Spirit of South Carolina
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| Spirit of South Carolina
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| Type: | Pilot Schooner |
| Hull: | Wood |
| Built: | 2007, Charleston, SC |
| Homeport: | Charleston, SC |
| Designer: | Peter Boudreau / Andrew Davis |
| Builder: | Mark Bayne / South Carolina Maritime Foundation |
| Length Overall: | 140 ft |
| Length on deck: | 90 ft |
| Length Waterline: | 88 ft |
| Beam: | 24 ft |
| Draft: | 10.3 ft |
| Displacement: | 150 t |
| Sail Area: | 6,462 sq. ft |
The Spirit of South Carolina is a “tall ship” being built on the waterfront at Charleston, South Carolina by the South Carolina Maritime Foundation.
The Spirit of South Carolina will provide sailing opportunities for young people to experience the sea while participating in a variety of educational and youth development programs. The structure of the sail training experience will encourage the building of character, the taking of responsibility, and the development of leadership skills while learning to work with others a student crew member, In addition to learning practical seafaring skills it is expected that all sailors will bring back from their adventure a new understanding of science, math, literature, history, responsibility, teamwork, and leadership.
More than just a platform for sail training, the Spirit of South Carolina will be a symbol that pays tribute to the resourcefulness and vibrancy of South Carolinians, and in particular, the potential of the state’s younger citizens. She will be a beautiful, fast, world-class schooner which everyone in South Carolina can be proud to have as a representative in port cities throughout the world. Wherever she sails, the Spirit and her crew will serve as ambassadors of the people of South Carolina.
The beautiful sight of a classic wooden sailing ship on Charleston waterfront will be an attraction to the residents and visitors of South Carolina. Servicing students from across the Palmetto State, the Spirit of South Carolina will add a nautical treasure to the state’s already popular attractions, in addition to providing an enormous community resource to children and families of the state.
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[edit] Curricula
The Spirit of South Carolina is dedicated to providing effective experiential education programs for the youth of South Carolina. Experiential education is the process of actively engaging students in authentic experience that will have benefits and consequences. Students make discoveries and experiment with knowledge themselves instead of hearing or reading about the experiences of others. Students also reflect on their experiences, thus developing new skills, new attitudes, and new theories or ways of thinking. Our interdisciplinary programs will focus on the math, science, history and literature of South Carolina and our relationship to the water.
Educational Programming will focus on three specific areas:
Sea Spray Scouts
A 5th and 6th grade program addressing the state standards for math and science with a link to understanding how those influences affected the history and culture of South Carolina.
The Spirit of South Carolina Professional Mariner Program
A program aimed at providing a long term, positive life choice and sustainable productive careers for at-risk youth. A major goal of the program will be for the student to pass a GED, high school grauation equivalency test and to obtain their Able Seaman or Qualified Member of the Engine Department, Merchant Mariners Document.
Multi-Week Maritime Adventure Program
Spirit of South Carolina's Multi Week Programs will be aimed at providing challenging academics and rigrous shipboard experiences related to the sea. Academic focuses will include, but not be limited to, Marine Biology, Maritime Archaeology, Oceanography, History, Literature, Meteorology and Astronomy. Our goal is to provide an appropriate amount of accreditation for every program we design. These programs are available for open enrollment or for specific institutions.
[edit] Frances Elizabeth: Inspiration for Spirit of South Carolina
The Spirit of South Carolina is a pilot schooner reminiscent of the Frances Elizabeth, a vessel that was originally built by the Samuel J. Pregnall & Bros. Shipyardin Charleston, SC in 1879 and served pilots in the city’s harbor for 25 years.
The pilot schooner Frances Elizabeth was of a design very similar to the yacht America, first winner of the America's Cup in 1851. The America was designed according to the specifications of the fastest pilot boat in New York harbor. Pilot boats had to be very fast because the first pilot to reach an incoming ship got the job of bringing the vessel in the harbor, and thus was the only vessel to receive the pilot's fee. Pilot boats had to be seaworthy and able to withstand almost any weather. The pilot schooners serving major shipping ports such as Charleston were exposed to the rigors of the open ocean.
The Frances Elizabeth was licensed as a pilot schooner in 1879 and sank in 1912 in the Cape Fear River in North Carolina. She had been outfitted with gasoline engines. A gasoline leak in the bilge resulted in a fire and explosion that destroyed the vessel.
Plans for the Frances Elizabeth were found at the Smithsonian Institution within that organization’s extensive collection. Those original plans have been modified and redesigned by Peter Boudreau and Andrew Davis, proprietors of the preeminent tall ship design firm TriCoastal Marine. TriCoastal Marine has been involved with several notable vessels including the Amistad, Spirit of Massachusetts, Lady Maryland, Pride of Baltimore II, Schooner Virginia, and the USS Constellation.
[edit] Building Spirit of South Carolina
The Spirit of South Carolina is being built by The South Carolina Maritime Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit educational organization founded in August 2000 to explore and celebrate South Carolina's rich maritime heritage. The Spirit of South Carolina is designed to be fully US Coast Guard certified as a sailing school vessel. She has beautiful lines and will be a "fast" boat under sail or power. She will be capable of carrying 30 students and crew.
Master Shipwright Mark Bayne, owner of Sea Island Boat Works in Charleston, South Carolina, is in charge of building the Spirit of South Carolina. The construction crew consists of skilled paid shipwrights and volunteers. She is built of several types of woods traditionally used in shipbuilding, including: Live Oak, Angelique, Longleaf Pine, Sapele, Purpleheart, and Douglas Fir. Every element of the vessel has been constructed on site, including both masts and all necessary rigging. For safety, she is equipped with two Cummins Diesel engines and carries the latest electronic communication and navigational technology.
The Sailing School Vessel Spirit of South Carolina is United States Coast Guard certified and operates as a Sailing School Vessel (SSV) under Title 46, Subchapter R of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR).
The keel was laid June 16, 2001. The Whiskey Plank (last plank to be installed) was fit on July 15, 2006.
She was launched from Union Pier on the Charleston waterfront on March 4, 2007, at 12:00 Noon.
The masts will be stepped and the rig installed during Summer of 2007. the Spirit should be operational in late Summer.
