Volunteer Crew Team sets a new pace and example in Teamwork -Blow by Blow

 You'd have thought that this bunch must've done this before. Saturday, March 7th demonstrated what a group with clear goals, a sense of urgency, and faith in each other to do their part could do.

After a convoy from our Citadel Mall Assembly Area,  Volunteer deckhands disappeared into the Saloon to select a protective hardhat, then back on deck. Adam Reed, our Executive Director show up to put in a few licks. Seriously, I think this is he real comfort zone.   Bosun' and Volunteer Coordinator, Bryan Oliver, mustered the 7-person team of volunteers at the mainmast. Sam Sablotsky, after a long absence of school and myriad other family and high school activities, was ready for a release. Tony Marchesani, crossed the 500 Volunteer Hours mark just last month. Walter Barton,  our principally qualified Scissors-Lift operator, and bringing up lunch for everyone. And last, David Reid, Petty Officer 3d Class, on his last volunteer watch before shipping later this week for his first submarine,, Arizona, currently under construction in Groton, CT. All present  except Nick Swarts who would catch up later in the morning after finishing up a class.

First order of business was Bryan's short sermon on  opportunities for deckhanding aboard Spirit of South Carolina, based on what they were going to accomplish the next few months in getting our schooner thru "Shipyard". He related latest estimates of what the timeline would look like to that date, the arrival of timber for planking, all the hull work, the rigging, particularly the down rigging of the masts.  These and unknown discrepancies usually discovered at the worst moment,,  they must be resolved for the team to be able to sail her home.  

Bryan then stepped back from the fife rail, exposing six short lengths of 6 foot cotton, three strand rope, each sporting an individual knot. Volunteer sailors frowned.. Some recognized it and immediately explaining,,, the six knots of the Bloom  Knot Challenge.  Bryan reminded the group that, to be prepared to take the vessel into the water, one form of their marlinspike seamanship would be correct knot tying.  It would be a first prerequisite for their coming aboard to deckhand her first sail out of shipyard.  All took a chance to stumble thru  one or two attempts before Bryan staunched  the mayhem by directing all to take their assigned stations for the tasks at hand.  There would be plenty of  opportunities for practice over the next few months. 

Below in the forecastle were stacks of empty cardboard boxes, and others full of tools and other hardware that had been pulled from the lockers;  Several packed and taped boxes of years of detritus. Up on deck Tony Marchesani noted  a large yellow coil up under the bow. Taking David Reid with him, they strung it out, hoisted the socket end up to the deck using a boat falls. Walking the yellow cable aft, David Reid located the 50amp power socket on the starboard Engine vent. Adam Reed dropped down into the engine room to flip the master breakers in sequence once David secured the socket. Threw the Master Circuit breaker. 

Nothing,  For the next ten minutes, Adam and David Reid troubleshooted the problem, which partly involved tracking down every GFI in the schooner. Final success meant we'd have power for charging tool batteries. the Freezer and dorm fridge would kick on.  Bunk lights and power outlets charge, greatly facilitating getting fair illumination into to the far reaches of berths and bilges.  Finally, area fans which had been mounted or suspended in each cabin, to run continuously, circulating air and  preventing any mildew. And then the reassuring whoosh of moving air and whine of an electric fan emanating from below in the forecastle.

Walter adjusting his Safety Harness before boarding
 the Scissors lift, while Tony Marchesani flushes
 the just-opened-up fresh water(we're not sure) main,
 supplied by a single hose.  four bucket-loads to obtain
 something resembling clear.

As the schooner sat at her own dock with power, those fans ran 24/7.  When the schooner was delivered to this Shipyard she was not supplied with any electrical power, nor were visitors allowed on board due to the vessel being seized by Federal Marshals. Consequently mildew spots began forming. Now one of our immediate priority projects?, is to wipe down and sanitize all the afflicted bulkheads, additionally throw down foggers to rid her totally of six or eight-legged critters who've since taken up residence.

Now the teamwork began. Concentrating in the forecastle, a few crewmembers crawled thru each berth that didn't have a sail stuffed in it, lockers, cabinets, and shelves for anything, quickly dividing what they found into keepables and stuff that needed to be let go.  Boxes, crates and yard bags quickly filled, labeled on the sides, not on top, so readable when stacked four or more high. 

Other volunteers pulled/pushed/lifted/twisted filled boxes/bags/tubs, to the base of the ladder then pushed up to the hatch where a third group was center loading the scissors lift, already stretched to its 25 foot limit. A designated operator then lowered the cargo to the ground, where another pair was standing by to shoulder bags and boxes the 25 yards away to stack them into the back of one of the two shipping containers, depending on whether the goods would be needed shortly, like tools, sanding and chipping/ or cleaning supplies , as opposed to bedding, ships library, etc. 

The fans below decks were helpfully cooling to the denizens below, but up on deck and the dusty ground out below, were starting to feel a South Carolina sunny day.  More than once Bryan or Adam stopped the work long enough for shipmates to grab a chilled bottle out of an on deck cooler, or the small dorm fridge below. 

The pace was sufficiently smooth that it seemed unnatural to interrupt things, but Bryan anyway nodded to Walter Barton at the Scissors Lift, to grab a relief then disappear below into the galley to work some of his magic. He'd brought the makings for Carnitas fritatas, or tostados, or fajitas,,I forget the name, but not the surfeit of fixin's/additives.  The whole crew stopped what they were doing, grabbed water bottles and climbed down below around the saloon table where Walter had set up condiments.  Over lunch, Bryan provided a brief recap of events that got them there, and situational report of scheduling the shipwright, arrival of planking timbers, and timing for lowing the masts.  Adam Reed in his role of Executive Director, added some perspective regarding the hopeful shipyard progression resulting in her participating in the City's 250th Anniversary of Battle of Fort Moultrie and all. 

Lunch seemed to halt abruptly with that, like a signal to-having heard the plan, it was time to execute, and everyone piled up on deck to look at the remaining work.  Everything in the Forecastle had been hauled out and stored, except the ship's piles of cordage loosely coiled up and covering the sole. And finally, the huge (6,000 square feet) of sail-six sails stuffed into four berths and under the table. Bryan made some weakly assurances that, though the five piles of canvas were bulky they were not all that heavy. Coiled cordage"-piece of cake:" I smiled weakly.   Later on, I'm sure the crew concluded he was delusional. 

At any rate, given two hours to mustering off at 1500, the job just dared us to take it on.   Again, the team focused efforts in three areas. 3 of us went below into the forecastle to start, first the massive pile of cordage-20 some-odd loosely nippered coils of various lengths.  Two shipmates below would secure one coil at a  time to prevent it's falling apart, then pushing it up the ladder where hands above would grab it, and drag it towards the rail where hands were waiting to affix the hook of of a boat falls, under supervision of Sam Sablotsky, who was being particularly imaginative, innovating on the fly a new purpose to the highwayman's cutaway hitch.

Adam Reed steadies a heavy coil while Sam Sablotsky
 applies his highwayman's hitch.

 Once the coil was steadied under the boat falls hook, Sam pulled a  piece of seine twine with a bowline made up at one end thru the coil. Sam then effectively lashed the cordage coil to the hook with a highwayman's cutaway, which he would release once the coil of cordage was safely suspended out over the rail. 

No one kept count of all the large massive coils we transferred overboard in that fashion, but it served us well as a dress rehearsal for what followed-the extraction from below, in the forecastle, safely stuffed across five berths,  the five loosely, huge bundles of stiff canvas; our sails of course. 

With two shipmates on the "falls" lifting up
 the heavy rope coil, Adam and Sam
 push it over the rail where Sam
will jerk his Highwayman's hitch
 freeing the coil to fall harmlessly ;

Starting with one sail, starting with one end of that which  would seem like a 20 foot canvas anaconda. We would have to first locate the nearest end of the snake where a gasket held the coil together.     One sail at a time; find a corner, or nearest thing to it, then locate by feel,  the nearest sail gasket encircling/ holding that massive pile of canvas that we could grab onto and start yanking, jerking, pulling towards the hatch overhead where two other shipmates were passing down the lower block/hook for the boat falls. The crew below would snag both port and starboard boat falls hooks under the sail gasket and with Adam controlling below, orchestrate an equal pull to raise the load up out of the below decks evenly to a position hanging over the caprail.

  At that point, Sam would climb out of the below decks, take charge of the crews manning the falls,  bend on his highwaymans' cutaway knot connecting the boat falls hook, to the sail gasket.

Directing equal hauls on both falls sufficient to clear the bottom of the coil over the lifelines, shipmates hold the coil outboard just long enough for Sam to Jerk loose his highwayman's cutaway hitch, and the whole mess drops in a loose pile in front of three other shipmates and Sam's truck, where they will load it onto the bed, and wait for another. 

No one was keeping track of time, we were all in the flow. I don't think it was until the last bundle of sail canvas, the fisherman, was stacked in a container that we pause to look around, and find nothing left, on deck in the forecastle, anywhere.  

All that was left was to secure the deck- the other hatches, the water hose, etc, A few of us took a look at the Punch list, left in the Saloon.  We had outrun it.  But the next actions pointed to the Saloon, and, or sanitizing the forecastle,, more likely, at any rate, we expected to have out plank timber staged in next 10 days, that, plus the scaffolding staged near by would drive where we could lay down all our spars, which would be the nearest project. Which will become first?  no, really?

The next Day, Sunday.

David Reid mustered with Bryan for his last Volunteer day before shipping, literally, to Groton, CT where he'll join the crew of SSB(?) Arizona, a Virginia class Ballistic Missile Sub, currently in  final stages of construction. 

With the forecastle emptied, Bryan and David
experiment on mildewed bulkheads with  various cleansers aboard.
This pic shows a fairly successful application
of the 50/50 cleaning solution.  No need for touch up paint.
Estimate we could clear the forecastle for inspection
 in 3 hours max.

the forecast:  

Sam Sablotsky's pick up truck stationed
at the edge of "the drop zone
" were shipmates would drop a coil of cordage,
 later a sail, to be loaded onto the truck
 and transported the 25 yards and unloaded
 at our storage container.