The exhibit opened last week at the Milwaukee Public Museum and will be there through May.
Saturday, December 29, 2012
Pirate exhibit
The exhibit opened last week at the Milwaukee Public Museum and will be there through May.
Monday, October 15, 2012
Thursday, September 6, 2012
Hoofer Shakedown
Uh oh. He's baaack! It seems that JC is once again "teaching" ASA lessons (check out the current lessons calendar). Hoofers is able to fill these expensive lessons because, as P. T. Barnum noted, there's a customer born every minute.
Is it too late to get your money back? (answer: yes, no refunds.) But here's some inside info: our recent post explained why Hoofer ASA lessons are not a good idea. They don't qualify you for anything, much less to skipper a charter yacht. Better to just join Hoofers and take lots of keelboat lessons.
But that comes with its own set of problems. If you can avoid being ripped off, and if you can stay out of club politics, you can learn learn a lot about sailing.
But it takes years to learn to become a good sailor, and Hoofers pretending that they can teach you in a short course is simply dishonest. You might learn something in a Hoofer ASA course: what not to do. But that's not the same as learning to sail.
Check out the video above to see what a Hoofers ASA sailing "lesson" is really like. NOTE: keelboats do not launch off the canoe pier!
But that comes with its own set of problems. If you can avoid being ripped off, and if you can stay out of club politics, you can learn learn a lot about sailing.
But it takes years to learn to become a good sailor, and Hoofers pretending that they can teach you in a short course is simply dishonest. You might learn something in a Hoofer ASA course: what not to do. But that's not the same as learning to sail.
Check out the video above to see what a Hoofers ASA sailing "lesson" is really like. NOTE: keelboats do not launch off the canoe pier!
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
Rnc Roc Boc
Republicans [Club leaders] have no interest in helping the general population [membership] or in strengthening the economy [club]. Their one and only goal is to obtain power and money for themselves. Eerie, isn't it..?
Anyway, check out the lakefront in this photo (above) taken on Saturday. The hottest summer on record, and the swim pier and sloop pier are both gone in August due to the Union construction. But hey, are we gonna have one badass glass box for rich folks on the Terrace!
In other news, the club has a new A-scow toy, although the donation may or may not be official yet. Things are so disorganized right now it's hard to know what's what. AUG 31 UPDATE: This evening, the A came in, kept both sails up flogging in a gusty (but gorgeous) 10-20kn east wind for more than half an hour, then sailed off into the dark without lights around 8:45pm and disappeared. Truly Hooferesque.
Friday, August 3, 2012
What's wrong with this picture?
Believe it or not, those beauties are the new Chartroom (left) and storage room (right). Er, is it the new boathouse (left), and canoe storage (right)? Actually, it may be the new shop (left) and lifejacket storage (right). For the next year, those metal boxes will substitute for all Hoofer interior spaces--even when it's 90 degrees outside.
It looks like very few boat repairs will get done over the next year. We recommend asking for fluorescent lamps as they give off less heat than regular light bulbs, though it probably won't make much diff. Have fun in there, guys!
In a way, Hoofer employees deserve this torture for demanding millions in improvements and sticking 40,000 other UW students with the bill.
Saturday, July 14, 2012
Drinking games
UPDATE: A video of Hoofer "battletits" is now here.
Commodore's Cup 2012 is underway!
This did not look like fun, at least not for the participants. Lying on your back on the board pier in the hot sun blindly tossing foam balls into the air..? How frustrating and possibly humiliating, at least if they were sober and/or knew the real purpose of the event.
That, of course, was live entertainment for long-time male Hoofer members so they could watch the C-cup activity as bikini-clad female team members—lying on their backs—tossed things at eachother. Nothing wrong with that, to be sure... and the sidewalk along the board pier was standing room only. Man, you missed it.
But how about using water balloons next time instead of plastic balls!
Commodore's Cup 2012 is underway!
[CLICK for Schedule (requires javascript be enabled)]
To kick off the coming week's activities, and in honor of the rather lame movie Battleship that came out this spring, today's event consisted of some poor fools, er, contestants, lying on their backs on either side of a wall (two folding tables turned sideways) throwing foam balls at one other.This did not look like fun, at least not for the participants. Lying on your back on the board pier in the hot sun blindly tossing foam balls into the air..? How frustrating and possibly humiliating, at least if they were sober and/or knew the real purpose of the event.
That, of course, was live entertainment for long-time male Hoofer members so they could watch the C-cup activity as bikini-clad female team members—lying on their backs—tossed things at eachother. Nothing wrong with that, to be sure... and the sidewalk along the board pier was standing room only. Man, you missed it.
But how about using water balloons next time instead of plastic balls!
Friday, June 22, 2012
Dangerous games
In the past 24 hours, one swimmer and one sailor have died in Madison lakes.
Early this morning, at around 2:45 AM, a 22 year old swimmer drowned in the Hoofer mooring field. His female companion, apparently not as intoxicated as he was, “attempted to assist him to shore," according to the article. If only they'd known how to sail, she possibly could have helped him onto a nearby sailboat and they could easily have come ashore that way. (UWPD probably would have charged them with trespassing, vandalism, unauthorized presence, theft, and some other things, but at least he'd still be alive.)
But did he really drown..? Or is he merely the latest victim of the Lake Mendota Monster?
Meanwhile, on Thursday evening, a 66-year old man died after being thrown from his sailboat while racing on Lake Kegonsa. The Kegonsa club mostly races MC scows and Flying Scots, so the boat might have capsized. The man was wearing his lifejacket, so obviously there's no point in that.
Early this morning, at around 2:45 AM, a 22 year old swimmer drowned in the Hoofer mooring field. His female companion, apparently not as intoxicated as he was, “attempted to assist him to shore," according to the article. If only they'd known how to sail, she possibly could have helped him onto a nearby sailboat and they could easily have come ashore that way. (UWPD probably would have charged them with trespassing, vandalism, unauthorized presence, theft, and some other things, but at least he'd still be alive.)
But did he really drown..? Or is he merely the latest victim of the Lake Mendota Monster?
Meanwhile, on Thursday evening, a 66-year old man died after being thrown from his sailboat while racing on Lake Kegonsa. The Kegonsa club mostly races MC scows and Flying Scots, so the boat might have capsized. The man was wearing his lifejacket, so obviously there's no point in that.
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
Fishing for Suckers
Why are marginal incompetents teaching ASA courses, or any keelboat lessons for that matter? This makes Hoofers look bad. Students who pay lots of money don't learn nearly as much as they could. And now the ASA instructors are distracted by pirate's costumes and booty.And didn't most of the current "ASA" instructors get their certification here, making them Hoofer ASA groupies..?
For any suckers, er, potential students thinking about taking an ASA course, you can learn a lot more just by joining HSC and taking lots of keelboat lessons. Then you can take them on various keelboats too, not just the J24. The cost is similar, and you get to sail at Hoofers for a whole year. Anyone who didn't already fork over that hefty ASA fee should think twice. For beginning and intermediate sailors, you're not going to learn anywhere near enough in ASA 101 to charter a boat. Better to really learn to sail, then charter next year.
And I'd be very wary of presenting any ASA rating earned at Hoofers to a charter company. Try that and you'll likely end up paying an extra $1000 for a hired skipper to come along on "your" charter. Many Hoofers have chartered boats 35ft and bigger with no ASA ratings, no Coast Guard certification, nothing but good overall sailing skills learned over the course of several years. Charter captains can smell a fake.The best instructors aren't even teaching this year. And the commodore quit, and now we have fleet captains being replaced. Typical.
Friday, June 1, 2012
HSC Auction a Success?
June 8 UPDATE: Count the people on board Soma or Spray (at right, during Hoofer Extravaganza) and win a free boat ride! Count the people on the pier, and the new commodore will give you a kiss!This year's sailing club/Hoofer auction had a yummy buffet. And there were free booklets describing all the live auction items. But where were all the people? Most items in the silent auction only had one bid (the starting bid), and it was even tougher getting rid of all the one-on-one lessons and cruises during the live auction. Let's hope this was a moneymaker and not the alternative.
The problem seems to be, the auction started three hours before sunset at 5:30pm so many people were still out sailing, and most others were out on the Terrace listening to Jazz. Maybe a later start for the auction next time would result in better attendance, more bidding, and more cash.
As for what you might have "missed":
- $30, An old, old Tech sail (sorry, already got mine out of the dumpster)
- $30, Day or night sail with ChrisF on any boat. Has Chris really given himself ratings on every Hoofer boat? And what if I want my night sail on an E-scow?
- $40, A sunset cruise with JustinC. All alone on the boat. With Justin. At night.
- $50, An "adult beverage" cruise with DougM. Woo hoo! No more of those non-alcoholic baby beverages.
- $60, Wine and cheese cruise with JJ (does JJ actually sail?)
....AND the coup d'etat:
-$150, Rhythm & Booms sail for you and 9 of your friends--plus the skipper and "a few other club members". Good golly, how many people is that..? Enough to fall through the deck?
Next time, the club should sell something worth buying (cheap), like the J29, or maybe Toyboat. That's what you have to do to make any real money.
Sunday, May 20, 2012
HSC—generally safe for kids!
Thinking of enrolling your son or daughter in HSC's Youth Program this summer..? Here are some facts to help you make that decision.
First, sexual harassment charges against club leaders have been dismissed. Also, the Outdoor Programs Coordinator was removed last year, so he isn’t around (much) anymore. In addition, we try to harass anyone we don't like into avoiding the lakefront altogether—just incase they're a sexual predator, an east-coaster, or some other undesirable type. (Note however that the sexual harassment charges mentioned above were against Hoofer leaders who are all still around, so we can't really harass them into leaving.... in fact, they're the ones who do most of the harassing.)
Also, you'll be happy to know that recreational drugs* aren’t allowed at Hoofers! The only real dangers are lacerations, concussions, and drowning.
So sign your kid up now! We guarantee your child won’t die while learning to sail at Hoofers! HSC—now a proud member of ASA.
NOTE: We don't consider alcohol a drug, so we can't guarantee your child won't smell the sweet nectar of beer, tequila, Malibu(R), whiskey, wine, wine coolers, Russian vodka, secret HSC mixers, and other refreshments that have been sloshed all over the lakefront by drunken Hoofer leaders and instructors. This is Wisconsin after all.
First, sexual harassment charges against club leaders have been dismissed. Also, the Outdoor Programs Coordinator was removed last year, so he isn’t around (much) anymore. In addition, we try to harass anyone we don't like into avoiding the lakefront altogether—just incase they're a sexual predator, an east-coaster, or some other undesirable type. (Note however that the sexual harassment charges mentioned above were against Hoofer leaders who are all still around, so we can't really harass them into leaving.... in fact, they're the ones who do most of the harassing.)
Also, you'll be happy to know that recreational drugs* aren’t allowed at Hoofers! The only real dangers are lacerations, concussions, and drowning.
So sign your kid up now! We guarantee your child won’t die while learning to sail at Hoofers! HSC—now a proud member of ASA.
NOTE: We don't consider alcohol a drug, so we can't guarantee your child won't smell the sweet nectar of beer, tequila, Malibu(R), whiskey, wine, wine coolers, Russian vodka, secret HSC mixers, and other refreshments that have been sloshed all over the lakefront by drunken Hoofer leaders and instructors. This is Wisconsin after all.
Sunday, May 6, 2012
What concrete pier?
To Union Director Guthier, our favorite criminal and savant: How did you know we didn't need the concrete pier to get the boats into the water?
More photos soon.
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Ready or not
Day sailing for 2012 begins today! The club's official website declares "the itch to sail is upon us."
Current wind: NW 18 g28
Current air temp: 40 deg F
Current water temp: dangerous
Have fun!
Other important dates: Lift-in currently is scheduled for May 5.
Current wind: NW 18 g28
Current air temp: 40 deg F
Current water temp: dangerous
Have fun!
Other important dates: Lift-in currently is scheduled for May 5.
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Fumigation station
Look what've been popping up around town. At first we thought it was a joke, but evidently not. If it were, the ad (in the interest of full disclosure) would surely say things like: 1. Develop skills like fiberglassing, engine repair, and tolerance to dangerous particulates and toxic chemicals.
2. Constant learning opportunities-- because our shop staff are constantly quitting.
3. Hard working, team orientated individuals a must because at Hoofers, it's all about I, and we need someone to do our work for us.
4. Experience with machinery, fibreglassing, finger amputation, and emergency room visits a plus but NOT NECESSARY!
I like how they emphasize "hard working individuals a must." Yeh, most managers are looking for lazy slobs. And that photo..! It almost seems as if they don't want any applicants, or they would have shown what maintenance staff actually do most of the time: sit in the cage playing videogames.
Ah, if only I didn't already have a job....
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Milking the member
Today's Badger Herald has an article that should be of interest to all Hoofers. Wisconsin leads the nation in private job loss. At the same time, unemployment in Wis. is supposedly decreasing. Say what? How can that be?
Apparently, many people have quit looking for jobs (so they no longer count as "unemployed") and others are fleeing the state. Thus, apparent improvement in Wisconsin's unemployment figures! And since Gov. Walker hasn't laid off a single state employee, the huge and increasing number of state employees is helping to offset massive job loss in Wis. industry.
And that brings us to Hoofer Sailing Club (a state organization), where more and more people are paid rather than contributing their time for free as members of a genuine club would do.
UW-Madison economics professor Steven Deller is quoted as saying, "We just don't know what's going on." Wow. A UW professor said that? I guess UW's pay really can't compete. But he should ask one of HSC's hundred or so paid employees, like paid keelboat "instructors" Chris Frye or Justin Cherniak. They know what's going on.
Apparently, many people have quit looking for jobs (so they no longer count as "unemployed") and others are fleeing the state. Thus, apparent improvement in Wisconsin's unemployment figures! And since Gov. Walker hasn't laid off a single state employee, the huge and increasing number of state employees is helping to offset massive job loss in Wis. industry.
And that brings us to Hoofer Sailing Club (a state organization), where more and more people are paid rather than contributing their time for free as members of a genuine club would do.
UW-Madison economics professor Steven Deller is quoted as saying, "We just don't know what's going on." Wow. A UW professor said that? I guess UW's pay really can't compete. But he should ask one of HSC's hundred or so paid employees, like paid keelboat "instructors" Chris Frye or Justin Cherniak. They know what's going on.
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Rats in a maze
In a just released interview, Hoofer Council Renovations Chair Eric Oberhart had this to say:
"We're gaining about 2000 sq ft of space...we're rearranging our spaces to be more efficient, so problems we've had in the past, like really confusing hallways to navigate, will go away."
Wow. So UW students--many of them poor and dependent on big student loans--are being forced to pay an extra $200 million in seg fees--during a recession--just because some idiots couldn't find the bathroom?
It's easy to get directions. I've been asked many times where the office is, or the bathroom, or the chartroom. Moreover, walking through the shop and sail area is fun and interesting and kind of makes you feel involved. Now it will all be behind locked doors--laid out in an easy-to-navigate, gridlike pattern no doubt. A Hoofers for the 21st Century.
Couldn't they just have "rearranged the space to be more efficient" w/o stiffing every UW student for extra cash to make that new 2000 sq ft lakefront lounge?
"We're gaining about 2000 sq ft of space...we're rearranging our spaces to be more efficient, so problems we've had in the past, like really confusing hallways to navigate, will go away."
Wow. So UW students--many of them poor and dependent on big student loans--are being forced to pay an extra $200 million in seg fees--during a recession--just because some idiots couldn't find the bathroom?
It's easy to get directions. I've been asked many times where the office is, or the bathroom, or the chartroom. Moreover, walking through the shop and sail area is fun and interesting and kind of makes you feel involved. Now it will all be behind locked doors--laid out in an easy-to-navigate, gridlike pattern no doubt. A Hoofers for the 21st Century.
Couldn't they just have "rearranged the space to be more efficient" w/o stiffing every UW student for extra cash to make that new 2000 sq ft lakefront lounge?
Monday, February 13, 2012
Perverts among us
Incase anyone hasn't seen this yet, former UW-Madison Associate Athletic Director John Chadima has been accused of sexually assaulting several young men in recent months in his capacity as above. That is, he apparently used his position to intimidate or coerce boys into, er, submitting to his, er, whatever. Argh. I can hardly typt this it's so disgusting. He is now the former associate director because he resigned as soon as he was accused, as much as admitting to his wrongdoing.
Didn't I suggest someplace recently that the sexual abuse going on at Penn State was likely ubiquitous, i.e. not confined to Penn State..?
Which leads us to Hoofers. Anyone having any information on assaults or other harassing or abusive behaviour by HSC leaders, advisors, or ex-advisors is encouraged to post your experience here. However, if you do so, don't do it anonymously. Do it using a google login or your post will likely be removed. Such behaviour by Hoofers leaders is not unheard of.
You could also report it to UW police, but they are mostly abusive perverts too, so reporting abuse to them is like telling the fox that the lynx is in the henhouse, er, roosterhouse. Whatever.
The detailed story can be found here.
Didn't I suggest someplace recently that the sexual abuse going on at Penn State was likely ubiquitous, i.e. not confined to Penn State..?
Which leads us to Hoofers. Anyone having any information on assaults or other harassing or abusive behaviour by HSC leaders, advisors, or ex-advisors is encouraged to post your experience here. However, if you do so, don't do it anonymously. Do it using a google login or your post will likely be removed. Such behaviour by Hoofers leaders is not unheard of.
You could also report it to UW police, but they are mostly abusive perverts too, so reporting abuse to them is like telling the fox that the lynx is in the henhouse, er, roosterhouse. Whatever.
The detailed story can be found here.
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Hoofers=End of Days
For anyone who missed it, last week's Isthmus predicts the end of the world--including Hoofers--as we know it, with comics illustrating the twelve signs of the apocalypse. However, their cartoon on Hoofers doesn't really make sense. Are they suggesting that you have to be a student to buy beer at the Terrace..? Not so. Anyone including professors and UW staff can buy beer (members of the general public can get a day pass). And does the cartoon suggest that drunken Hoofers are actually timid babies that would put away their weapons and go home just because some dickless Union staffer asked them to? Everyone around the Union and Hoofers who isn't employed there does live in constant fear of breaking the rules, so many Hoofer "pirates" probably would drop what they're doing if a building manager demanded to see their IDs.
The comic is realistic in that many HSC members are not current students (not that they have to be), and the Union is already run by crooked old white boys (and young boys) who will harass anyone they don't like.
All naturally confusing to anyone encountering Hoofers or the Union for the first time. Fortunately, that will all end in 2012....
Sunday, January 1, 2012
Things at the Union
Here's something to cheer you up this New Year! Right now it's the low point of the offseason. (Ice sailing, anyone..?) Beginning in a few months however, the renovation is likely to start causing major disruption around Hoofers, in 2012 and beyond. Otherwise, things are as normal as they can be at the Union.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
