By Michael Argyelan
Over the last few years, I’ve had the distinct pleasure of
putting a “race” crew together. Dozens of people have come out to sail with my
wife and I and it’s truly a gift. After last night’s beer can race, I was
thinking about crew development and figured it’s a good time to write on it.
Honestly, I’ve had marginal success developing a crew. We
started at the bottom and with the basics; jib and main. Almost all of us were
newbies to racing. I had never put a crew together or driven the start of a
race.
Rules, protocol, yacht club tabs were all new to us.
Occasionally we are able to bring out some ‘ringers’ to coach us through a few
races. We started out racing with friends that wanted to learn how to sail – also
known as, “You have a boat? I’ll come!”
Along the way we made more friends and more people came out
to sail with us. Our best efforts were made to keep PBR and Mount Gay Rum in
business. The first season’s stats were moderate at best.
We were beginners. We had fun. We were first in fun.
The next season of beer can racing, we were much better. We
finished first in the ever so illustrious Jam section at Columbia Yacht Club. It
was very exciting.
Over the next couple of years we bought a new boat, started
racing in the spin 3 section, and got clobbered. We did our best to learn the
new boat and how it handled. Training our crew focused on who, what, when, and
where of spinnaker racing. Some nights I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
So, we drank more beer and learned from our mistakes and vowed to get better
and have more fun with every race.
This year we are performing much better. The fun meter is
also up. What has been the most difficult part of the last couple of years is
maintaining a consistent crew. Jobs, families, weddings, and the like for some
reason are considered more important than sailboat racing. I still don’t
understand it.
I’ve spoken with many sailors on the docks and the clubs. Maintaining
a solid crew seems to be one of the most difficult aspects of sailboat racing.
Whether you’re competing at the national level or just heading out for the
Wednesday night beer can series keeping a consistent crew can be an incredible
challenge.
Some boats are able to keep the same crew for years and years
with only a few pinch hitters covering when need be. How do they do it? Is
there some magical power they hold? Are they rewarding crew with champagne
rather than the champagne of beers?
After reading up on some message boards and articles along
with talking to friends and other racers, I’ve come up with some tips for
finding, maintaining, and developing crew.
First, always have beer. Never, ever run out of beer. It’s
key.
Second, have fun. Don’t be the guy or girl yelling at your
crew who blew off their friend’s birthday party just to help race your boat. We
aren’t winning money here so keep it light and keep it fun. I’ve actually
witnessed a skipper jumping up and down in the cockpit throwing a fit and
screaming at his crew. I might have opted to swim back to the club and most
certainly would never step foot back on that boat.
Third, keep your boat in good working order. No one wants to
race on a boat that’s always breaking down or with sails that are in absolute
shambles. Don’t get me wrong, you don’t have to have the best of the best. Just
keep your equipment maintained and in good condition.
Fourth, keep consistent crew in consistent positions if you
can. If someone is developing as a good spin trimmer keep them in that position
until you are absolutely confident that they can move on. If you constantly
move your crew from position to position they will never gain the confidence
that’s needed. Trust me, I’ve tried it the other way around and it doesn’t
work.
After reading up on some articles on the interwebs,
apparently Gary Jobson and others don’t think so either. Keep things consistent
for consistent results. It works.
Finally, be grateful anyone showed up at all. Without
gratitude you will find yourself solo sailing. Crew shirts, dinners, rum, beer,
non-sailing activities and the like are great ways to develop a feeling of
gratitude and loyalty. After all, one definition of crew is, “A group of people
who work closely together.” It’s done together, not alone. Without crew, you
may as well just play golf.
Now, if you’re looking to crew and get into racing what can
you do? Let’s start with beer. Always bring beer if possible. Especially your
first couple of times out as it shows respect for the skipper and the rest of
the crew you’re working your way into. It’s the same as showing up empty handed
to a party, you just don’t do it.
Next, be prepared to do everything and nothing on any given
day or night. If you’re really light on experience, you might be relegated to
‘rail meat’ or movable human ballast. It is what it is. Have fun with it. Be
grateful.
While you’re on the rail keep in mind this is a great time to
learn, not to talk about your new jorts (here’s
a link to images of jorts just in case you want a good giggle.) Start
asking yourself key questions. Are other boats tacking? Are a majority of boats
going to one side of the coarse or the other? Take this opportunity to pick up
on the seemingly endless lingo that spews from the mouths of sunburned sailors.
There’s a lot to learn on the rail.
Additionally you can take a class or participate in a crew
program. Columbia,
Corinthian, and Chicago
yacht clubs all offer a crew program. Private companies also offer basic
through advanced lessons. Some companies also offer crew packages as well.
There are all types of options to fit budgets and schedules of all kinds. The
key is to get time on the water and practice.
Once you pick up the lingo and the basics of sailing, read.
Pick up every magazine, article on the web, message boards, etc. Keep your recent
knowledge base fresh and up to date. Always keep learning.
Finally, and yes I’m repeating myself, bring beer. Rum helps
too.
Have tips? Extra crew you have to turn away? Know of a boat
looking for crew? Chime in! Email me at mma@crowleys.com
and I’ll post crew opportunities in the next newsletter.
