UNDER SAIL, Part 1 of 3 "Leaving Charleston, SC"

A piece for full orchestra, which depicts in sound, an imagined 1852 voyage of an English flagged medium clipper ship[1] departing from Charleston, SC sailing to Portsmouth, England with a stop in Jamaica. The piece is introduced in three separate movements (postings or episodes).
- - - - - -
Departing from Charleston in the early morning as the tide turns, the ship carries a cargo of South Carolina rice and indigo, to be enhanced later by a consignment of Jamaican rum, and then on to Portsmouth.

Part 1 events:
- Dawn at anchor (The ship rides at anchor; a gentle breeze is stirring; rigging lines and blocks are heard knocking by wave action and breezes.)

- Ascension to the yards 1:21 (Crew responds to the bosun's call[2]  and climbs into the rigging.)

- Top Sail let Fall 1:51 (At the bosuns call, the mizzen top sail is loosed and let fall from a cross tree of the mizzenmast.[3])

- Set sails 1:57 (The deck crew hauls the lines, to the sea shanty Johnny Boker, to form the sail and catch a light breeze. The ship slowly moves over its anchor point.)

- Haul anchor! 2:32 (To the sea shanty Hanging Johnny, the crew turns the windless [4] to retrieve the anchor. The clicking of the windless pawl may be heard to accelerate as the windless turns ever quicker.) 

- Steerage way 2:58 (The ship is now moving quickly enough that the tiller is more effective, allowing the ship to be closely controlled. It moves out of the harbor.)

- Mainsail let fall 3:40 (The bosun orders the main-course sail to fall from the mainmast.[5])

- Haul away! 3:49 (The deck crew hauls the lines to set the main-course sail. The ship is now clear of harbor traffic, the main top-gallant sail [6] is set; stay sails are set. The tempo increases as the headlands are cleared.)

- Into Open Ocean Rollers 4:50 (Wave heights are running at 8', the effects of a storm off the coast. As the storm moves up the coast, the winds are strong out of the North. The main topsail, foresail[7] and fore topsail are set to take advantage of the wind from behind or aft. The ship quickly moves south toward Jamaica.)

- Ship Sails into the Distance 6:30 (Bearing SSE, it moves out of our sight.)
- - - - - -
Terms:
[1] A medium clipper ship was a sharp-bowed vessel shaped to cut though the water easily for speed, but unlike an extreme clipper, had a wider beam, or width, to allow greater cargo capacity.
[2] The bosun was a ship's officer in charge of equipment and the workings of the crew.
[3] The mizzenmast is the rearmost mast on a three masted ship.
[4] The windless is a manually turned winch used to retrieve a line.
[5] The mainmast is the central mast on a three masted ship.
[6] A top gallant sail is a sail set above a top sail. Top sails are just above the mainsails.
[7] Fore sails are set on the foremost mast of a three masted ship.

UNDER SAIL, Part 1 of 3:  "Leaving Charleston SC"

Graduating from Oberlin Conservatory of Music, I majored in Music Education and bass trombone. I was also fortunate to have the renowned John W. Coffey, bass trombonist of the Boston Symphony, as an adjunct teacher. 
While keeping my day jobs, I've performed professionally in symphony orchestras, bands and brass groups, and also enjoyed playing tuba and euphonium. 
I am a self-taught composer with 150+ copyrighted original pieces and arrangements, from symphony orchestra and concert band, as well as brass groups and solo works.
Retiring from the corporate world, (computer reliability and QA for medical devices), my wife Kathy and I were privileged to raise 100% grass fed bison for 20 years, and sell to wonderful customers in Southern California farmers markets. After retiring a 2nd time before the pandemic, I've happily returned to my first love of music!
Thanks for listening. I hope you will let me know how you enjoy these pieces!

UNDER SAIL, Part 1 of 3: "Leaving Charleston SC"

Ken Lindner