Absolutely false. I was the O100 manager AND the Race officer. We were completely in charge of the event including all the safety aspects.

As far of the fleet meetings, I have understood a long time ago that the democratic process in this club has been completely corrupted, so I am not interrested anymore to spend energy to fight with the same people over and over. I moved on.

Who are you? I would like to compare your record with mine.

You are not a member anymore?

So why are you bringing up crap from several year's ago? Apparently you still spend a lot of your time bashing the club. We have an objective 150 - to get 150 boats registered on the beach - we are at 135, so we're getting close. There are 10 new members this year, and we have been over 130 boats for the last 8 years. Each member has his/her own expectations as to their experience at the club - some like to race, some like to hang out and sail casually. We cannot force people to do anything, and this is why the club is so successful. I guess the "old guard" must be doing something right - just because it is not what you want doesn't make it wrong.

Read the thread:

"Also...the Objective-100 was about more than getting x number of boats to start. It was about bringing a different level of organization and a different / better experience for participants - especially for those who traveled from far. "

But if you didn't get it then you probably won't get it now.

Has been done. I came to several meetings in 2006 - prepared and all. Maybe the problem is not that concerns were not voiced...Maybe they were not heard. Maybe they were ignored because they were raised by people outside the circle. Hard for you to recognize, I know.

Anyway I think it's pathetic that you have to create a new ID just to stay anonymous here. It says everything about you.

what's pathetic is for someone who hasn't been a member since 2006 to post offensive comments about an organization he is no longer associated with.

I brought it up because someone on this forum was wondering whether O-100 was still alive. No one was calling this "crap", just you.



Do the 135 include the boats that you schlep to the beach each spring and where the mast is never even raised for the season. Do the 135 include the junk boats and junk trailers on the parking lot? The club is a great solution for anyone who doesn't want their junk in their front yard. 150 members is a great goal (especially if you want to call yourself the "largest catamaran club in the world" - as I saw on one brochure in the past) - but it's not a real metric for success and it's not a metric for the vitality of the club as a sailing club. Maybe it's a good metric for a social club or for a retiree club, where people just want to "hang out", but if you want measure success for a sailing club, look at least how often members take out their boats, keep a log book, look at race participation, whatever, just define a metric that reflect some aspiration instead of something that just measures whether you're going to meet your budget.

What's offensive here? I'm stating facts and opinions. Where are the personal attacts that you are so offended by? You just don't like to hear criticism...that doesn't mean I am offending you.
And what's so pathetic about speaking up here? I put a lot of heart into this event, dude. I have every right of speaking up here. Sorry. Member or no member, unfortunately you can't censor me.

Just so people can enjoy what a class-act you are, here's one of your 2006 gems on Sailing Anarchy (post #21 - also created with a brand-new SHBCC anonymous ID):

http://forums.sailinganarchy.com/index.php?showtopic=38994&hl=shbcc

Please don't come back and deny it's you...now that would be pathetic.

Your kidding, right?? Maybe we should put barcodes on the boats and scan them every time they leave the beach and return. Have you ever ran a club with 300 members from diverse backgrounds with greatly varying interest levels in sailing? We provide the venue and many opportunities for all members to sail and participate in fleet events. Whether they choose to do so is beyond our control. All we can do is provide the best opportunity we can. Hundreds of hours are invested in planning and executing the operation of the club every year. Very few realize the personal sacrifice made by the officers to benefit the members. Since only a small percentage of members enjoy racing, does it make sense to expend a great deal of the club's resources on a single day event in which only a small percentage take part in? Many fleets do not have a "home beach" and the "Big Regatta" is their only chance to host an event. SHBCC has events almost every weekend in the Summer; this requires a great deal of work, and perhaps this is one of the reasons an O-100 type event is not looked upon as the primary reason for the club to exist. It's like a gym membership - how many people sign up and pay and never go? Does this make the gym a "bad gym" or a "social gym"? NO. There are still people who show up every day to work out. Those who do not lose out.

I don't know what metric we could use to define the club numerically. Our goal always has been and will continue to be to provide a safe venue for sailing and to promote and encourage sailing and boating generally. We welcome all members who agree to abide by the rules. Our best indicator is the smiles on peoples' faces when they come back to the beach after flying a hull in a 15 knot SW wind. We all sail for different reasons, remember that - what is important to you may not matter to someone else. As for the comment that our primary goal is to reach our budgeted numbers, this is true to a certain degree. Maybe if we sailed in Fantasyland, we wouldn't have to worry about revenue - but unfortunately, there is rent, insurance, utilities etc. to pay and we must keep our eyes on the numbers, or the club might not be sustainable for future sailing seasons. We need $XXXXX to just pay the fixed expenses. Without a stable fiscal platform, we wouldn't even be able to host a 5 boat regatta.

"You just don't like to hear criticism...that doesn't mean I am offending you."


Criticism can't offend me? I am the judge as to what does and doesn't offend me. Who said anything about personal attacks? Here is some criticism I have - Why was it so hard for you to abide by the simple club rule to not rig your boat on the beach wheels? You were told over and over again not to do this, but you did it anyway. Remember when you almost gave a 70 yr. old gentleman a heart attack because you refused to listen to him concerning this rule? I hope this criticism doesn't offend you. This shows what a "class act" you are, since you had to bring that up.

Whoever officer you are, you do not act as you should.

Nastiness, cowardice and personal attacks have nothing to do with these responsibilities.

We already experienced that with your little friend Justin, and we are all FED UP.

I did not start this attack - I am only replying to a post that obviously would stir up [censored] - It is OK for you to attack and criticize, but if someone responds he is nasty and a coward?

I should know better than to jump in the midst of this .. but you guys have a rule that you can't setup your boats while it's on cattrax!? I don't set mine up any other way and do everything I can to keep the hulls from touching the ground.

Jake, I was thinking the same thing. What is it about setting a boat up while its on cattrax that's dangerous or opens the club up to liability in such a degree that they'd have to legislate against it?

There are several issues: 1) damage to the axles and bearings when members stand on their tramp to rig the boat while it is on wheels. Unlike personally owned wheels, our wheels are subject to the use and abuse of as many as 50 people in the course of a day - it is hard to imagine what some people are capable of doing to a set of wheels. We purchase a few new sets just about evey year and have a wheel captain who has to spend several hours a week repairing and maintaining the wheels. 2) The experience level of our sailors varies from newbies to national champions. Twice in the past, we have incidents where a boat was being rigged on the wheels, and a gust came and pushed the boat along on the wheels and the boat flipped, hitting people in the head - twice we had to call an ambulance to render medical assistance. Luckily, the injuries were not serious. 3) People also leave their boats on the wheels with the sails up and and go and eat lunch or whatever... again, we have had squalls and gusts come through and flip boats that were sitting on wheels with the sails up - this also has happened more times then I care to remember 4) and finally, other people are waiting to use the wheels to move their boats - if they are under your boat while you rig for 20 minutes, they are not available for use by other fleet members. The easiest way to deal with this is to simply require that you do not rig your boat on the wheels.

Ahhh...OK. They're loaner wheels. Yeah, I've let people use my wheels a time or two and I get real frustrated watching them rig with the wheels under the boat while I wait impatiently for the use of my own wheels.

I am not offended...don't worry...it takes a little more. In case you care to know: When 70 year old gentlemen feel entitled to yell and scream at a new member, I try not to hear them. And that's what I told him - to talk normally to me. He only freaked out more and became more hysterical. Whatever his risk is for heart attacks...that's something he and his family should worry about. I'm sure his doctor advised him not to get overexcited. I actually respect this guy, but that one time he misjudged me in a big way by throwing his little tantrum on the beach.

Frankly...I think whatever point I wanted to make about the Statue Race has already been made. It's turning into a vicious fight. This is my last post on this topic.
There a lot of good things about SHBCC, they are all great people and the old guard has put in years of effort to maintain the club. Being so close to NYC and in a major metropolitan area, this club should be THRIVING. 150 members should be piece of cake to sign-up in an area with 15 million people and so few sailing venues. If it ain't happening, if there's not a waiting list to get in, something's wrong. You're below potential and you're being complacent.
There are also many issues and a lot of dissatisfaction with members SHBCC. This post is just the tip of the iceberg. I'm not going to make the laundry list of complaints here. This is probably the first time that criticism is voiced so publicly. But guys at SHBCC...don't stick your head in the sand and deny, deny, deny...Where's there's smoke, there's fire. A lot of people think things can be better and are willing to work for it. But if you just push them out of the circle, you're going to keep on stagnating in the same place you've been for years. If you cannot understand the "vision" that other people have, at least give them a platform to explain instead of mocking and boycotting them.
If this was a case study for how to deal with a public relations crisis, you've failed the test. You immediately went on the defensive, you've attacked your critics, you don't bother to actually understand what's really going on.
I'd be happy to come back to an officer's meeting and have this conversation.
Roger that?