Do your crew just quit trying?

[Controversial_posts 116]

So what to do with unmotivated crew?   It seems like every time the wind is light and it’s hot, about 2/3rds just stop trying, or at least lose all interest in being proactive.  

Whether its trimmers who have to be constantly reminded to trim sails, bow people who don’t want to set up for sail changes early or call overlaps, or the entire team that has to be told over and over again to manage weight placement...

Now when the wind is up and we’re moving fast they are generally proactive, but as soon as wind dies or we start slipping back in the fleet their drive just goes away. I am not a yeller, but I’m starting to think I’ve inherited a crew of refugees that left other boats because they didn’t like getting yelled at for slacking off.

I’m thinking to either take away the beer or maybe pause the program until next year to replace some key positions.  Or should I hire a pro to yell at them? Other ideas?

[Couta 476]

Get rid of the plastic lightweight winch handles.....the old bronzies have a much greater intimidation value!

 

[Controversial_posts 116]

I’ll admit, that I’ve passive-aggressively just stopped inviting the two worst offenders back, but that hasn’t had much effect. Our vibe is very positive, it’s the level of intrinsic competitiveness that’s the issue.  
 

Maybe there’s no good middle ground, because I’m also not a huge fan of hyper-competitive assholes either. But if there isn’t, I might just sail lasers because then I don’t have to deal with this.

[Monkey 1,327]

12 minutes ago, Controversial_posts said:

So what to do with unmotivated crew?   It seems like every time the wind is light and it’s hot, about 2/3rds just stop trying, or at least lose all interest in being proactive.  

Whether its trimmers who have to be constantly reminded to trim sails, bow people who don’t want to set up for sail changes early or call overlaps, or the entire team that has to be told over and over again to manage weight placement...

Now when the wind is up and we’re moving fast they are generally proactive, but as soon as wind dies or we start slipping back in the fleet their drive just goes away. I am not a yeller, but I’m starting to think I’ve inherited a crew of refugees that left other boats because they didn’t like getting yelled at for slacking off.

I’m thinking to either take away the beer or maybe pause the program until next year to replace some key positions.  Or should I hire a pro to yell at them? Other ideas?

Does your boat stand a chance in light air?  Lately, I’m sailing on two different rides. One becomes hopeless in light air. On that one, we crack beers and just generally have fun. The other one is quite competitive. Everyone stays dialed in and the never ending sail changes commence. At the end of the day, this is all for fun, so you pick your battles. 

[The great unwashed 73]

Had the same problem--especially in light air, the crew just wanted to chat and hang out.  The frustrating part is that one can win a lot of races in light air by just staying focused.  So I started doublehanding with a crew who's at least as determined to stay focused as I am.  I think the crew focus issue is driving a lot of the move to single and double-handed racing.

[Kenny Dumas 275]

Racing J24s, we horizoned the fleet on a super light up current race by picking the left shore early while our key competition was way back in the fleet. We needed less than 5 boats between us to seal the deal on some points for some season championship on another boat so we go back to check things out after finishing. The boat was sailing by itself with nobody on board WTF?  Turns out that they’d decided that every decision they made was wrong so they should just jump overboard. Wisdom prevailed and they decided to just make it look that way. Foredeck laying under the doused jib  calling course by looking through the window. Helm laying on cockpit floor. Spinnaker trimmer in cabin looking out the companionway. 
Ghost Boat. 
Keep it Fun. 
Give Railmeat a squirt gun and promote her to the Lord of Discipline 

[chttrbx 7]

Wondering how long your crew has been together? Takes a while with irregular racing to get thru the stages of team development. In light air, if the bus stops, chill, unless you’ve got an ultralight that moves. Racing sport boats we keep on grinding until breeze drops below .4

[Geff 195]

Grind up a bunch of ritalin and have them snort it before the light air sets in, or as you are going out to the race course and know ahead of time its going to be light.  They'll stay focused and alert.

[Controversial_posts 116]

7 minutes ago, chttrbx said:

Wondering how long your crew has been together? Takes a while with irregular racing to get thru the stages of team development. In light air, if the bus stops, chill, unless you’ve got an ultralight that moves. Racing sport boats we keep on grinding until breeze drops below .4

This is part of it, I suppose. Only had the team together for two years or so, and some for less.  But The longer we keep folks who are not self-motivated, the harder it will be to show them the door, and it’s preventing me from adding more motivated people.

but yeah its not an uldb, so it suffers in <5kts.   but I don’t want to do what some do and just cancel the race when forecast is light, because I respect that they have made plans and don’t want thise canceled at the last minute.

 

[jackolantern 457]

You sound like the kind of guy that would make me quit trying. Or certainly someone who is more focused on his pickle dish than the actual fun of being out there. 
 

“thinking about taking the beer away to make them feel motivated”

thats the kind of leadership that would motivate me to put in 110%....not

[Varan 1,929]

My crew are fucking awesome. Finished a regatta Sunday in winds under 8, sunny and very hot. Key is keeping them hydrated and their heads in the game. Assign someone to call puffs, both up and down the course, another to watch traffic, another to discuss trim, etc. Keep idle chatter to a minimum and keep focused on the gameplan. If conversation drifts or folks seem to lose focus, reengage them. Is there more wind left, any traffic, can we jibe?

Going downwind, when its really hot outside in light winds, can be especially challenging. Stand someone up to hold the boom out and call puffs. Constantly talk to the trimmers about pressure and heading. Talk tactics. Stay focused.

And when you cross the line, pound down some cold ones.

[BlondeWithFreeBoat 61]

Have you mentioned this to them pre-race or in debrief? Just state clearly that you've observed these behaviors and don't want them to check out in the slow stuff - lay out clear expectations. If they still can't stay in the game, 1. Replace the ones who can't stick with it and 2. Spend some time asking yourself why you're ending up with underperforming discards from other boats.

[toad 690]

My crew work extra hard in the light, whats your problem?

[CaptainAhab 155]

What pisses me off is the opposite. When it’s so light and the telltales won’t fly the guy steering(owner who’s not as good as he thinks) gives me a hard time and gets angsty because I’m apparently not trimming the jib correctly. The reality is he’s steering too much, pointing to high and blaming others for his own incompetence. I have to control myself not to say “fuck off and focus on steering the boat”. 
 

Light air is what separates the men from the boys. More often than not the guys steering may be decent in 10-12 and perhaps in a breeze. Unfortunately, do to their large egos and small dicks don’t know they suck in light air. They should be very focused on their job and encouraging to the crew. 

[Varan 1,929]

27 minutes ago, toad said:

My crew work extra hard in the light, whats your problem?

That jib leech looks tight.

[OW3 26]

In the light if there is fuck all happening I have no issue in crew slacking off, drinking beer, telling jokes etc, its a good way to lighten the mood. Stick them downstairs around the mast with beer/water/food/porn, at least their weight will be low, give them some shade etc. Easy enough to race with two on deck since shit's not happening at warp speed, less people moving around upsetting the balance. It's also a great way to teach people other roles, stick your bow person on the helm, helm does some trimming, different job gives them a different focus. Tag out with someone down below when you get brain drain and want a rest. All good in my book.

[Locus 66]

There is a difference between light but still sailing and dead in the water. Most of our crew still works hard when we are still sailing but we all tend to agree to keep our heads up and looking but might do other things like eat talk joke whatever. We often have issue with people not paying attention when its windy and people can get hurt. Nothing like a slow douse when its blowing 25 and someone doesn't understand trimming the sheet QUICKLY vs. casually. or having to grind in 10 feet of loaded jib sheet because they cannot be bothered to release properly. 

[sledracr 607]

3 hours ago, chttrbx said:

Wondering how long your crew has been together? Takes a while with irregular racing to get thru the stages of team development.

^^^ this

Light air is unquestionably an energy suck, but a good cohesive crew battles through it.  You gotta find a way to get them thinking like a team, and holding each other accountable in a constructive (not finger-pointing) way.

Back the day when I was molding crews, I used to have a post-mortem at the end of every day (practice or race). We'd gather everyone in the cockpit and go around the circle, each person had to say three things.... about their own performance that day
-- something I did right
-- something I did wrong
-- something I want to try next time.

Ground-rules were no bitching, no blaming, just focus on what *I* can do to make the next time go better.

Cheesy?  Yeah, a little bit.  But over time, that tends to do two things: open up the lines of communication (which is key!), and help the people understand that they are part of a *team*, and if they aren't focused on doing their job, the best they can, all the time, it drags everyone else down.  The goal is all about doing better as a *team*.

$.02

[LB 15 4,854]

6 hours ago, Controversial_posts said:

So what to do with unmotivated crew?   It seems like every time the wind is light and it’s hot, about 2/3rds just stop trying, or at least lose all interest in being proactive.  

Whether its trimmers who have to be constantly reminded to trim sails, bow people who don’t want to set up for sail changes early or call overlaps, or the entire team that has to be told over and over again to manage weight placement...

Now when the wind is up and we’re moving fast they are generally proactive, but as soon as wind dies or we start slipping back in the fleet their drive just goes away. I am not a yeller, but I’m starting to think I’ve inherited a crew of refugees that left other boats because they didn’t like getting yelled at for slacking off.

I’m thinking to either take away the beer or maybe pause the program until next year to replace some key positions.  Or should I hire a pro to yell at them? Other ideas?

You see the problem is right there in the last sentence. Dickwads who describe racing their 6 knot shit box in club races as a 'program' only attract other dickwads. Perhaps if you stopped being a passive aggressive , covid 19 denying , argumentative fuckstick, you might get crew who aren't useless cunts like you. 

If you need anymore guidance, feel free to ask.

[Gouvernail 2,855]

My teammates never quit trying to have fun. We generally do whatever we believe will make us have the most enjoyable experience. 
If there seems to be something we can do to improve our finish position, we almost always do it. 
If our finish position is already certain, we focus on everything else that might matter. 
Sometimes  we win a few consecutive races. Some years we win half the races we start. Sometimes we finish DFL. Most of us steer at least some of the time. Some of us  win. Some of us are horrible. I tend to be at the helm for most of the wins and most of the DFL.

Most of us  have sailed together on and off since the eighties. We love to take along newbies and teach them how to have fun. 
 

Sailing on a multi-person boat is mostly social.  The actual racing is only part of the time spent together. The actual time  most sailors are actually doing something depends upon having the skills to do something. ( You can’t watch for puffs if you can’t see them. You can’t arrange the lines for the next tack, gybe, launch, or douse if you don’t know what arranged means) 

Some boats are quiet. Some boats have a constant discussion about puff, lulls, shifts, sail trim, tactics, the beautiful people passing by on other boats, dinner plans, the next wave set, the lift the other guys have, the leverage on the fleet and the upcoming wind shift, the clouds, the tangled halyard, The compass heading, the Cunningham, and whoever is sitting on the lazy sheet.

If they don’t seem to be trying, they probably don’t feel sufficiently involved or have any idea what they could contribute. 

. 

[Gouvernail 2,855]

13 minutes ago, LB 15 said:

You see the problem is right there in the last sentence. Dickwads who describe racing their 6 knot shit box in club races as a 'program' only attract other dickwads. Perhaps if you stopped being a passive aggressive , covid 19 denying , argumentative fuckstick, you might get crew who aren't useless cunts like you. 

If you need anymore guidance, feel free to ask.

My version was a lot nicer 

[VWAP 967]

replace your crew with these gals then tell your competitors if you don't start winning you'll bring your old crew back. 

 

[Couta 476]

Years ago I was given use of the old Sweet Caroline for a season..just to play with..so we got a few mates together and some newbies and committed ourselves to having fun. We knew we were dogmeat downwind against the newer boats esp in light air..so just agreed that we'd give everything to the start & first beat....everything...full focus...and after that ..relax, kick back and tell stories. The result was inevitably a very competitive position at the top mark...and you know what? Nobody wanted to back off - even when we knew we would be run down....so my advice is, when it looks like it's not going to be your conditions on the day...Just get everyone committed to the start & first beat...and then see what evolves......

 

[Autonomous 363]

8 minutes ago, VWAP said:

replace your crew with these gals then tell your competitors if you don't start winning you'll bring your old crew back. 

 

 

Here is one to put on the rail.

 

[LB 15 4,854]

My crew are so keen to crew for one of sailings gods they pay me to come. 

[fufkin 387]

After the windward mark, switch from indica (in da couch) to sativa. If your boat speed is roughly where its supposed to be, your bow person will be just ahead of the cloud, so no need to shout at him/her. The rest of the crew might stay motivated. 

It depends.

[Black Sox 711]

2 hours ago, VWAP said:

replace your crew with these gals then tell your competitors if you don't start winning you'll bring your old crew back. 

 

Are these the legendary “twins” you keep nearly telling us all about?

[darth reapius 166]

11 hours ago, Controversial_posts said:

So what to do with unmotivated crew?   It seems like every time the wind is light and it’s hot, about 2/3rds just stop trying, or at least lose all interest in being proactive.  

Whether its trimmers who have to be constantly reminded to trim sails, bow people who don’t want to set up for sail changes early or call overlaps, or the entire team that has to be told over and over again to manage weight placement...

Now when the wind is up and we’re moving fast they are generally proactive, but as soon as wind dies or we start slipping back in the fleet their drive just goes away. I am not a yeller, but I’m starting to think I’ve inherited a crew of refugees that left other boats because they didn’t like getting yelled at for slacking off.

I’m thinking to either take away the beer or maybe pause the program until next year to replace some key positions.  Or should I hire a pro to yell at them? Other ideas?

Sounds like they have lost a bunch of races in light/fluky conditions despite putting in all the effort because of reasons out of their control.

That's what happens to us. Try Try Try, and a 90 degree shift moves you from 500m in-front of second to 500m behind the fleet. It's kind of hard to want to try after that.

It has nothing to do with motivation in the sense that they all want to try, but when it seems futile, then that "why bother" attitude kicks in.

My suggestion would be for sub-5 knot races would be to bring more drinks, beers, snacks on-board and just enjoy a casual day on the water.

[Se7en 189]

Lets be honest - racing in 5 knots is boring as batshit. Perhaps your crew are just normal people who like a litle excitement in their life, and like going fast rather than monotonous masterbaters who get all excited about having the exactly correct spacing of speed wrinkles in the main.

Let's face it - if as crew your biggest contribution to the race is going to be moving at the speed of a terminally stoned octogenarian s as to not rock the boat, it's hard to get too excited.

Perhaps for light wind days try leaving half your crew in the bar and make it a challenge to actually sail the boat. Those onboard will have a bit of a challenge and might enjoy it, those in the bar will be saying 'thank fuck I'm not out there cooking my nuts off for no return.'

Light wind racing is for those who care about point scores and who is going to win some trophy on countback. That doesn't normally include the crew.

 

[ROADKILL666 323]

8 hours ago, Varan said:

That jib leech looks tight.

What jib?

[Controversial_posts 116]

10 hours ago, jackolantern said:

You sound like the kind of guy that would make me quit trying. Or certainly someone who is more focused on his pickle dish than the actual fun of being out there. 
 

“thinking about taking the beer away to make them feel motivated”

thats the kind of leadership that would motivate me to put in 110%....not

Guess ya really do need the sarcasm disclaimer on the internet don’t you?

[Couta 476]

6 hours ago, Couta said:

Years ago I was given use of the old Sweet Caroline for a season..just to play with..so we got a few mates together and some newbies and committed ourselves to having fun. We knew we were dogmeat downwind against the newer boats esp in light air..so just agreed that we'd give everything to the start & first beat....everything...full focus...and after that ..relax, kick back and tell stories. The result was inevitably a very competitive position at the top mark...and you know what? Nobody wanted to back off - even when we knew we would be run down....so my advice is, when it looks like it's not going to be your conditions on the day...Just get everyone committed to the start & first beat...and then see what evolves......

 

Oh yeah...forgot to mention......we were sponsored by YellowGlen sparkling (Big Kite with logo) so once it went up....the newbies cracked out the champers for the team...so being passed didn't feel so bad...oh..and the newbies? They were always female.... So the fundamental rules applied "Have fun. Be Safe.....and introduce more people to our sport!!"

[slug zitski 286]

14 hours ago, Controversial_posts said:

So what to do with unmotivated crew?   It seems like every time the wind is light and it’s hot, about 2/3rds just stop trying, or at least lose all interest in being proactive.  

Whether its trimmers who have to be constantly reminded to trim sails, bow people who don’t want to set up for sail changes early or call overlaps, or the entire team that has to be told over and over again to manage weight placement...

Now when the wind is up and we’re moving fast they are generally proactive, but as soon as wind dies or we start slipping back in the fleet their drive just goes away. I am not a yeller, but I’m starting to think I’ve inherited a crew of refugees that left other boats because they didn’t like getting yelled at for slacking off.

I’m thinking to either take away the beer or maybe pause the program until next year to replace some key positions.  Or should I hire a pro to yell at them? Other ideas?

You need to snap the crew out of their stupor , energize them , concentrate their minds , make them want to get across the finish line as fast as possible 

to concentrate crew minds I use electrified lifelines 

nothing fancy ... agricultural stuff 

Crew start falling asleep on the rail, goofing off, finger poking their iPhones .. give em ‘ a  blast 

works perfectly 

 

[USA 5184 21]

If you have to ask, the problem is probably you. The touch of a light air guru is a skill not possessed by all. If you’re sailing a cruiser/racer with the sails strapped, constantly pinching, and complaining to your crew, it will not motivate them. Also, when a crew knows there is zero chance of being in the winners’ circle, what’s the point of trying super hard? The race then becomes a casual sail.

It could just be the boat. Are you competitive in medium or heavy air? No boat can be the best in all conditions. If you just can’t cut it in the super light, why not join your crew in the relaxing day sail? You can’t win ‘em all. I believe owners spend lots of time and money on the boat and gear, but tend to neglect the most valuable asset: the crew. If you’re not going to win in light air, use it as training exercise. Try something the crew might not have that much experience like a letterbox drop or a windward takedown, or play around with crew weight to see what effect it has. Make it fun and you might learn something. Sailing is a wonderful sport in that you constantly learn something and I’m a firm believer of you get out what you put in.

[Steam Flyer 5,055]

2 hours ago, ROADKILL666 said:

10 hours ago, Varan said:

That jib leech looks tight.

What jib?

Leeches are kind of old fashioned aren't they.

I would never put leeches on my crew to motivate them. Maybe put a snake or two the line bags, but Leeches? That's fucking barbaric, man!

FB- Doug

[SailRacer 95]

Someone other than the helm needs to be the cheerleader / medic / play announcer / joke teller / BMW  / crew boss and de briefer.

Take the (additional) stress out of helming and embrace it in the heavy or light air. 

You are talking about buoy racing, wait until you are 2 full days from Bermuda and the ocean turns to glass. That , is when your team needs to excel.

Easier said than done but, a lot of what is above is good info.

 

Sail Safe!

[leuk 128]

11 hours ago, toad said:

My crew work extra hard in the light, whats your problem?

Your crew also gets distracted. Where is that main?

[VWAP 967]

7 hours ago, Black Sox said:

Are these the legendary “twins” you keep nearly telling us all about?

no 

[bgytr 338]

where do you sail?

Here on the Chesapeake, it's almost always light winds.  If you're not focused all the time, then you are pretty much at the back of the pack.  Light air is when it takes total focus to keep the boat going.

[Sail4beer 2,087]

Get you a shitty laser and duct tape your inflatable boyfriend for light air crew.

[Meat Wad 564]

19 hours ago, Controversial_posts said:

  It seems like every time the wind is light and it’s hot, about 2/3rds just stop trying, or at least lose all interest in being proactive.  

 

Where are you racing and what kind of a boat is it?

[climenuts 160]

I find that being excited and energetic yourself is what the crew needs to keep their heads in the game. When you're all glum that things aren't going well sitting there and hoping the crew will get the boat moving you're going to be disappointed. Even with totally novice crew being positive, explaining the goal and not just the task, using positive reinforcement like "Could you feel the boat accelerate as you did that?" rather than "we're slow, trim!" all goes a really long way.

Sometimes you just need to have a realistic conversation about what people are looking to get out of it and what you want to be doing. I personally don't expect my crew to try any harder or subject themselves to anything I don't like/wouldn't do. E.g. I expect hiking but I don't expect you to bend yourself in half and have your ass be numb on the edge of the toerail.

[Der_Dude 17]

Enroll in the keeldragger motivational seminar:

 

[Sail4beer 2,087]

That’s what a good frustrated skipper does when shit goes South. He reaches into the cooler and gets each of his crew and himself cold beers no matter that he just sailed 1.8 nautical miles from the windward mark on the wrong gybe...

I would personally ask a crew member to fetch the beer. Looking down or doing no steering related nonsense adds a lot of distance to the course steered and time lost to the finish line.

[Grande Mastere Dreade 2,157]

14 hours ago, LB 15 said:

You see the problem is right there in the last sentence. Dickwads who describe racing their 6 knot shit box in club races as a 'program' only attract other dickwads. Perhaps if you stopped being a passive aggressive , covid 19 denying , argumentative fuckstick, you might get crew who aren't useless cunts like you. 

If you need anymore guidance, feel free to ask.

i love drivers that don't know fuck about driving a boat...  they think they're rockstars when they're really cockstars...   i'm surprised he can get any crew,  they all must be banging his daughter..

[Left Shift 2,751]

13 hours ago, LB 15 said:

My crew are so keen to crew for one of sailings gods they pay me to come. 

Just like any good hooker, you fake it though.  Right?  

[Mr Moab 82]

18 hours ago, Varan said:

That jib leech looks tight.

Jib? What jib? Where?

[Controversial_posts 116]

2 hours ago, Der_Dude said:

Enroll in the keeldragger motivational seminar:

 

Ok after watching that video maybe I need to stop bitching, my team are rockstars in comparison.  Lol

[KC375 1,678]

23 hours ago, Controversial_posts said:

... Or should I hire a pro to ...

Yes find an achomplished sailor who is good at pulling together winning crews. Get him to join you from prerace briefing through to the beer up after.

And have him couch you on what you need to do differently from driving in low wind to assembling and motivating the crew...

It might be as simple as you and your crew have different interests...so change their interests, your interests, or the crew, or sail solo

[slug zitski 286]

Another suggestion is a crew boss 

a good one is a nasty son of a bitch 

a  boat dog can also be used with particularly dumb crew 

 

[AnotherSailor 257]

Sailing in light air is a challenge for both skipper and crew. As skipper I have lost it and yelled at the crew that was simply chatting away and not paying any attention. Was that the crew's mistake? Perhaps, but I also think I had a part in not motivating them. Keep it fun, but try to encourage the crew to keep involved. That is harder said then done, but it is part of the task of the skipper.

[Senator Seditious Maximus 360]

Well I finally got sick of the mutant zombies I could recruit off Craiglist (yeah pathetic I know) and sold the vessel.  Moved the operation to another venue that has live humans of some modest talent.  Much happier.  Mutant zombies?  They're still wondering where their free ride and beer on Wednesday went.  Good, I miss em.  Not.  @ all.

[slug zitski 286]

4 minutes ago, JimBowie said:

Well I finally got sick of the mutant zombies I could recruit off Craiglist (yeah pathetic I know) and sold the vessel.  Moved the operation to another venue that has live humans of some modest talent.  Much happier.  Mutant zombies?  They're still wondering where their free ride and beer on Wednesday went.  Good, I miss em.  Not.  @ all.

Yah  

Finding crew for beer can races races can be tough 

the good crew are normally only available for weekend and scheduled stuff. 

try swinging by the shipyard to find  manpower

 Those young yard guys covered with barnacles and antifoul  like beer and can get the job done 

In general avoid worthless zombies with mobile phones 

 

 

[slug zitski 286]

1 minute ago, slug zitski said:

Yah  

Finding crew for beer can races can be tough 

the good crew are normally only available for weekend and scheduled stuff. 

try swinging by the shipyard to find  manpower

 Those young yard guys covered with barnacles and antifoul  also need beer and can get the job done 

In general avoid worthless zombies with mobile phones 

 

 

 

[d'ranger 2,659]

Good skippers in my experience never have a problem getting good crew. Motivation: It's not for everyone.

[Steam Flyer 5,055]

5 hours ago, Der_Dude said:

Enroll in the keeldragger motivational seminar:

 

Fucking classic! We' re gonna need more beers!

FB- Doug

[Ajax 2,034]

On 7/27/2020 at 6:02 PM, Controversial_posts said:

So what to do with unmotivated crew?   It seems like every time the wind is light and it’s hot, about 2/3rds just stop trying, or at least lose all interest in being proactive.  

Whether its trimmers who have to be constantly reminded to trim sails, bow people who don’t want to set up for sail changes early or call overlaps, or the entire team that has to be told over and over again to manage weight placement...

Now when the wind is up and we’re moving fast they are generally proactive, but as soon as wind dies or we start slipping back in the fleet their drive just goes away. I am not a yeller, but I’m starting to think I’ve inherited a crew of refugees that left other boats because they didn’t like getting yelled at for slacking off.

I’m thinking to either take away the beer or maybe pause the program until next year to replace some key positions.  Or should I hire a pro to yell at them? Other ideas?

Fire them.  The trend is solo and doublehanded racing and not just because of COVID.

I've had crew who just couldn't turn off the fucking phone for an hour of racing and ignored their job while they texted and post on Facebook. Crew who literally became so engrossed in conversation about some reality TV show that they just dropped the sheets on cockpit floor and quit trimming. Crew who were drunk. Crew who were bored and demanded that we quit and go back to the dock when we were in 3rd place out of 8 boats.

Sure, I'll take some or even most of the blame. Old boat, (sometimes) old sails but I kept the bottom clean and cold drinks onboard. I fed them on distance races. Paid for party tickets. I started off full of enthusiasm, I was friendly, engaging and open minded enough to take nearly anyone onboard. By the time I fired my last crew I was frustrated and distrustful. 

I started CHESSS, a shorthanded sailing club on the Chesapeake. We have around 60 members and we're growing. We're a CBYRA sanctioned class now. I had 50% participation at the ONE race we hosted this year, so far.  We're the most social, anti-social sailors you'll ever meet.

[BravoBravo 665]

Keep the best single crew member on deck to trim sails and tell the rest to go below and sit wherever you want the weight for trim

[Ease the sheet. 1,361]

Leadership.

 

It's a thing....

[Controversial_posts 116]

2 hours ago, Ease the sheet. said:

Leadership.

 

It's a thing....

Self motivation and initiative... also a thing. Some have it, some don’t and blame their leaders.

[slug zitski 286]

3 hours ago, Ajax said:

Fire them.  The trend is solo and doublehanded racing and not just because of COVID.

I've had crew who just couldn't turn off the fucking phone for an hour of racing and ignored their job while they texted and post on Facebook. Crew who literally became so engrossed in conversation about some reality TV show that they just dropped the sheets on cockpit floor and quit trimming. Crew who were drunk. Crew who were bored and demanded that we quit and go back to the dock when we were in 3rd place out of 8 boats.

Sure, I'll take some or even most of the blame. Old boat, (sometimes) old sails but I kept the bottom clean and cold drinks onboard. I fed them on distance races. Paid for party tickets. I started off full of enthusiasm, I was friendly, engaging and open minded enough to take nearly anyone onboard. By the time I fired my last crew I was frustrated and distrustful. 

I started CHESSS, a shorthanded sailing club on the Chesapeake. We have around 60 members and we're growing. We're a CBYRA sanctioned class now. I had 50% participation at the ONE race we hosted this year, so far.  We're the most social, anti-social sailors you'll ever meet.

I 

 

 

[slug zitski 286]

1 minute ago, slug zitski said:

I started doing the shorthand regattas in Europe 25 years ago 

At. the time shorthanders were oddballs

fast forward to  today and shorthanded sailing has gone mainstream

it  is very popular,  with many events specifically tailored  to club sailors 

not needing a “Team “ is the reason why 

 

 

 

[VWAP 967]

5 hours ago, JimBowie said:

 Moved the operation to another venue that has live humans of some modest talent.  Much happier. 

Is it cheaper than slip fees?

 

 

[Little Wood Boats 49]

Way back when I did foredeck on a Morgan M36T.  In light airs it could be frustrating but we never stopped trying.  I think for us it was less about racing against a fleet and more about challenging ourselves to do everything to the best of our ability.

We did much better when we stopped looking at everyone else and instead sailed against ourselves to be better than the last outing.  We knew how the boat should perform and did our best every time out of the slip.

[alphafb552 426]

22 hours ago, SailRacer said:

Bla bla bla bla

bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla

bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla

Bla bla bla, a lot of what is above is good info.

 

Sail Safe!

Can't agree more!

[d'ranger 2,659]

18 hours ago, Grande Mastere Dreade said:

i love drivers that don't know fuck about driving a boat...  they think they're rockstars when they're really cockstars...   i'm surprised he can get any crew,  they all must be banging his daughter..

Some years ago when I found myself on a crew with a bunch of sooper geniuses I coined dockstars since they were all rockstars until we left the dock.

[Little Wood Boats 49]

When all else fails pop out the Blooper and look cool.

[sail69 113]

On 7/28/2020 at 8:16 PM, Ajax said:

Fire them.  The trend is solo and doublehanded racing and not just because of COVID.

I've had crew who just couldn't turn off the fucking phone for an hour of racing and ignored their job while they texted and post on Facebook. Crew who literally became so engrossed in conversation about some reality TV show that they just dropped the sheets on cockpit floor and quit trimming. Crew who were drunk. Crew who were bored and demanded that we quit and go back to the dock when we were in 3rd place out of 8 boats.

Sure, I'll take some or even most of the blame. Old boat, (sometimes) old sails but I kept the bottom clean and cold drinks onboard. I fed them on distance races. Paid for party tickets. I started off full of enthusiasm, I was friendly, engaging and open minded enough to take nearly anyone onboard. By the time I fired my last crew I was frustrated and distrustful. 

I started CHESSS, a shorthanded sailing club on the Chesapeake. We have around 60 members and we're growing. We're a CBYRA sanctioned class now. I had 50% participation at the ONE race we hosted this year, so far.  We're the most social, anti-social sailors you'll ever meet.

Ajax.  Yep this.  When my son moved on so did the crew, at my request.  I concluded I was running an expensive adult day care operation and now fly solo, unless one of my kids can hop on.  All of the fun, none of the BS and expense.

[keeldragger 18]

On 7/28/2020 at 11:18 AM, Der_Dude said:

Enroll in the keeldragger motivational seminar:

 

These guys could carry our jockstraps.

[glass 4]

On 7/27/2020 at 5:02 PM, Controversial_posts said:

So what to do with unmotivated crew?   It seems like every time the wind is light and it’s hot, about 2/3rds just stop trying, or at least lose all interest in being proactive.  

Fire them.

Use the money not spent on the crew to purchase an autopilot and a couple of electric winches.