“I can handle anything that happens!”<\/p>\n
Have you ever gotten a chill from something someone has said. \u00a0I heard this statement this morning,\u00a0and I can honestly say the statement scared me more than I could have imagined. \u00a0The statement was made in response to Tradewinds “grounding the fleet” due to weather conditions. \u00a0The forecast, and the reason for grounding the fleet, was heavy rain, gale force winds, and thunderstorms.<\/p>\n
A few of the potential “things” that might happen on a day like that include:<\/p>\n
Which brings me to the point of this skipper’s tip. \u00a0Legally and morally, a\u00a0captain’s responsibility is the safety of crew and vessel<\/strong>. \u00a0Your skills may be strong \u00a0enough to control or lessen\u00a0some of the above situations, however, you can not “handle” them all. \u00a0You do not have control over a lightning strike. \u00a0Your skills are not going to keep a crew member from falling overboard during a “freak combination of events”, and what happens if that crew member is you? \u00a0You are not going to keep a mast up if\u00a0the\u00a0fitting at the top of the shroud lets go or the spreader breaks under the pressure of a gust. \u00a0Even if your skills are outstanding, what is the skill level of your crew? \u00a0Can they “handle” whatever happens?<\/p>\n I personally average 3 to 4 days a week on the water. \u00a0I have a total of over a thousand days sailing.\u00a0 I like to think I know what I am doing, however, more importantly, I have a pretty good idea of when I don’t know. \u00a0Today is one of those days! \u00a0 \u00a0There is no way I would go out today unless I had no other choice. \u00a0If you have been sailing for 5 years, averaging 1 day a month, you probably are getting pretty good. \u00a0Good enough that you shouldn’t be thinking “I can handle it”. \u00a0Instead, start thinking of the reasons why you might not be able to. \u00a0That is being a responsible captain!<\/p>\n Note from Matt: We don’t lightly make the decision to ground the fleet. We want you out on the water and sailing, that’s what makes the business run! When we do keep the boats in, it’s after watching the weather very closely, usually for several days, and even then we won’t make the final call until the evening before or morning of. If it looks like one of those days is coming up when you have a reservation, you’ll want to check in with us before you make the drive to the marina. Before you decide to argue with the staff about it, think about the fact that 90% of everyone has already made the decision to cancel on their own, and we are only talking to a select few – if this\u00a0looks like\u00a0your type of sailing conditions, perhaps it’s time to get your own boat to experience it on! Even if everything turns out just fine from your point of view, these kinds of conditions are extraordinarily hard on rigging, fittings, sails, rudder systems, and all kinds of other parts that you may or may not be able to think of! It’s really not fair to call this ‘wear and tear’ and bill a boar owner!<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" “I can handle anything that happens!” Have you ever gotten a chill from something someone has said. \u00a0I heard this statement this morning,\u00a0and I can honestly say the statement scared me more than I could have imagined. \u00a0The statement was … Continue reading