It's been two weeks since the last post to this blog. In that interim occurred events and decisions, still unclear to this day, but significantly decisive to the future of Spirit of South Carolina. Regardless of how you interpret the events, the Stasis of the schooner over the past several months has been broken. She'll soon be taken in one direction.. a new life following her mission, or something else..
A recap of the Timeline. I'm purposely not specifying names of individuals since I don't have their permission, and the rapidly changing situation, involving business decisions will basically be changing ground truth daily.
Beginning in Late Spring, information was passed down indicating that The ship's owner is understood to be considering donating the vessel to a new owner/operator.
September 4: Spirit of South Carolina, on short notice and under Command of Capt Andy Hudak and crew of volunteers, motors to Stephen's Towing on Yongas Island, to be hauled out in anticipation for a "10-Year" Shipyard project.. standard procedure for traditionally rigged wooden vessels under Coast Guard Reg.
September 16-approx. The Shipyard power-washed the hull to clear off all growth and staining to better reveal surface and discrepancies for shipwright and Coast Guard Inspection. The cleaning reveals dozens of small to deep/critical worm infestations, possibly worst being in the rudder.
September 22: A Shipwright from Mystic Connecticut spent three hours inspecting the hull in order to deliver a cost estimate to remedy all discrepancies identified, in order to be made seaworthy. The total estimate was prepared from the consult of up to three different shipwrights, and concentrated on the hull of the vessel. Masts and Rigging were not inspected. A Coast Guard team also came aboard in a routine pre-inspection, and signed-off on the work to be done for this project.
In the ensuing five weeks up to Nov1, there was no communication from ownership levels, nor the Project Management as to progress of the shipyard project, although it was known that local subject-matter experts through-out the Tall Ship industry were being contacted for consult.
November 3: Bryan Oliver is notified that, subsequent to being presented with an estimate to complete the shipyard project, the owner Tommy Baker declined to proceed, instead directed that the ship be donated or scrapped. Bryan is directed to withhold any social media communication on the topic pending resolution of business negotiations then underway.
November 5: Bryan commences a communication to contacts thru-out the Tall Ship Industry, including The LowCountry Maritime School organization, and select local individuals heavily involved with the schooner in the past. Several respond, some with offers to accept the donation, others with guidance on how to build a new organization to receive ownership, in order to keep the schooner in South Carolina. The operant obstacles are the absence of a current organization with infrastructure to accept ownership and liabilities for the vessel, and the daunting requirement to fund the shipyard project. Everything appears to be going stagnant.
November 7: [Approx] In response to the communique, a donor offers the amount of the shipyard estimate, with conditions pending a sound business plan. This changes everything.
November10: Bryan Oliver organizes a Zoom video call five five individuals who had responded to the 5 November communique. The intent; to gain clarity and share understanding of the situation and map out next steps, including development of a Business Plan. Majority of the call centered around confusion as to actual ownership of the vessel, and how it would be transferred to a new owner-operator. Next steps were proposed with consensus.
Here we are six days later. Efforts are being made to understand and advance the Transfer of Ownership, without which, there is no authority to advance the Shipyard project. A select group is fleshing out the draft of a Business plan, guided by the ship's Mission Statement, and a Vision _a vivid picture/description of her success five years hence). Overarching these two actions, is the organization of a governance group- a board, steering committee, provisional staff-whatever you want to call it, in order to lead efforts in fund raising, shipyard project management, publicity-social media, most of it to start up without a budget.
Basically, we are starting over. trying to accomplish what scores of Volunteers began back in 2002, as her keel was being laid.
In short order, an Organizational Meeting is being called for interested people who would like to be part of that. The good news is that, we have hosts of expertise and lessons learned over the past 18 years of the schooners life. less thrashing and more purposeful action, guided by a specific Mission statement and business plan to furnish the guardrails, the lack of which, in the earlier years, resulted in some waste and mismanagement.
Join Us. Respond to this post with a comment. Sign on with us by Going to the Ship's Website:
https://www.spiritofsc.org/spirit-volunteers
