, please contact me.  It won't be a bargain price thing,, up front.  This  is a fund raiser.

And a BIG thanks to Volunteer deckhand, Walter Barton for arranging P.C.'s visit.

Saturday's Volunteers gather around P.C. Coker III
our lunch guest.

Mast Sanding is Done! Now to oiling and slushing; New Captain is selected; Name TBP, Next month to include Harbor Sea Trials.

 Expectations for low Volunteer participation due to the confluence of SEWE Events, and President's Day Weekend. were borne out this last weekend.  Nevertheless, the four of us who did muster aboard, did, with grit and determination, take on and complete the last project that had bedeviled us for months.  You guessed it-  Sanding down the foremast.

Mostly weather,, cold, wind,, rain, low motivation,, all  combined to delay for months, the completion of that last middle 30% of the mast.  And so it was, with Tony Marchesani and Walter Barton on the Jumbo halyard, and Bryan Oliver on the tag line,  

Alex waayy up the foremast
 taking down the grime with
 an orbital sander.

Alex Lya was slowly hoisted up the foremast with his Dewalt orbital sander and a bucket full of spares. After a 1/2, Alex signaled he was ready for someone else to have some fun.  So he was lowered to the deck, and Bryan Oliver replaced him. 

Alex, shouting down,
 "This is fun, so who's next?"

Another 1/2 hour later, Bryan was back on deck, and everyone took a moment to gaze upward, partly admiring our handiwork, partly wandering why it took so long, feeling the weight of an unfinished onerous chore being lifted up, the gates finally opening to... more projects?

Well, yes. that will always be so.  After all, it's the way of traditional sailing vessels. But as we all secured the deck, our bosun's chairs, loose hardware, etc, and mustered below, Bryan updated with news.

Carin Bloom, Historian, had met with Bryan again, this past week, onboard, to advance discussions on education standards, and topics for docksides, and cruises, with schools, and adults. Grants of $15,000 plus are available with proper application for Charleston 250 celebrations.  Carin also provided contact information for the African-American Maritime History organization, a possible partner in educational programming. Bryan is making contact.

Heath Hackett is within hours(?) of naming a new Captain.  The immediate objective is to onboard the new Captain, and take him into the harbor with some of Heath's motoring pilot team mates to familiarize said new Captain with piloting the schooner safely on/off the dock.  Once satisfied with progress in that skillset, Capt Heath will schedule a Volunteer Harbor Sea trial, likely first of several, over the month of March.

Meanwhile, we advance the projects of finalizing the twin personae of Spirit of South Carolina,, a Traditional 19th Century working schooner, and a more modern yacht, each personae to suit a targeted clientele. 

Transitions come and go, but the direction of our Schooner, and her needs remain the same.

 The past week, or two, has brought to the schooner and her Volunteers some motivational highs and lows: 

 Low; It brought news that our Captain would be transitioning out of his command. Capt Davis was popular with crew. but, to quote the Bull Durham movie:  "management wants to make a change." 

High; It also saw new contacts made with educators from Middleton Plantation, the South Carolina Maritime Museum, and a Middle School in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, all interested in Spirit of South Carolina's potential as an educational platform. 

Low: Volunteers came aboard Saturday to face the consequences of heavy winds and shifting Yokohama's (those huge hard rubber cylinders)last Sunday. "oof."   

High:  Hopefully they were heartened by Bryan's recap of the 51st Tall Ship's America Conference, at which 15 tall ships, and their crews and several other boards of directors were represented-every one welcoming Spirit of South Carolina back; that support was spoken none more forcefully, than by the Delivery Captain and his "A Team" who delivered her to shipyard.   

We are the crew of a ship that is respected in the industry; Her crew of volunteers, especially so, for their achievement in helping to bring her back, and successfully regain her Certificate of Inspection. 

This Saturday, TEN of us, Tony Marchesani, Nate Mack, David Brennan, Walter Barton, Ken Fonville, Alex Lya, Bre McCormick, Rick Washington, and Darryl Darby, all mustered with Bos'un/Volunteer Coordinator, Bryan. After collecting lunch money and handing it off to Danny Johnson, they divided up to three tasks.  Darryl took on the project of sanding down and prepping the stern light platform, for oiling.  Nate, Bre and  Alex set to rigging up two bosun's chairs on the foremast, using the jumbo, and foresail throat halyards. The remainder gathered to mull over the sticky problem of a renegade Yokohama-the gi-normous rubber blivits that floated between the schooner's hull and the pilings of the face dock. The north-most yokohama had drifted under the dock overhang, rendering it useless and allowing the bow, and the port side anchor to drift up to the dock. And so, after several minutes of brainstorming, the team set out with boat hooks, marlinspikes,  crowbars, and not a little rope pioneering creativity, maneuver the rogue yokohama out from under the dock, center it on it's piling, and fashion a bridle with guy line to hold it in place, mostly.  

As the last hitches were made into the Yokoyama's sling, Darryl finished the last hand-sanded touches to the stern light platform, and both bosun's seats hung snugly against the foremast table.  Walter declared lunch to be ready.  

Dave Brennan sauces up his selection,
 while Tony Marchesani starts some big bites.

Thanks to Danny's good tastes, the crew helped themselves to a true hoagy smorgasbord.  A few of us, torn by real-life family and house maintenance commitments, went ashore.  The remainder of us cleared the table, secured from lunch and mustered one more time on deck for a last task.  

All hands to freeing up and rerouting 
spring lines 2 and 3

During that urgent situation the previous Sunday with high winds forcing the schooner's hull forward and aft, then against the dock, as the tide rose, it's lines slackened by the high tide, the yokohama nearest the bow(as previously described), slipped under the dock, making it useless as a protection. To counteract the bow's tendency to drift into the dock, the engines were started and  reversed to warp the bowsprit away from the dock. Dock lines were hastily rerouted . While the maneuver worked, it also stretched the #2 spring lines such that the hull shifted six feet south.  That shift placed the dock-fixed gangway over lifeline stanchions,  promptly bending one. 

Bryan making a tugboat hitch
of the stern quarter line over its bitt.

Dave Brennan and Tony Marchesani
overhaul the #2 lines to their
 proper deck cleat

 

Spring lines askew
and a-tangle.
Hands restored order.

So now the remaining hands faced the task of maneuvering the hull north about six feet, to restore it's centered position below the dock-mounted gangway, eliminating the threat of another gangway/stanchion collision. The hasty actions the previous Sunday, created a spider web of cross-routed spring lines, and others made fast to different, not optimal, dock cleats. And so the remainder of us, spend the remainder of the afternoon, loosening, rerouting, doubling up, and at least once, bending on an additional dock line to restore order to the four systems, all aimed at stabilizing the hull against those three critical Yokohama blivits, to keep the head rig from scraping the dock, and the gangway centered over the deck. 

Mustering off, we all went ashore looking back on the several projects still needing attention, oiling the masts, slushing the masts, caulking the mast deck ring and reinstalling the main mast boot.  And then there's our skills to polish up.  line-handling, sail-setting, knots, watch-standing..
  It never really ends,, but there-in lies the fascination,,, if you're drawn to Tall Ships.

And finally, a Fairwinds wish to shipmate-volunteer,  Petty Officer 3d Class Logan Day, USN, who in next couple of weeks will ship off from his Naval Nuclear Engineering school just up the river to a couple of additional short courses up north before taking station aboard a Nuclear Attack Sub in Groton, CT.   Keep us informed, Logan, You've always got a berth aboard. 

Attending Tall Ships America (TSA, formally ASTA) Annual Conference now in the Annual Bucket List

 Well, Wow.  I've been missing out! 

 Davis and I just completed our  attendance of the 51st TSA Annual Conference.  This three full day Conference was held at the Maritime Conference Center outside of Baltimore. Around 160, maybe more people attended, representing most of the tall ships on both Coasts and some in Canada.  Attendees were Captains, other deck officers, a few crew members, Educators, Board Members, Company reps who support the industry. 

I'll add the organization's website at the bottom of this blog entry. You should take a look. 

This was my first TSA Conference.    Given eight years of deep involvement with Spirit of South Carolina, and other Tall Ships, I  had known of it for several years. But not being licensed, nor a professional mariner, I didn't see much of a point in spending the bucks to attend. Up until COVID, Spirit of South Carolina had been an Organization-level member. That would give us status as "crew".  It's still possible, but until our member ship is restored, some features are beyond us.

 I had learned from shipmates that membership included access to a "Billet Bank", a bulletin board for ships to post "positions available" and for mariners to search , and advertise themselves.  The organization's website is a portal to a decent inventory of professional articles, planning templates, training opportunities. 

 Other online resources available to members thru the organization's website are adequate, and recently the organization has been actively adding to them.  For instance, in one workshop all about preparing for Shipyard, attendees conversed on lessons learned, shared tips and techniques, dealing with contractors, vendors, suppliers,, and  warnings. All agreed on the need to post a best practice Project Plan template onto the website for easy access. I know we could've used one last year. Expect to see some contributions there in the near future.

But most of all, by far, attendance was your invitation into a special community. The networking, the sharing of insights, experiences, advice,  was easy and natural. The atmosphere was like attending a huge reunion, and being pulled into it like an old friend.  I reintroduced myself to Hank Mosely, who, 15 years ago was Mate on the Schooner Virginia when I shipped aboard as "guest crew", basically a paying passenger. From that moment on it was like we'd been shipmates all along. Just about all attendees knew Spirit of South Carolina. As a sailing vessel, she's got a great reputation.  Post-session social activities ensured that the camaraderie extended well into the evening. In fact, there's a snippet video involving me and Kareoke that I'd rather would disappear.  

But,, I won't lie, the most fun part was:

The Maritime Center's Bridge Simulator 

Davis at the helm trying to  thread the needle...

..between an oil rig platform to starboard, and a burning Car carrier,
 in a cross-wind gale, in a snowstorm,
in middle of  Baltimore Harbor.  

.. while I stood outside, in the snow, 

smirking and pointing at all our conference shipmates "coaching" 

Of course the sessions, keynotes, workshops.  None disappointed.  You'll be getting take-aways from me over next few weeks .They are listed with their synopses on the Conference Blog, accessible through the website. 

The TSA Website:  Tall Ships America Home page

The 51st Annual TSA Conference:  Conference Page: Agenda, Attendees, Resources

Saturday Ends a Phase, and Begins a New one.

After last Monday's (January 29) Training Sail, Volunteers have been waiting to hear the announcement for the next Training sail. That didn't happen this week. As this last weekend approached, it was made clear from the Project Manager's office that a date for the  next sail was not yet confirmed.  

In other news,, Bryan and Capt Davis met  Friday, with Carin Bloom of Middleton Plantation to explore ideas for creating educational programs for dockside or harbor cruises around historical themes. The meeting was constructive in identifying specific ideas and steps to take 

In the meantime, Volunteer Coordinator Bryan Oliver broadcasted to volunteers a  normal Saturday Volunteer Day to be executed on the 3d. And so, a group of stalwarts, Tony Marchesani, David Brennan, Ken Fonville, Walter Barker, Alex Lyashevich, Bryan Oliver, and Dallas Spencer mustered on deck  to advance some projects. 

Dallas Spencer adjusts the lashings
on the small boat's new "pudding" bow fender  

Dallas, had taken on as some homework, the project of creating a "pudding" a large rope-woven fender for covering the bow of the inflatable small boat. Dallas started his fitting and rigging up of the pudding on the small boat.  Remaining volunteers rigged up a bosun's chair to send Bryan aloft on the foremast to sand off the remaining grime.  

Bryan cut his time aloft short after a 1/2 hour, and reached the deck, as Capt Davis was gathering  the rest of the volunteers to deliver his news. He would be transitioning out of command of the schooner, as Captain, over the next two weeks. The Project Manager had determined that with Mission accomplished in the preparation, training for, and securing of the Certificate of Inspection, under the leadership of Capt Davis,  it was time to transition to a new phase of training for sail and programming.  The Board and Project Manager were now to begin the search for a new Captain with the requisite experience to take the schooner into the next phase of operations.  

In this interim, two separate efforts are being developed: One is the search for a new Captain to take the schooner into the next level. The second, more germane to volunteers, is the development of dock-side and harbor-sail-based educational programs, that can be marketed to the public.

In furtherance of that effort, Capt Davis and Bryan have made the trip up to Maryland for the Annual Tall Ship's America Conference, 4-7 February, in effort of gathering tips, advice, expertise in building educational programs, sailing expertise, and leads for a new Captain. Bryan is expected to return later this week, while Capt Davis will return to the area around 11 February.  A new phase, begins, consisting of continued sail training, and development of educational programs for dockside and Harbor cruises. Everyone is invited to participate, lend their talents, and get involved.