The New Possible? New Purpose for Spirit of South Carolina in Charleston's Maritime Heritage

 It started as just another chance to go Sailing

Today I was editing some old video footage from 18 years ago. Me and four other fellas, all sailors of some sort were together delivering a Hunter-31 sloop from New London, Connecticut, down the eastern coast to Charleston-12 days, four days off-shore-off-soundings, and then into the Intra-Coastal Waterway at Norfolk for the rest of the passage.  

2007-coming ashore-The crew
and me on the Battery

The video footage had it's cringe-worthy moments as the 5 of us, 12 days out, wooted, backslapped, pointed at dolphins, and wildly celebrated as we passed under the Ben Sawyer Bridge and out into to the harbor towards the Ashley Marina and the sloop's new home.  It was my first time setting foot in Charleston, and it just now occurred to me-I came  sea. 

For next 8 years, living in St. Louis, I returned to Charleston once, or twice a year to go sailing, with my old Army buddy, the Hunter's skipper. My wife, Jane came along too, not to sail, she won't do that-my fault- long story. But our attraction to the area grew, just like everyone else from "off", the charm of the city, the culture, big water,long beaches, wide porches, slow living,, and the history.  

So, after 8 years of visits, we talked ourself into moving here, Mount Pleasant to be more exact. In the first six months, I quit/retired from my second career, enthusiastically explored the low-country from Hilton Head to Georgetown, soaking up historical lore, diving into the seafood, the breweries, pretty much wallowing in it. And I also sought out the schooner, SSV Spirit of South Carolina. She was the solution to a sixth-grade childhood fantasy that never died.

Something about Traditionally Rigged Wooden Sailing Ships

During my next 10 years  as deckhand, to now, I spent countless hours digging into the schooners' history, how did she came about,? Why was she built in the first place? Why does she look like she does?  What happened to her that led to her bankruptcy? What about all those other tall ships out there, why do they exist? How do they do it? I mean, be successful?

 Thanks, if you're still with me.  I'm getting to the point.

While aboard Spirit and also aboard four other schooners with their crews, I spent time in other ports up and down the coast. I noticed the extent to how "Maritime Heritage" defines those places. By that I mean, how has the inheritance of their history and their connection to the sea influenced how they see themselves; thru their art, commerce, language, festivals and tourism, stories, folklore, jokes, music.  Oh, and tall ships. They seem to be interwoven thru all of it. 

Gone to Look for Charleston's Maritime Heritage

Back in Charleston, on deck, I've got the best view of the Harbor, all 360 degrees of past, present, and future. I can't help but make comparisons. Charleston is as rich in history, and a connection to the sea, as any port on the east coast,  and low country so large that there's a saying, I think it's gullah-geechee "so much water here down south that the ocean comes out of the rivers' mouth."[listen to the Shovel and Rope song:  "Stono River Blues"].  Plus. we had pirates. All of that underpins what this area is today.  But the thing is,, at most of it appears to be a secret.  It's just not visible, or understood. The curation of the City's heritage is merit-worthy, but its all focused landward. The success of the new International African American Museum is a gem, but it too, appears to be almost totally focused landward.

The College of Charleston's "Carolina, Low Country and the Atlantic World" began a collaboration with Spirit of South Carolina in 2019 before COVID-19 forced a virtual shut-down of the student involvement.  That collaboration would've been the first Maritime Heritage-oriented initiative of any sizable scope. I"m currently reaching out again to that entity.

In the meantime, I've discovered a new thread of heretofore untold stories. "The Seaborne Underground Railroad".  The euphemism is pretty clear.  For 100 years there was a heavily used route for escaped African-American slaves northward by sea,  a large part of it, thru Charleston. Two recent books document the stories.
They relate a scale of movement at least as great as the better known Underground Railroad and the heroic characters involved such as Harriet Tubman, and  William Still. "Sailing to Freedom", published in 2021, has been discussed in a previous blog entry.  "Freedom Ship" published only months ago documents highly personal accounts up and down the coast ,not only slaves escaping, but  the horror of free African American sailors being "blackbirded" in southern ports, the practice of kidnapping legally free black sailors and selling them into slavery. Suffice to say that the stories that make up the Seaborne Underground railway are equally inspiring, and  heartbreaking.  And they are stories of our own city, our sea port, and ancestors. 

Spirit of South Carolina should be a Living-active-experience of Charleston's Maritime Heritage

As Volunteers we have an opportunity to fill a huge vacuum. No one else is doing this. We have capability of telling these stories, using the deck of Spirit of South Carolina as the platform, to reinforce them thru demonstrating and hands-on experience of the life aboard and skills that operated such vessels while. It takes only our time, to learn the stories, and pass them on to visitors who come aboard, or maybe just dockside, maybe just a 10-minute overview, or a half-hour hands-on reenactment of sorts.   Carin Bloom, instigator of the Bloom Six-Knot Challenge, and Historian-reenactor is helping to organize the Stories and the material.

And this isn't the only topic on Charleston's Maritime Heritage.. Look for  "Charleston Pilots, and Development of the Harbor", coming soon.

This doesn't have to wait for shipyard or Certificate of inspection. The time can be a four-hour shift, morning or afternoon, on dock or on deck. 15-minute to 1/2 hour tours depending on depth and experience to explore, and the mentioning of a donation to the schooner.   

And it should be a welcome diversion from maintenance.  

Look for Signup opportunities.  Be prepared for some self-study. The materials are available at this blog. See right side column of Resources and other Materials for Book links and downloadable Talking points as they are posted.