Happy Thanksgiving everyone! There's not much sailing news, but people have been contacting us with specific questions.
While we are always happy to receive useful info from sources (and are appreciative of it), we generally don't reply directly to questions via email.
However, to answer three recent questions.... One, we have not received any further details yet on the child/sexual harassment complaint alluded to in recent comments, but we are hopeful that details will be forthcoming.
Two, the only HSC rule covering swimming off boats is on p. 18 in the Ground school manual, which states that you must wear a lifejacket at all times unless you're "Hoofer swimmer rated" (although I've never even heard of that rule being enforced). Of course, you should still get the skipper's permission before jumping in. NOTE that the rule was changed after the June 2015 drowning to require all sailors to wear their lifejacket at all times, in a classic knee-jerk reaction.
And three, no we do not accept or solicit monetary contributions for this blog. (was that person really serious?)
Meanwhile, I assume everyone is eating something other than turkey this Thanksgiving given the tens of millions of deaths from the H5N2 bird flu virus in the U.S. this year and widespread infection of the remaining fleet, er flock....
Thursday, November 26, 2015
Sunday, September 13, 2015
REPORT: DROWNING OFF O'DAY
Well, it looks like the sheriff's report on the June drowning off Cinger is finally available.... someone posted a link to it yesterday in our earlier post. (Thanks!) Here's the link:
http://s000.tinyupload.com/?file_id=53085929967739185235
The report answers many questions but also raises some new ones. This is what we got out of it (you may want to read it yourself):
Michaela Rabas is partly responsible for the death of Mohammed Bagabir, but it was mostly his own fault. It seems he was a hard partier and/or loose cannon--he had been punched in the face a week before the fateful cruise (breaking his nose), had a 4 inch special stogie in his backpack, apparently hit his head hard on the boat before going swimming, and was still eager to jump into cold water. But he was apparently a decent swimmer.
As for the former VC, several things jump out that are alarming:
1. 60 degrees is very cold water. We always hear about 55, but that's because anything below 55 is deadly. And the air was only 72. And Bagabir was from Saudi Arabia! The only way I'd go into 60 deg water is if I were drunk or stoned. In light of the big joint found in Bagabir's backpack (see p. 21) and the THC in his bloodstream (see p. 50), it seems it might have been the latter.
2. Michaela apparently put the boat into irons for swimming. That's a piss poor idea (unless you're on a tech) because it will immediately start to drift away. On the other hand, if Rabas came hove-to as another witness suggests, she obviously didn't do it right. In any case, the fact that she stopped the boat shows that she was aware people wanted to go swimming in cold, wavy water--and approved. Well, ya know, some people have bad judgment even when they're not drunk or stoned.
3. On p. 14 it says "Michaela had put the sail up and was running the boat by herself" but on p. 30 it says "Rabas said she also dropped her sail during the man overboard procedure." If she was sailing the boat by herself, it sounds like maybe they didn't have a headsail up (the report isn't explicit as to which sail was lowered). It would be great if someone with firsthand knowledge could clarify this for us.
4. According to witnesses, Michaela fracked the MOB maneuver and then started yelling for other people to jump into the water to try to swim over and save Bagabir. That's a cardinal no-no because then you have at least two people overboard, in cold water, and someone who's panicking can easily endanger a potential rescuer unless that person is an expert swimmer.
Of course, the tragic death is also partly Union Director Mark Guthier's fault for his endless stream of bad ideas and other screw-ups. The new alcohol policy, for instance. Note that apparently no one on board Cinger--in particular Michaela or Bagabir--was drunk. Yet people were behaving like stunt men anyway. If mature adults were allowed to have a beer on board a keelboat, maybe Bagabir wouldn't have felt compelled to light up beforehand and then do crazy stuff. One also has to wonder how the two pitchers consumed by several of the guests on the Terrace right before the cruise--a result of not being allowed to bring any alcohol on board--affected things.
Guthier's draconian alcohol policy is not only strangling the social side of the club but is causing people to do screwy things in response. More on this in our next post.
http://s000.tinyupload.com/?file_id=53085929967739185235
The report answers many questions but also raises some new ones. This is what we got out of it (you may want to read it yourself):
Michaela Rabas is partly responsible for the death of Mohammed Bagabir, but it was mostly his own fault. It seems he was a hard partier and/or loose cannon--he had been punched in the face a week before the fateful cruise (breaking his nose), had a 4 inch special stogie in his backpack, apparently hit his head hard on the boat before going swimming, and was still eager to jump into cold water. But he was apparently a decent swimmer.
As for the former VC, several things jump out that are alarming:
1. 60 degrees is very cold water. We always hear about 55, but that's because anything below 55 is deadly. And the air was only 72. And Bagabir was from Saudi Arabia! The only way I'd go into 60 deg water is if I were drunk or stoned. In light of the big joint found in Bagabir's backpack (see p. 21) and the THC in his bloodstream (see p. 50), it seems it might have been the latter.
2. Michaela apparently put the boat into irons for swimming. That's a piss poor idea (unless you're on a tech) because it will immediately start to drift away. On the other hand, if Rabas came hove-to as another witness suggests, she obviously didn't do it right. In any case, the fact that she stopped the boat shows that she was aware people wanted to go swimming in cold, wavy water--and approved. Well, ya know, some people have bad judgment even when they're not drunk or stoned.
3. On p. 14 it says "Michaela had put the sail up and was running the boat by herself" but on p. 30 it says "Rabas said she also dropped her sail during the man overboard procedure." If she was sailing the boat by herself, it sounds like maybe they didn't have a headsail up (the report isn't explicit as to which sail was lowered). It would be great if someone with firsthand knowledge could clarify this for us.
4. According to witnesses, Michaela fracked the MOB maneuver and then started yelling for other people to jump into the water to try to swim over and save Bagabir. That's a cardinal no-no because then you have at least two people overboard, in cold water, and someone who's panicking can easily endanger a potential rescuer unless that person is an expert swimmer.
Of course, the tragic death is also partly Union Director Mark Guthier's fault for his endless stream of bad ideas and other screw-ups. The new alcohol policy, for instance. Note that apparently no one on board Cinger--in particular Michaela or Bagabir--was drunk. Yet people were behaving like stunt men anyway. If mature adults were allowed to have a beer on board a keelboat, maybe Bagabir wouldn't have felt compelled to light up beforehand and then do crazy stuff. One also has to wonder how the two pitchers consumed by several of the guests on the Terrace right before the cruise--a result of not being allowed to bring any alcohol on board--affected things.
Guthier's draconian alcohol policy is not only strangling the social side of the club but is causing people to do screwy things in response. More on this in our next post.
Sunday, August 23, 2015
Conference Sail Party
Now that a mostly-alcohol-free Pirate's Day is in the books, here's something amusing, er, shocking.
The HSC conference sailing website reads: "Imagine relaxing on the bow of a sailing boat while a qualified Hoofer instructor guides you across the clear, blue, waters of beautiful Lake Mendota..."
That should probably be changed to read, "Imagine slamming an ice cold beer served by a Hoofer instructor as you relax on..." (and what the heck is a "sailing boat"? Do they mean "sailboat" or "boat under sail"? Who wrote that anyway? Sorry, I digress.)
That is a beer in Pete's hand, isn't it? In fact, it looks like everybody on board has one, including people who appear to be under 21. And our source says this was a conference sail.
But it can't be that because that would have been a flagrant violation of the Hoofer alcohol policy not to mention state law (underage drinking/serving alcohol to minors)--especially for a former commodore and education rep.
Maybe Peter can clarify some of this for us.
NOTE: If you have news to share, always try to send it asap because sometimes we are busy, out of town, partying, etc.
Thursday, August 20, 2015
CATCH P.D. IN 2015!
Where: The lakefront
When: Next Saturday
(see the flyer at right for details)
Speaking of flyers, it looks like someone has been taking them down almost as fast as we can put them up. So here are some tricks that might help:
1. Don't make them all the same color. If they're all exactly the same, they might be easier to spot from one kiosk to the next. But I think we're already doing this.
2. Use different flyers. Oh wait, I think we're doing that too.
3. Make them in different sizes. Again, harder to spot all of them. But dang, I think that's been tried as well.
4. Leave a stack of them at places like Ragstock, although that's been tried too, I believe.
5. Completely cover them with clear tape, thereby making them harder to tear down. At least, it will take a few seconds longer.
6. Superglue plexiglass over them?
7. We could recruit club members to stand guard at each one, and if someone starts to take one down, we can say: "Excuse me m'am/sir, but we're trying to publicize an important cultural event, and even though you can't participate, everyone else can.
Why are we posting flyers advertising P-Day to the public anyway? Are we actively trying to entice non-members to come steal boats at night..? Aren't there enough club members to man the boats? That may be since PD isn't the drunken party it used to be.
Also, a couple of our flyers had been covered up by someone else's. Not much we can do about that, but we did remove the offending ones.
Friday, July 31, 2015
Captain Partee!
No one who was on board is talking, maybe because the incident is still being investigated. The rumor is that there was plenty of alcohol on board. Yet, it still doesn't seem like it's the skipper's fault if someone who can't swim decides to jump overboard. Is it the pilot's fault if I pop the emergency door and bail out of an airplane at 37,000 feet? Not really.
However, the incomparable Michaela could be held accountable if Mohammad Bagabir was obviously drunk at the time he jumped into the water. That's because the skipper controls the flow of alcohol on board and is thus responsible for the behavior of drunk people on board. The skipper should also know who on board can swim and who can't. When I skipper and it's not all good friends on board, I ask everyone straightaway whether they can swim, just like on a lesson. That's common sense. I am frequently hammered, but that doesn't affect my decision-making with regard to swimming ability because people have been known to drown in their bathtubs, which means the lake is a dangerous place indeed.
Note that the HSC Ground School Manual states repeatedly:
Remember... you [the skipper] are responsible for everyone’s safety!! (p. 11)
You are ultimately responsible for the safety of the vessel and all crew. (p. 13)
it is important to recognize that the skipper is responsible for the safety of all your crew and equipment (your boat) at all times. (p. 15)
As skipper of your boat, you are ultimately responsible for the safety of your crew (p. 16)
The skipper of a boat is ultimately responsible for the safety of the crew and the boat at all times. (p. 17)
The skipper of a boat is ultimately responsible for the safety of the crew and the boat at all times. (p. 22)
Here's a link to Michaela's Facebook page... let her know what you think!
Tuesday, July 21, 2015
C-Cup '15 ROCKS!
Really, we are talking about rocks--literally. One big one in particular located between the sloop pier and mooring field. Anyone who's been on a Decoy lesson in the past several years has been made aware of this rock due to Decoy's 6' keel. To inaugurate C-Cup 2015, Capt. M. steered Decoy directly into the rock, jolting the keel so hard that everyone on board is still vibrating three days later. That also damaged the keel so badly that Decoy's season is finished. Permanently. The boat is "a total loss" and will likely never sail again.
Meanwhile, as of Tuesday evening, the lakefront is dead. Is it bowling night, or is C-Cup '15 a non-event? It is surprising given that this year's C-Cup is FREE! Which is unprecedented as far as we know, but the club is desperate for participants.
You don't even have to be a club member to participate. Anyone can join C-Cup this year--well, almost anyone. Tailoring the rules to exclude unpopular individuals seems unconstitutional, but Union Director Mark Guthier doesn't worry about such things as he operates in his own little universe.
Anyway, to get everyone juiced, here is a video of "battleship" played at C-Cup three years ago. Pretty tight.
And here is a post from 2013, when the catch phrase was "Make Better Friends". Huh?
And here is a write-up on last year's C-Cup--the first under the new alcohol policy.
Have fun and try not to let anyone embarrass you!
Meanwhile, as of Tuesday evening, the lakefront is dead. Is it bowling night, or is C-Cup '15 a non-event? It is surprising given that this year's C-Cup is FREE! Which is unprecedented as far as we know, but the club is desperate for participants.
You don't even have to be a club member to participate. Anyone can join C-Cup this year--well, almost anyone. Tailoring the rules to exclude unpopular individuals seems unconstitutional, but Union Director Mark Guthier doesn't worry about such things as he operates in his own little universe.
Anyway, to get everyone juiced, here is a video of "battleship" played at C-Cup three years ago. Pretty tight.
And here is a post from 2013, when the catch phrase was "Make Better Friends". Huh?
And here is a write-up on last year's C-Cup--the first under the new alcohol policy.
Have fun and try not to let anyone embarrass you!
Monday, June 29, 2015
Fire in the Works
Not to be outdone, the City of Madison is also flaunting its idiotic nature by holding the annual 4th-of-July fireworks a week before the 4th of July—on June 27. My housemates and I didn't even know about the fireworks until we heard them start at 10PM on Saturday night! Did everyone in city government just have a chemical lobotomy..?
Independence Day, as it's called, is a national holiday that occurs every year on July 4. Not July 3, not July 5, and definitely not in June. If the city can't afford a calendar, there are free ones online for shit's sake. Holding the fireworks a week early not only suggests the kind of inbred stupidity usually restricted to Appalachia but also offends one of the great American holiday traditions. This year they were called Shake the Lake due to an apparent lack of interest in funding "Rhythm and Booms" anymore. What?
Our bet is that the same people who organized R&B, er, S&L, are also active in lakefront planning. Perhaps the fireworks were held a week early so people can go see some real ones in Milwaukee next weekend. Yeah. We are so outta here.
Thursday, June 18, 2015
Comment on Hoofer Sailing death
The death of 22 year old Mohammad Bagabir, an Edgewood College student from Saudi Arabia who drowned after jumping off one of the Hoofer O'Day 25 cruisers on June 6, is a tragedy. Presumably he was a good swimmer or else he wouldn't have jumped in without a lifejacket. In hindsight, it's a bit surprising that something like this didn't happen sooner at HSC given the number of non-swimmers who go out on Hoofer boats (non-swimmers have always been required to wear a lifejacket).
Nevertheless, the rumored new rule that everyone will now have to wear lifejackets all the time is, if true, just the sort of reactionary and self-serving misdirection Union management and Hoofers have used for years to try to hide or sugarcoat things like discrimination, negligence, cronyism, criminal acts by Union employees, and so on. Forcing good swimmers to wear lifejackets on hot days in 5-10 knots of wind will only result in a lot more people jumping off boats.
The Dane County sheriff's statement, "Anytime you leave your boat, have access to a personal flotation device" is another not-quite-brilliant, canned comment which they're trained to provide. When you jump off a boat, you already have a flotation device: the boat. Of course, poor swimmers should also have flotables in the water with them.
Having swum off Hoofer boats many times myself, I can attest that entering the water from a moving boat and spinning around underwater can be extremely disorienting. Even very good swimmers should exercise caution. If you ever try that, wait until you stop spinning, relax, and don't exhale. Your body will orient itself and reveal which way is up. Most but not all people will also start to float slowly toward the surface (depends on your BMI). You can usually but not always also figure out which way is up by the light, but algae scatters sunlight underwater. The one thing you don't want to do is swim deeper, thinking that you're swimming toward the surface. That may sound dumb, but it's not hard to do.
If you're skippering a boat when someone jumps off, stop the boat immediately and throw your throwable(s). And don't rush to get back to the exact spot or you might run him/her over. This is for summer on Lake Mendota; in cold water or on big water, use the standard MOB procedure.
I for one would not recommend jumping off a moving boat at night. It can be very hard to figure out which way is up before your air runs out. Night swimming off anchored boats is much safer.
Nevertheless, the rumored new rule that everyone will now have to wear lifejackets all the time is, if true, just the sort of reactionary and self-serving misdirection Union management and Hoofers have used for years to try to hide or sugarcoat things like discrimination, negligence, cronyism, criminal acts by Union employees, and so on. Forcing good swimmers to wear lifejackets on hot days in 5-10 knots of wind will only result in a lot more people jumping off boats.
The Dane County sheriff's statement, "Anytime you leave your boat, have access to a personal flotation device" is another not-quite-brilliant, canned comment which they're trained to provide. When you jump off a boat, you already have a flotation device: the boat. Of course, poor swimmers should also have flotables in the water with them.
Having swum off Hoofer boats many times myself, I can attest that entering the water from a moving boat and spinning around underwater can be extremely disorienting. Even very good swimmers should exercise caution. If you ever try that, wait until you stop spinning, relax, and don't exhale. Your body will orient itself and reveal which way is up. Most but not all people will also start to float slowly toward the surface (depends on your BMI). You can usually but not always also figure out which way is up by the light, but algae scatters sunlight underwater. The one thing you don't want to do is swim deeper, thinking that you're swimming toward the surface. That may sound dumb, but it's not hard to do.
If you're skippering a boat when someone jumps off, stop the boat immediately and throw your throwable(s). And don't rush to get back to the exact spot or you might run him/her over. This is for summer on Lake Mendota; in cold water or on big water, use the standard MOB procedure.
I for one would not recommend jumping off a moving boat at night. It can be very hard to figure out which way is up before your air runs out. Night swimming off anchored boats is much safer.
Sunday, June 7, 2015
The first Hoofer Sailing death?
On Saturday, a man jumped off a Hoofer boat and disappeared. Did he actually drown..? (read the breaking news story here.)
Or is it perhaps a faked death, like in the movies where someone just wants to disappear..?
Stay tuned.
June 18 UPDATE: There have been some good comments, but on principal, we don't like to modify posts or edit their content once they're made. The bit about someone perhaps wanting to disappear was not intended to diminish the seriousness of a drowning.
Or is it perhaps a faked death, like in the movies where someone just wants to disappear..?
Stay tuned.
June 18 UPDATE: There have been some good comments, but on principal, we don't like to modify posts or edit their content once they're made. The bit about someone perhaps wanting to disappear was not intended to diminish the seriousness of a drowning.
Sunday, April 26, 2015
Sailing dangerously
For those who haven't already heard about it, a Saturday race in the Gulf off Alabama encountered a squall with gusts of "up to 70 mph". That's the typical force of a thunderstorm on Lake Mendota, the only difference being that waves don't build up on Mendota. On the Gulf, these sailors encountered "10 ft" waves--in 23 foot boats. Not a good combo even for experienced sailors. Of course, when you're in a 23 ft. boat, just about anything looks like a ten foot wave.
Imagine if last year's spring break cruisers had encountered such a storm. You can bet the damage would have been a lot more than $10k. We're still waiting on the damage reports from this year's "Hoofer-YachtXP" cruise.
Imagine if last year's spring break cruisers had encountered such a storm. You can bet the damage would have been a lot more than $10k. We're still waiting on the damage reports from this year's "Hoofer-YachtXP" cruise.
Monday, January 19, 2015
The XP factor
Why isn't HSC doing another spring break cruise this year? That's explained in our previous post. There have been other rumours, though, so maybe we shouldn't all have skipped all of the BOC meetings over break (Mike?)... there is a spring break cruise this year after all. Only, it's not an official Hoofers trip.
Why not? Because Hoofers can't or doesn't feel competent to run them anymore. Instead, a new organization, er, website has popped up (and a klunky one at that). All it is is a website created by JustinC last fall as a front for Greg Bammel to continue "Hoofer" spring break cruises in spite of the UW's (or the Union's) ban on them or refusal to approve or underwrite them. An LLC (limited liability company, as in, it's your fault not mine), YachtXP claims that it has 'partnered' with Hoofers to run another spring break cruise (despite the $10,000 in damages done last year). Although their website, too, claims sponsorship by HSC, the whole thing is just a way of getting around any prohibitions on further cruises. Why else wouldn't HSC organize and run the trip itself?
Hey, we're adults and we can flip off the UW and go sail in Florida if we want to, and get sh*t-faced too if we're over 18, er, 21.
How about this line in the terms and conditions: Any damages to YachtXP vessels may be charged directly to your credit card.
Evidently the organizers (hi Greg!) will be collecting credit card numbers before cast-off. What if I didn't cause the damage and it was the incompetent skipper's fault..? I think YachtXP derives its name from the fact that you'll need a PC running Windows XP (or Windows 7) to calculate all the damages come next April.
Why not? Because Hoofers can't or doesn't feel competent to run them anymore. Instead, a new organization, er, website has popped up (and a klunky one at that). All it is is a website created by JustinC last fall as a front for Greg Bammel to continue "Hoofer" spring break cruises in spite of the UW's (or the Union's) ban on them or refusal to approve or underwrite them. An LLC (limited liability company, as in, it's your fault not mine), YachtXP claims that it has 'partnered' with Hoofers to run another spring break cruise (despite the $10,000 in damages done last year). Although their website, too, claims sponsorship by HSC, the whole thing is just a way of getting around any prohibitions on further cruises. Why else wouldn't HSC organize and run the trip itself?
Hey, we're adults and we can flip off the UW and go sail in Florida if we want to, and get sh*t-faced too if we're over 18, er, 21.
How about this line in the terms and conditions: Any damages to YachtXP vessels may be charged directly to your credit card.
Evidently the organizers (hi Greg!) will be collecting credit card numbers before cast-off. What if I didn't cause the damage and it was the incompetent skipper's fault..? I think YachtXP derives its name from the fact that you'll need a PC running Windows XP (or Windows 7) to calculate all the damages come next April.
Sunday, January 11, 2015
Bahamas 2015?
Just kidding. There will be no club cruise this year due to the big screw-up last year. The fellas pictured at right are mostly to blame, some more than others (Hi Greg!). Collectively they and their crews did over $10,000 in damages to the charter boats last spring (March '14). As a result, the University has once again disallowed HSC club-sponsored cruises in Florida or anyplace else--indefinitely. THANKS, GUYZ.
It is sad that despite the presence of some truly expert sailors in the club, skippers were chosen largely based on their party reputation (hi Doug!) and on how much liquor they can hold (hi everyone!). Naturally, the party captains' party buddies were the first to sign up for the cruise, and you can imagine the rest. See this post for details on some of the damage done to the four boats last year.
It's doubly frustrating/amusing/depressing given that some club leaders worked so hard to get spring break cruises going again after a 20 year hiatus. That long absence was due also to UW Risk Management prohibiting club-sponsored cruises after the disaster in 1993 where major damage was done to several boats, including shredded mainsails, a burnt out engine, a punctured hull, lost equipment, etc. (Yeah, yeah, we know, that time it was the storm of the century, but what does that say about your seamanship..?)
The new Hoofer mantra might be: You can fool some of the people all of the time and all of the people some of the time, but you can't sail a charter yacht in a drunken stupor. Well, maybe once every 20 years.
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