Chris jannini andJen Huggins set up a throat seizing in the loft. (Photo: Tim Campbell)
Micah Faust finishes service on an eye splice. (Photo: Tim Campbell)
Riggers & Ship~rights'' the Balclutha and Moves on Maritime Park's rigging crew. In 1991 a new t'gallant mast was raised but only stopgap repairs had been done to the steel lower mast. During the ensuing years the museum was in political turmoil, with key leadership positions in a state offlux. All of the ships in the fleet reflected this, and the Balclutha's foremast job languished. Meanwhile we completely overhauled Balclutha's main and mizzen masts with a very small but dedicated crew using only the ship's gear and a minimal budget. Rigger Angus McCamy, with whom I had sailed aboard the brigantine Romance in 1983, came out from New York and lent an enthusiastic hand.Temporary help such as Angus and Karl Brandes provided a boost in enthusiasm for the Park's permanent staff. Hiring temporary help allowed the Park staff to share their knowledge and their nor inconsiderable skills with competent "outsiders" who ofren taught us at least as much as we taught them. As the old saying goes, "Different ships, different long splices, " and my goal for this museum has always !been to develop the staff into a reposito>ry of traditional skills. The ships in our collection at San Francisco provide the perfect ]proving grounds, and the use of remporauy staff provides a medium for skills ex<change.
SEA HIISTORY 90, AUTUMN 1999
In 1996 I put together a program for the necessary repairs to rhe ship's foremast. My original idea was to send down the tophamper and pull the lower mast at Hyde Street Pier in San Francisco and reinstall it at the shipyard and then re-rig her in full public view at Hyde Street Pier. The public loves that sort of thing, and I felt that it was an important part of the museum's mission. As it happened, the lower mast was removed at the shipyard, and, for her triumphant return to Hyde Street, irwas imperative that all her rigging be in place. These two developments placed severe time pressure upon us to overhaul all of the lower rigging and get the mast back in and rigged up on time. The final days at the shipyard were an incredible scene during the waning wet days of El Nino with shipwrights, caulkers, riveters, painters, lead abatement workers, and riggers all competing for the same physical space aboard the ship. How many trades could we get to dance together on the head of a pin? And dance we did! To get a jump on the work I hired traditional sailors Pamela Coughlin from the brig Niagara and Sue Schmidt from the fishing schooner Lettie G. Howard to supplement the Park staff in the winter of 1996-7. We struck the r'gallant mast and
all of the removable wire and began work in the rigging lofr that we set up in the old Haslett Warehouse. Sue Schmidt rook over as the Volunteer Coordinator for the National Maritime Museum Association and was an invaluable ally providing many enthusiastic skilled and unskilled volunteers. Sailmaker and rigger Jim Brink from Michigan (another Romance marinero) came aboard in July. In the fall of 1997 I hired additional staff: Richard "Likeke" Goings from Californian; Micah Faust, Ian Shipley and Jessie Briggs from Tole Mour; Andy "Hollywood" Schneider from the prairie schooners of Oklahoma via rhe local fishing fleer; and Patrick Curry from Niagara. Jen Huggins and Samantha Ficksman from Pride ofBaltimore //joined us after the ship went to drydock, as did Wes Heerson. The laborious process of documentation and removal of the rigging began. This gang had come from all points of the compass, competent traditional sailors all, with a variety of skills already at their disposal. They left this project each capable of raking on such a project independendy, their skills equal to anyone I have had the pleasure of working with. They have gone on to projects such as the Glen Lee restoration in G lasgow; sailing the Niagara out of Erie, Pennsylvania, Pride of Baltimore II 21