Easter Sunday; Denis Sullivan delayed. Her Spirit of South Carolina Welcoming Crew Makes Good use of Time

 We could see it developing,, or not developing, more accurately.. The four of us, Carin Bloom, Ken Fonville, Nate Mack, Dave Brennan, Ben Walker, and the Bos'un,(yers truly) had mustered by 10 am to finalize preparations for the schooner Denis Sullivan's anticipated noon arrival. However, frequent checks on our Marine Tracker app's, showed her still at latitude with Brunswick Georgia, easily 24 hours away. 

After leaving text messages with Sullivan's Port Captain requesting an update, The crew set to solving the issue of the imminent high tide, and centering the wai@2st of the ship under the gangway without re-endangering the stanchions underside on the caprail. With high tide and slack current coming up, the doubled #3 docklines were beginning to slack. Bryan, Carin, and Ken, immediately cast off both #3 docklines from the Kevel, taking up all slack and sweated the dock line enough to take up a foot or so, effectively pulling the ship forward another foot. 

At that point, Dave Brennan pointed out the stern quarter dockline, was taut, and likely creating resistance to the desired forward drift of the ship. While Bryan and Carin eased off the quarter stern line off the riding bitt, Ken Fonville stood at the gangway, watching the schooner's caprail slooowwwwly move past the gangway another two feet, enough to clear the stanchions out from under.  

With that adjustment made, the gangway could now be lowered, almost down to the caprail if needed, in order to safely disembark the Ashley Hall students, and their gear.  

Gazing down-harbor past Ft. Sumter, Denis Sullivan never showed. 

A look at Marine Tracker still showed her at latitude of Savannah.. at least 15 hours away. To make some productive use of our waiting time, Cox'un Dave Brennen fired up the outboard and motored the small boat out of the marina dock, back to the outboard side of the schooner to set up a Fluid Film paint station, for the final "slushing" of the head rig's bowsprit and jibboom  from the small boat. 

Bos'un Bryan and Ben Walker, walking
 their floating "slush" station aft down the portside
 martingale backstay.

As Dave had to leave, Bos'un Bryan climbed down into the small boat, and together, Ben, Bryan, and the paint station carefully drifted the boat almost under the Martingale (Dolphin Striker), tied off bow and sternlines, and slushed the headrig from the bottom up.  As Ben and Bryan completed their project, tied up the small boat and delivered their paint station gear back on board, the Sullivan's Port Captain called, expressing much regret and not informing us, but updated that Denis Sullivan would be arriving Tomorrow, Monday, at high tide(slack). By now the remainder of us, Ben, Bryan, and Rick Washington had already put in a full Volunteer Day,  We'll see what tomorrow brings at 1337 hours, in addition to high tide.  We'll be ready.