Crew

As the very limited number of my long-term readers might recall, two years or so, I had some key crew members quit Das Boot. I hasten to add that they quit (a) for the right reasons and (b) kept coming back occasionally, when I really needed them. What happened, was they had enjoyed competitive sailing with us so much that they went off and bought their own boats and started racing them against us. I loved it.

Trouble was, in the process, I discovered how important good crew is. Finding people who love the sport, are intent and focused on details, and who create energy and good chemistry on board - those people are hard to find and keep. Word of mouth recommendations are the surest and best way to find people, and I had a great mainsheet guy for awhile, but his business forced him to travel. And he had his own boat besides.

I resorted to bulletin-board, crew-looking-for-boat ads. I found one I thought would be a keeper. She definitely looked fit for crew. But, in a matter of a few short beer cans, she proved not to be a very good fit for Das Boot. For a number of reasons. I referred her off to some other boats in the fleet. Her career on those other boats was equally brief. First impressions are, well, first impressions.

The reason what brings this interlude to mind is the story in this morning's SBNP about a mutiny:

Going off half-caulked

SANTA BARBARA -The 34-year-old girlfriend of a 50-year-old Santa Barbara yachtsman mutinied after a dockside argument on May 10 and was arrested by police.

The woman allegedly threw a pole-like metal-and-plastic tiller extension at the man, piercing his lower lip.

The boat captain allegedly responded by shooting the first mate with a caulking gun. According to the police report, the gun somehow boomeranged and caulked the captain in the face.

The former first mate escaped aboard the man's classic Jaguar beach bicycle and later repainted it hospital green just to get even. That brings us to Cottage Hospital where five stitches were required to mend the captain's facial laceration.

Officers later discovered that the woman was wanted by law enforcement on suspicion of several other offenses. "Many tides may rise and fall before she steps aboard another boat," observed a police spokesman.

Now, I hasten to add that I am 99% sure that this mutineer was not my ex-crew. My first impressions are not that far off the mark. But I'm sure Trophy Wife will spot this news item and I just wanted to be able to say "Tap-Tap! I saw it first!"

Also, I want to record that I have the GR8est crew at the moment. I just hope I can get some decent wind in their sails fast enough to keep 'em!