Articles
Articles of interest to boaters will be added here, as I receive permission to use them.
They Call Us Captain by Francis X. McKee
Sailing as a boy with my dad spoiled me. He was a soft-spoken Captain who always meant what he said but communicated so in a warm, calm manner.
The first time anyone ever yelled at me on a sailboat was when I was a young grinder. “Hurry up on that winch!” was punctuated with a much too stern shove on my back from the bellowing captain. Ignoring my North Philadelphia instinct to pop him in the nose, I dutifully complied.
That, along with a host of other learning experiences, has shaped a personal captaining philosophy simply called, “Bring them back happy.” Call it a more esoteric – dare I say, lasting - aspect of sailing.
Agreed, safe passage and reacting to or anticipating potentially harmful situations is paramount. The “bring them back happy” philosophy is simply crew satisfaction carried to another level. Of course we want to bring our guests back alive. What fool would not? What we, as captains, should also strive for is that our guests, after sailing with us, want to share their time again and again on our boats or our time on theirs.
Primers from captains on how to captain a boat often advocate what seems like totalitarian practices to get their way. Even Chapman’s is clinical, a literal Joy of Cooking when it comes to applying captaining skills. Anyone who has sailed for a reasonable amount of time has seen the figurative shove in the back in operation. They insist on absolute, immediate compliance. I shudder as, I suspect, does their crew when they think of it. The words they spew often fall on ears that not only take what they say seriously but, even worse, often take to heart.
Decibel level is rarely needed. The best Captains I have ever sailed with are those with calming, assuring voices. They can bellow with the best, I suspect, but only when needed. A good Captain will evoke compliance by will, not by fear.
A recent experience provided me and several of my nautical peers the privilege of observing a world renowned ocean-rated Captain conduct an onboard, in-service, man overboard drill. His demeanor was not just relaxed but infectious. As we went about maneuvers, his instructor training kicked as he quietly and yet assertively told us to turn left instead of to port and right instead of to starboard. He communicated in an amazingly effective manner and we complied.
A sailing crew reminds me of a poem I once saw posted on a Philadelphia subway titled, “Eskimo Sled.” It read, “In the back, steady dogs. In the middle, idiot dogs. In the front, strong dogs. At the front, one, strong smart dog.” The Captain has the ability to impose her will in many ways. Most of these times will be memorable to passengers who might only sail once or twice a season, or perhaps, even in a lifetime.
Spoiling and leaving our guests with pleasant memories and a desire to return to the water should be our quest. Delivering anything less than that only cheapens a Captain’s value and diminishes our guests’ sailing experience.
They are, after all, the ones that we serve.
1. Instead of trying to let your crew know how much you know, try emphasizing how fun it is for them to learn.
2. Remember, people learn differently. Adjust your teaching style to their preference.
3. Take the, “I am here to serve you.” approach instead of the, “I am the captain.” approach.
4. Try to make your crew happier when they get off the boat than when they got on.
5. Lighten up. It could be the last time you sail.
******************************
Francis X. McKee is a USCG licensed Merchant Marine Master Captain, a certified American Sailing Association instructor, and a member of the Chesapeake Area Professional Captains Association. He operates McKee Nautical Services (www.McKeeNautical.com) and sails out of Baltimore Yacht Club. [used by permission]
They Call Us Captain by Francis X. McKee
Sailing as a boy with my dad spoiled me. He was a soft-spoken Captain who always meant what he said but communicated so in a warm, calm manner.
The first time anyone ever yelled at me on a sailboat was when I was a young grinder. “Hurry up on that winch!” was punctuated with a much too stern shove on my back from the bellowing captain. Ignoring my North Philadelphia instinct to pop him in the nose, I dutifully complied.
That, along with a host of other learning experiences, has shaped a personal captaining philosophy simply called, “Bring them back happy.” Call it a more esoteric – dare I say, lasting - aspect of sailing.
Agreed, safe passage and reacting to or anticipating potentially harmful situations is paramount. The “bring them back happy” philosophy is simply crew satisfaction carried to another level. Of course we want to bring our guests back alive. What fool would not? What we, as captains, should also strive for is that our guests, after sailing with us, want to share their time again and again on our boats or our time on theirs.
Primers from captains on how to captain a boat often advocate what seems like totalitarian practices to get their way. Even Chapman’s is clinical, a literal Joy of Cooking when it comes to applying captaining skills. Anyone who has sailed for a reasonable amount of time has seen the figurative shove in the back in operation. They insist on absolute, immediate compliance. I shudder as, I suspect, does their crew when they think of it. The words they spew often fall on ears that not only take what they say seriously but, even worse, often take to heart.
Decibel level is rarely needed. The best Captains I have ever sailed with are those with calming, assuring voices. They can bellow with the best, I suspect, but only when needed. A good Captain will evoke compliance by will, not by fear.
A recent experience provided me and several of my nautical peers the privilege of observing a world renowned ocean-rated Captain conduct an onboard, in-service, man overboard drill. His demeanor was not just relaxed but infectious. As we went about maneuvers, his instructor training kicked as he quietly and yet assertively told us to turn left instead of to port and right instead of to starboard. He communicated in an amazingly effective manner and we complied.
A sailing crew reminds me of a poem I once saw posted on a Philadelphia subway titled, “Eskimo Sled.” It read, “In the back, steady dogs. In the middle, idiot dogs. In the front, strong dogs. At the front, one, strong smart dog.” The Captain has the ability to impose her will in many ways. Most of these times will be memorable to passengers who might only sail once or twice a season, or perhaps, even in a lifetime.
Spoiling and leaving our guests with pleasant memories and a desire to return to the water should be our quest. Delivering anything less than that only cheapens a Captain’s value and diminishes our guests’ sailing experience.
They are, after all, the ones that we serve.
1. Instead of trying to let your crew know how much you know, try emphasizing how fun it is for them to learn.
2. Remember, people learn differently. Adjust your teaching style to their preference.
3. Take the, “I am here to serve you.” approach instead of the, “I am the captain.” approach.
4. Try to make your crew happier when they get off the boat than when they got on.
5. Lighten up. It could be the last time you sail.
******************************
Francis X. McKee is a USCG licensed Merchant Marine Master Captain, a certified American Sailing Association instructor, and a member of the Chesapeake Area Professional Captains Association. He operates McKee Nautical Services (www.McKeeNautical.com) and sails out of Baltimore Yacht Club. [used by permission]