Skipper’s Tip of the Week:
When you’re the Skipper of a boat, you’re responsible for everything that happens on and to the boat. Nerve-racking, isn’t it? It’s hard to know everything about sailing. Even what you do know, you sometimes forget. Things go wrong. Equipment breaks. Sometimes the crew doesn’t know what to do. It’s enough to make you scream.
Don’t scream. Take a deep breath and ask yourself what a great skipper would do. Bad Skippers scream and yell. Great skippers speak just loud enough so the crew can hear and understand, and they never insult or demean. If somebody does something wrong, these skippers suggest, “let’s try it this way..” Great skippers take their time, even when things go wrong. They know that a classy response to a problem can make them look good. But they’re not obsessed about what others might think if they “look bad.” Great skippers know that others think better and work faster when they’re surrounded by calm confidence. Even when they aren’t feeling especially calm and confident on the inside, these skippers realize that being calm and confident on the outside can make things go better.
– If you have a Skipper’s Tip to share, or a subject you’d like us to write one about, email it to Matt (Matt@TradewindsSailing.com)