Congratulations to the schooner Spirit of South Carolina and all who sail and support her! After languishing for years, the schooner has new owners, a new captain and officers and was recently re-certified to carry passengers by the US Coast Guard. She will soon be sailing North to New England for a program of port visits and teen summer camps before returning to South Carolina in October.
A few years ago, we posted about “The Unfortunate Economics of Tall Ships.” Finding the money to operate a tall or historic ship is a tough business. More fail than succeed. One of the several ships we mentioned that had fallen on hard times was the schooner Spirit of South Carolina. The 140′ schooner’s keel was laid in 2001 and she was launched in 2007. She was put up for sale in 2011 when the foundation that built and operated her ran into financial problems. For several years, there were no buyers. Finally, in 2014, the bank which held her mortgage sold her at auction to two Charleston businessmen, Tommy Baker and Michael Bennett. They have brought the schooner back into service and will be operating her as a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization. Receiving the USCG Certificate of Inspection (COI) is a major milestone.
The Spirit of South Carolina also has two fine new officers. Captain Richard Bailey and Doug Faunt, both late of the SSV Oliver Hazard Perry, are serving as Captain and Mate/Engineer, respectively. Several decades ago I was fortunate to sail briefly on HMS Rose as volunteer crew with Captain Bailey in command. Captain Bailey has also commanded the schooners Spirit of Massachusetts, Westward, and Harvey Gamage, and the three-masted barkentine Gazela Primeiro. An excellent captain.
One of my fellow crew members on HMS Rose was Doug Faunt, who amazed us all by hooking up a short wave connection so we could send messages by a then new-fangled system called email. Very impressive. (Wonder whether that email thing ever caught on.)
We wish the Spirit of South Carolina and those who sail and support her only fair winds and good fortune.
Thanks Rick, I must do a shout out for my most excellent Chief Mate Jesse Doucette, former captain of Amistad and Lynx, who brings professionalism, relative youth…compared to us geezers…and immense professionalism to our team. We have come far in only 2 or 3 months, we still have some way to go before the ship meets the vision of the generous men who saved her.
The ship is set to sail; we’re still building a shore-side operation, but as the saying goes, “Nothing is impossible for God or sailors.”