Pre-Shipyard Phase of Down-Rig Complete ; Dory Gets her First Coat of paint

 One could not have asked for a better day. Saturday's cloudless sky, winds barely sufficient to fill a spinnaker(CORA held a round-the buoy race in the harbor). Six Volunteers mustered aboard Saturday to finish up the last down-rigging tasks, and start laying on a coat of white paint on Dory's Hull. 

Tony Marchesani and Scott Cross volunteered to start the paint job, while Stephen Folwell, Ken Fonville, and Walter Barton gathered around Bryan Oliver for guidance on lashing down the Main mast spars (sea-stowing).  Nick Swarts appeared later and joined in the down-rigging crew. After pointing out the locations of paint supplies to Tony and Scott, Bryan assigned jobs to the rest; first, lashing down the main gaff before moving on to the main boom.  Bryan gave a tutorial and refresher on making a bowline and a square lashing, then sent the team to the rope locker to search out sufficient lengths of unassigned cordage to do the job. 

They made short work of the gaff.  The Main Boom required some organization.  When the boom was lowered, it came to rest in a position that took up too much space on the starboard deck.  Bryan pointed out, that, by shifting the boom aft two feet, the jaws would clear the tool locker, enabling the boom to rest two feet closer to the rail. The task would require rigging up tackles fore and aft to lift the boom inches allowing the team to push it aft the necessary distance.  Ken Fonville proposed using the gangway falls, rather than untangle and rig up the boom lifts.  The team adapted the idea; first, down rigging the gangway with it's crossbar,  making up slings at fore and aft ends of the boom, to take the hooks of the falls. With two hands each on the bow and stern falls, they were able to sweat the falls up several inches, allowing  Bryan and Walter, at each end, to push the boom aft two feet, and closer to the rail. 

With sea-stowing of the last spars complete, and a first coat of white laid on Dory's hull, the crew secured tools, hardware and  mustered midships to recognize shipmate Volunteer Steve Folwell for racking up, in quick succession, 50 and then 100 Volunteer hours in the last months of 2024. To catch up, Bryan presented Stephen both, his 50-hour Jibsheet Volunteer, and 100-hour Foremast Volunteer Pins.

In tallying up all Volunteer Hours for 2024, Bryan noted the recent achievements of the following Volunteers in making the 50, 100, and 200 Volunteer Hour milestones.

• Walter Barton         200
• Todd Cole               200
• Stephen Folwell      100
• Lance Halderman   100
• Alex Lyashevich     100
• Ryan Smith             100
• Carin Bloom             50
• Nick Swarts              50

Save this Date (To Be Determined).. Yes,, once I determine it, be sure to save it.. The Volunteer Shipyard Sendoff Cook-off Social. Look for this date in the next few weeks, on a Sunday, on the Dock and on Board.  A celebration of  a continuous thread of support that has kept the Spirit of South Carolina afloat and viable, for what we anticipate to be the start of a new life.