What Makes a Good Captain

[Bash]

Originally Posted by Ex-Calif

While a good skipper may raise his voice in command to be heard he never yells at a crew member.

Yes. How many times am I supposed to write this again, teach?
Good captains don't scream.
Good captains don't scream.
Good captains don't scream.
Good captains don't scream.
Good captains don't scream.
Good captains don't scream.
Good captains don't scream.
Good captains don't scream.
Good captains don't scream.
Good captains don't scream.
Good captains don't scream.
Good captains don't scream.

[Ex-Calif]

Well...

After stepping up from the sinking boat to the liferaft it would be acceptable to scream when the skipper finds out the liferaft is holed...

[Pblais]

Cruising skippers are more laid back. You get to see a skippers true colors when things get tense which happens a lot more while racing.

And counts more while cruising. A racing attitude while cruising isn't acceptable. Racing is about peak performance over a finite period of time - and it is over win or lose just the same. Cruising is the whole time. There is clearly a bigger picture cruising. There are always many days ahead even after a hard well executed day.

[rebel heart]

In a distant part of my life I played a lot of pool, and I learned that the best pool players (when playing for money) don't make difficult shots. They make incredibly easy shots by lining themselves up for the their next shot, understanding the forces at play, and being conservative.

Likewise, good captains in general have boring stories because they (when possible) go with the weather, avoid danger, and solve problems long before they arise.

[dlockhart]

I think lots of common sense doesn't hurt neither, especially when your crew is the person you live with, sleep with and makes you rethink everything you've ever done or will do and you know is going to make you explain every decision.
Behind every good man is a woman telling him he's wrong!
God made man and whoa-man.

[Sunspot Baby]

"ASK"
Attitude, Skill, Knowledge. From a crew perspective, pretty much in that order.

Attitude: how you react to situations and how you treat people.
Skill: Ability to handle the boat.
Knowledge: How to do things, rules of the road, etc.

If I was the boat owner hiring a skipper, Skill and Knowledge would probably rank higher than attitude.

George