The skipper is the heart of every floating vessel on earth. His word
is (or should be) law to everybody on board. Yet, on a pleasant
sailing holiday with your friends it can be deemed as unpleasant, and
hard for the skipper, to order those friends to do something they may
not like to do, and may consider unnecessary or a "dirty job". A crew
member might think -"why me again, why not Charlie this time", not
realising he may be the best person for the job, especially in
difficult or tricky maneuvers. It is not always easy for skipper or
crew member.
What about the situation where you have hired a professional skipper?
You have to admit that the situation where your employee (the skipper)
commands you to do something you may not like, is something which does
not occur in other forms of business or social life !! But please
bear in mind that you are paying this guy to do precisely this. If he
doesn't, then he is not doing his job properly and you must remember
that in extreme situations your life may depend on his decisions and
commands, and the way you react to them.
There are three aspects regarding the skipper and I will analyse them
for you:
a. You are the Skipper
You must discuss your position with your family and friends IN
ADVANCE, preferably before you even book the holiday. Having chosen
you as skipper, they have to understand that your word is LAW on
board. If they can not accept this then do not accept the position. If
you are the only one with sailing experience you can always accept the
position of navigator, and let someone else be skipper, however if the
crew can not all accept your original conditions you would be well
advised not to make the trip, as the chances of failure are very high.
It has to be understood that the skipper's authority is not only
confined to emergency situations where you are about to hit rocks
(they will certainly accept commands then) but have to cover all the
mundane daily tasks involved in living on board.
For example, there are 6 men in the crew, it has been a long and
exhausting day and you have just enjoyed a magnificent dinner of fried
fish, which you have bought at the local market, washed down with a
sufficiency of good local white wine and are now sitting together to
enjoy a coffee and brandy. BUT there is a huge pile of dirty plates,
pans - approaching deck-high. Who is going to do the wa****ng-up, when
everyone is tired and a volunteer does not appear? To leave them will
smell the cabin out - having eaten fish. But it has to be done and you
have to ask, or eventually command, someone to spend the next hour
doing the unpleasant job. If you don't, then what started out as a
very pleasant evening will end up with arguments as to who will do
what, and when - and it will all be your fault !
This example may be extreme but you would be surprised how many
holidays are spoiled because these seemingly trivial issues are not
handled properly. If the crew chose you as skipper they must accept
your word as law. Good leader****p skills by you, making sure that the
crew all share the dirty jobs, as well as the rewarding ones,
including yourself in the various domestic tasks, will ensure a happy
****p and a subsequently enjoyable holiday.
b. You are the crew - and you have to choose the Skipper
Again, an early decision is by far the best. If more than one crew
member has sailing experience choose the one with the additional
leader****p skills rather, than the purely technical sailor. You should
choose someone you respect and whose orders you will follow without
question.
Respect on someone's skills has nothing to do with age. How many
children these days know more about computers than their fathers ??
During the trip you must follow the skipper's orders without question.
If the skipper appears to be picking on you and you seem to be getting
more than your share of a particular job - don't argue in front of the
rest of the crew, just do it - and then have a quiet word with the
skipper about your feelings quietly and in private later.
c. You hired a professional skipper for your holiday
Well, this is an article by itself and will be published separately in
the short future.
Alexander M. Vournas
www.almiyachts.com
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