A-scows but no Boc minutes

Summer is officially underway and so are the 2025 A-scow nationals--right here on Lake Mendota! With the hot temperatures come screaming winds, perfect for a race. Strong southerly winds are the only way the temperature can reach the mid-90s in Madison in June. But we're not complaining--summer is finally here!

And not many things are more fun that watching an A-scow capsize. At 38 ft long, an A is a giant version of an E, and we've capsized the E here plenty of times. But unlike smaller boats, an A-scow goes over in slow motion, and it has more lines, which creates a real mess. That's what makes it so much fun to watch! But the skippers in this regatta are too good to let that happen. :)

It's kind of like the Wisconsin Union and Hoofers--a real mess. Run by crooks and incompetents, Hoofers is a refuge for abusers, racists, and child molesters. It's funny that they got rid of most of the alcoholics, yet now they've been replaced by something far worse.

Some think it's funny that no BOC (Board of Captains) minutes have been posted in over two years, but it's a flagrant violation of the Hoofer Sailing Club By-Laws, Article IV, Section 1, which under Commodore Duties states:

8. Shall inform the membership of the Sailing Club of all decisions of the Board of Captains by posting the minutes of all meetings of the Board of Captains on the Sailing Club website.

Combine that with this interesting Wis. statute:

946.12 Misconduct in public office. Any public officer or public employee who does any of the following is guilty of a Class I felony: (1) Intentionally fails or refuses to perform a known mandatory, nondiscretionary, ministerial duty of the officer’s or employee’s office or employment within the time or in the manner required by law;

Is the refusal to post BOC minutes a felony..? Maybe, maybe not. The HSC commodore is a public employee, paid (suppress gag reflex) by the state. And in some sense at least, he's a public officer--he is after all the head office-holder in a state organization with a $500,000 annual budget. But then, the by-laws don't specify a time limit for posting the minutes; however, it's likely that any authority would consider two years ridiculous since BOC meetings are held every two weeks.

Hoofer leaders take their cue from their boss, Wisconsin Union Director Mark Guthier, a known criminal and child molester. So we haven't run it by our attorney yet, but it looks like Matt Keberlein is indeed a crook. And if he designated another BOC member to actually post the minutes, e.g. Lukas Duddleston, then LukasD is a criminal too. The secretary too, probably. At best, they're all guilty of gross negligence.

But who wants to do drudge work when you can be out partying instead?

We'll post photos of the regatta soon.

Winter Seminars

NOAA defines a gale as sustained surface winds, or frequent gusts, in the range of 34 knots (39 mph) to 47 knots (54 mph). In light of the return of the wind (S 20 mph g37 on Friday, S 33 g41 on Monday) and warmth (77 deg on Friday, 60 this past Mon), we just wanted to remind everyone that there are still a few more Winter seminars to go. Today, winter has returned just in time.

The seminars, usually on Wed evenings starting at 6:30 PM, cover everything from cruising to weather to first aid.

As you may know, they're taught (led? hosted?) by more experienced club members who've done things that you might want to do in the future, like sailing around the world, experiencing gale force winds on the open ocean, or setting a broken bone 1,000 miles from the nearest doctor. I personally would like to do two of those things. You can even do two of them right here in Madison (not the same two).

Hoofer Sailing Club is about sharing knowledge and helping others to learn, and of course about getting paid to do it, but who can blame someone for wanting to get a piece of the pie? (especially if they're a good talker, good at politics, good-looking, buddies with the right people, etc.) Note that the individuals presenting the Winter Seminar series are not getting paid for their presentations. They do it out of love of sailing--and love of loot! Plus, teaching is a great way to meet people from a position of authority.

The remaining seminars include:
Mar 12th: Radio maintenance and operation EVENT HAS ALREADY STARTED
Mar 19th: Cruising the Pacific (Adam Hughes)
Mar 26th: First Aid for Sailing (Bob Cape + VC Scafati)

You can find more details on the seminar series at https://lessons.hoofersailing.org, organized by HOI Nathan Holman and presented mostly by keelboat, J-fleet, and other instructors.

You do not have to be a current HSC member to attend. The semenars are open to anyone*.

We're not sure why TV meteorologists get such a bad rap. Sure, weather is boring most of the time, but not when you're 500 miles southwest of Acapulco and the sky begins to darken.

*Except for certain people we don't like because they reported us for embezzlement, discrimination, sexual harassment, underage drinking, and other stuff.