Monday, Spirit of South Carolina Volunteers get a short notice "Heads up" to crew the schooner back to Maritime Center.

If you happened into the Carolina Yacht Club Docks, this past Monday the 29th, you'd see this.  Described by several club members who remarked on "the best eye-candy on the water."  We'll take that compliment. But her week on this dock was over, as City Maritime Center Dock Master Jeff Davis notified us that our face dock space was now ready for us to return.  With that, ,and a hurried Sunday evening call for Volunteers to muster Monday morning, we kluged together a decent "pick-up" crew to take her home.

 

Bobby Noles on throttles, while
 Will Ventress holds course.

Walter Barton, Tony Marchesani, Alicia Cameron, Calvin Milam, and Bryan Oliver were able to drop plans for Monday and muster on board. Just before cast-off, Wayne Burdick climbed aboard to give us a welcome hand. We were joined by our two "Event Captains", Bobby Noles and Will Ventress, and Capt Heath Hackett. Their priority was to use a couple of hours on the water this morning to exercise their "feel" of the harbor currents and tides while performing a few "touch" and goes.  

Calvin in cruise mode

Calvin volunteered to take on Coxwain responsibilities, and soon found himself soloing around the schooner for the duration, until call for push boat  upped his operating tempo. 

Capt Hackett directed the vessel through a few 'touch-and-go's" first at Carolina Yacht club, where we retrieved all out ball fenders and inflatable yokohama 'monsters', before heading back the the Maritime Center, for another two runs. 

On final approach, our crew had a chance to shine when on 25 yards off the dock, Capt Noles called out that our starboard engine shut down.  The original planned choreography of sequenced dock line launches went out the window as  handlers were directed to "throw when able." In spite of a short throw, and the seemingly endless time it took Peter to cross the dock obstacle course to get on the bow line, the crew overall reacted well, and we touched the dock "all standing",  A bit more fore and aft motoring positioned us exactly centered to the gangway, which was immediately rolled out with its hydraulic jack.  We even used the falls to haul out and swing back over to the dock our gangway stair case.

We relearned a few lessons.  

1. Our discipline as Volunteers in maintaining a ship shape dock space as well as on deck, needs work. The south end of the dock has been largely neglected, and the accumulated 'stuff", much of it no more than debris of past projects, created a serious obstacle.  Asst Dockmaster Peter, during docking  was forced to climb across 20 or more feet of hardware with sharp corners hidden under old canvas tarps, while dragging the schooner's bow line all the way to the corner cleat. We did not look good in that area. It'll be a priority to get straightened out.  Look for it on this SignUp Genius.  

Our gangway had been left along the east side  of the dock, effectively blocking the way of dock line handlers trying to drag spring lines back and forth. It belongs on the "Inland side of the dock.)

2. Heaving Lines skills still need work. For some of us more than others.  Getting lines across quickly, while communicating with the dock, even recovering from a missed throw, though largely successful was somewhat uneven Monday. This is an independent skill and is ideal for independent practice, as long as standards are understood. This is an easy practice session, doable almost any time.

Techniques: 

• Always toss the line high and stretch the heaving line to it's limit-even if your receiver is only 15 yards away.  A lightly tossed line won't have the momentum to stretch out the coil in your hand, may likely fall into the water.
• If the line falls short. Don"t try to coil it as you pull it back in. haul it back in rapidly, allowing it to fall at your feet, grab the line near the bag and launch it high and out, allowing the line at your feet to snake out.