MOTHER SHIP Nancy Cappelmann has been a familiar face at Harbour Town Yacht Basin since 1981.
Of course, such an intricate and complicated mechanism as Harbour Town becomes exponentially more complex when you throw in such monkey wrenches as the unpredictable weather of the last few years. “Usually we close for Christmas day and that’s it. The past year and a half we’ve been closed more days for hurricanes and for snow than in the last 30 some years I’ve worked here,” she said. Of course, to that you have to add the destruction that (Hurricane) Matthew brought to Harbour Town, and the subsequent rebuilding that produced the dazzling new pier. “Throw in crane barges and construction barges and electricians; trying to coordinate that and still be open for boaters has definitely been a challenge. It’s been fun, but I’m glad it’s completed.” Taking joy in complications seems to be a huge part of the harbor master’s job description, and it’s one that Cappelmann has relished as she’s worked her way up from deckhand to harbor master of one of the island’s truly iconic sights. “I was persistent. It’s a wonderful job and I’ve been very fortunate to be involved here for all these years. Sea Pines is a great company to work for.” LL
MAY 2018 + LocalLifeSC.com
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