how would you respond to this missive from your commodore?

[Black Jack]

As a reminder for everyone - yacht club crap has sucked this passed year. Comming back and doing race committee is only a little bit of what the club does. People in general suck and when you add hierarchy where it takes year or decades to finally be able to chair the club for free adds to that.

I would have hated being elected commodore of the club, being the fucker that said no to nearly every thing because of restrictions, couldn't see my yacht club friends, worried about budgets, declines in memberships, no activities and people just not showing up to commitees and living whole expierence via Zoom without getting paid.

I am glad most yacht clubs started racing again. If you think the club sucks in one way or another - fucking join the committee and do something to change it. remember a social club that puts on races for its members is a commitment but is never manatory. it isnt about showing up with your race boat on race day or for drinks and saying why are you doing more to make sure i am having fun.

 

[DarthSailor]

Pardon my ignorance but what is a RC stand?

 

[VWAP]

Pardon my ignorance but what is a RC stand?

 

[El Borracho]

Pardon my ignorance but what is a RC stand?

I interpreted that as a platform on the clubhouse deck with race flags. Also used as a bully pulpit by this commodore when they get roaring drunk.

 

[TJSoCal]

A few uninformed opinions here... so typical SA.

The RC for this club is a rotating assignment, every boat has to sit out one race and do RC duty. Positive is that the burden is shared, negative is that no one is particularly experienced and some teams give the RC duty more or less attention. 

Gotta say though, not sure that the OP posting the email to this site has much business complaining about tone.

Well that changes the dynamic a bit I think. If every boat eventually has RC duty and one boat gaffed it off when it was their turn, it seems reasonable to call them out in front of the fleet. But I think I'd still have used more moderate language (drop last sentence) unless that boat was a repeat offender.

Edited to add - if all or most boats screw up when it's their turn to do RC then maybe look inward - perhaps your process isn't as simple as you think it is and needs refinement or training.

 

[kent_island_sailor]

Well that changes the dynamic a bit I think. If every boat eventually has RC duty and one boat gaffed it off when it was their turn, it seems reasonable to call them out in front of the fleet. But I think I'd still have used more moderate language (drop last sentence) unless that boat was a repeat offender.

Long ago a club with rotating RC duty had one clueless boat come out and put up EVERY marker board they had The course looked like the result of a demented spider trying to spin a web on LSD and one leg was about 200 feet long.  They had no idea you only picked a few marks

 

[AJ Oliver]

This isn't rocket science here but it does require your attention.  If anyone feels that they have attention deficit or a reading  comprehension so severe that they would not be able to accomplish the above let me know.

That blast message looks like its right out of PA - beyond rude. 

Not only that, but it violates the Second Rule of sailboat racing, which is that the RC is always right, even when they are wrong. 

(First Rule is to be sure to only race on someone else's boat) 

 

[afondecalle]

If every teams do the RC in turns, and one team doesn't do it seriously and party on duty, then this team shows very little respect for the others, so the letter I figure out. Posting that letter on a forum without context suggest, maybe, a desire for discord?

 

[sailman]

The Commodore needs to work on his people skills.  The gist of his message is correct that RC should take their duties seriously.

 

[markwbird]

I agree with the overall message that RC duty needs to be taken seriously.  That last line is a bit passive/aggressive which is always a douchy way of dealing with people.  

 

[Steam Flyer]

Did the commodore not pass the open book race management test?

[SIZE=15pt]26 STARTING RACES[/SIZE]

[SIZE=15pt]Races shall be started by using the following signals. Times shall be taken from the visual signals; the absence of a sound signal shall be disregarded.[/SIZE]

He's following Rule 1 of Bad Leadership... focus on the underling's fuck-ups, ignore your own.

His fuck up is to not work ahead of time with the race chair to give some training to all who are willing to volunteer. And some cookies once the've done so.

I agree with the overall message that RC duty needs to be taken seriously.  That last line is a bit passive/aggressive which is always a douchy way of dealing with people.  

Is "douchy" a polite way of saying he needs a kick in the ass and a good stint recruiting & training volunteers before opening his pie hole ever again?

- DSK

 

[Keysrock35]

Races run this way make me not want to participate - even in a beer can, it's frustrating to not get flags/courses/horns/finishes correct. I think asking people to shape up is quite alright. I've done serious and beercan RC, and would not be offended to be called out if I was not on my game. 

 

[DarthSailor]

I interpreted that as a platform on the clubhouse deck with race flags. Also used as a bully pulpit by this commodore when they get roaring drunk.

Thank You

Fuck You

 

[fastyacht]

He's

Is "douchy" a polite way of saying he needs a kick in the ass and a good stint recruiting & training volunteers before opening his pie hole ever again?

- DSK

It means he graduated from the Mike Pompousahole school of Interpersonal Communicationd

 

[Grande Mastere Dreade]

hey Bump,  maybe send the commodore a private email and ask if "he's ok"  sometimes people have things going on , a polite private email may help....   

 

[Starboard!!]

This whole thread makes me happy I don’t sail with you thin-skinned pussies.

And “bump”... shouldn’t you be sailing 1d, instead of handicap in the WR? Annapolis competition too much for ya?

 

[Starboard!!]

At least the commodore doesn’t have to deal with the rusted out tools that “Bump” leaves on his dock for 8 months. I don’t know why, but the lack of attention to caring for tools bothers me more than this post.

 

[dacapo]

Oh pleezze. You oare qween of the puzzies. 

ok boomer

 

[PurpleOnion]

Others have hit on this, but it's typical chicken shit behavior.  It's not unique, but it is sad.  Frustration happens. Sometimes we say/write things that we shouldn't or wouldn't without further contemplation.  It happens.  The more mature of us apologize.

That said, insulting in public is just cowardly and a damning indication of the character of the insulter.  The statements that imply that others are stupid do absolutely nothing to move things forward or towards improvement.  And yes, they're cowardly too.  Is leadership easy? no.  Is there a set of responsibilities that come with it? yes.  Are you invested in somehow feeling better by insulting people or are you invested in better outcomes?

Dealing with a similar "leader" at work at the moment, so it's top of mind.  The problem is that the "leader" is less intelligent than me (hence barely able to walk and chew gum) so the exchanges usually start with some stupid text like that in the OP.  I respond with facts.  50% of the time there's a follow-up with some contrived reasoning.  I respond with facts again and there's never a response.  Do I feel better? no.  Does he feel embarrassed?  who knows?  I don't care.

So there you have my trivial summary and bias.

Because most people need to credentialize, I'll say that I have a large group working for me, and a larger group waiting for me to hire them because I don't respond like the Commodore did in the OP - even though there are times that I have considered it.

 

[Starboard!!]

Others have hit on this, but it's typical chicken shit behavior.  It's not unique, but it is sad.  Frustration happens. Sometimes we say/write things that we shouldn't or wouldn't without further contemplation.  It happens.  The more mature of us apologize.

That said, insulting in public is just cowardly and a damning indication of the character of the insulter.  The statements that imply that others are stupid do absolutely nothing to move things forward or towards improvement.  And yes, they're cowardly too.  Is leadership easy? no.  Is there a set of responsibilities that come with it? yes.  Are you invested in somehow feeling better by insulting people or are you invested in better outcomes?

Dealing with a similar "leader" at work at the moment, so it's top of mind.  The problem is that the "leader" is less intelligent than me (hence barely able to walk and chew gum) so the exchanges usually start with some stupid text like that in the OP.  I respond with facts.  50% of the time there's a follow-up with some contrived reasoning.  I respond with facts again and there's never a response.  Do I feel better? no.  Does he feel embarrassed?  who knows?  I don't care.

So there you have my trivial summary and bias.

Because most people need to credentialize, I'll say that I have a large group working for me, and a larger group waiting for me to hire them because I don't respond like the Commodore did in the OP - even though there are times that I have considered it.

You sound like a little triggered bitch