C-Cup report

It's been a fun week so far, with the winning team to be announced tonight. Also a special week with the 75th anniversary. Perhaps the strangest thing so far has been yesterday's "beer garden" right outside the clubhouse/Mendota lounge. It was standing room only--probably because all you could do was stand. No place to sit, and no more enjoying a beer under the canopy or anyplace else either.

The Union really likes this arrangement because they can keep an eye on us there with all the surveillance cameras. If anyone tries to leave the fenced-in area with a beer or give a beer away, they've gotcha. And there were enforcers everywhere--servers, guards, security, building managers, other paid losers checking wrist bands, etc. Susan Dibbell even made an appearance so she could provide Union director Guthier with a first hand report.

Anyway, gotta get moving here... we are leaving (by boat!) for the reception at Jo's within the hour. Well try to get some shots of the formal sail there. More later.

Cold sober

Comin' up, it's COMMODORE'S CUP July 18-26!

C-Cup '14 will have all kinds of fun including: sailing, urinating, throwing things, vomiting, mooning the Betty Lou, and... NO BEER.

Yes, read that again: NO BEER!

The plans were originally to have beer service, but this changed due to the new rules which are starting to get really annoying. As explained now on the C-Cup Facebook page:

"There will be no beer service this year as our budget cannot pay to have paid security at our event."

Wow. Some of you already new that, but this is a landmark event--a sea change in HSC operations. Of curse, you can walk back and forth to the Terrace and get beer, but that just ain't the same. What kind of party is it when you have to run to the nearest bar every time you want another cup of beer..? Aack.

Hey you! Lemme see that water bottle!

Carologue

Check out this Hoofer blog written by Carol -----. Long-time Hoofers will know who she is since she used to be very involved in the clubs. Her post is a bit off-the-wall, with some, er, colorful language, but it contains some very interesting stuff (and links). We really like some of her terms: scheme, power structures, horrific, and kafkaesque.

It might be a good idea to post any comments here as well as on her blog which she may or may not still be checking.

Guthier's wet dream

We often slam HSC in this forum just because there's so much crap going on that deserves to be criticized. But this time we agree with this recent discussion started by Erin Luken about the Union's new alcohol policy. Also this thread (be sure to expand comments).

The new policy basically prohibits any and all alcohol at Hoofers except for beer sold through catering (with their great selection and pricing). This "prohibition" even includes beer/alcohol on boats, even on keelboats on Friday and Saturday night! We know they are serious because of all the alcohol monitors, building managers, etc on patrol at Pirate's Day. The new policy is Nazi bullshit. Why?

1. Wisconsin has a tradition of drunkenness, ranking #1 in the U.S. in binge drinking, #1 in heavy drinkers (ref2), #5 in beer consumption. and at or near the top in total alcohol consumption. The Union director is from Indiana so he doesn't understand this. (And that beer ranking is a little hard to believe too--we must be higher than that.)

2. Wisconsin is #1 in drunk driving and is the only state where first-time drunken driving is not a crime (alt ref). This means we can handle our liquor.

3. Alcohol tastes good, especially mixed with other kinds of alcohol. (Iced tea anyone?)

As a longtime HSC member, I am personally offended that management believe we can't handle our liquor. Do they expect us to sail sober? Even on a Monday or Tues afternoon lesson, there is usually beer on board. This is because alcohol helps protect against sunburn and skin cancer if you forgot your sunscreen (which is likely if you've been drinking). What right does the UW have to endanger students' health and safety by making us go out without protection?

As I type this, I'm looking at a red and white cooler under the next desk.... it is opaque. Huh.

Hoofer Haven

In a recent email to J-sailors, our illustrious fleet captain (a convicted felon?) wrote:

"Your instructor will check to see that you have done these hours before logging your new rating."

He claims that paid instructors have to do 3 work hours before getting any J ratings--just like everybody else--and then another 3 to maintain their fleet ratings each year.

Having been an instructor for several years now, I can confirm that instructors do not have to do J work hours to maintain their J ratings each year. They may technically be required to, but guess who enforces that rule..? There is nothing wrong with the requirement itself--it's a good one in that it helps promote involvement (of a sort) by club members. What irks me and others is the duplicity of BOC who claim they have to do those work hours too. Then they'll tell about all the other work they supposedly do for the club... like getting hammered at BOC meetings twice a month, and pier-in. Woo hoo.

As for having ex-cons on the BOC, I for one am all about second chances, but abusing and harassing innocent people while at the same time allowing ex-cons to run HSC just isn't right. In Jeff's defense, there are other felons working at the Union and Hoofers too, as well as some ex-employees.

fel·on ¹ (fĕl′ən)
n.
1. Law One who has committed a felony.
2. Archaic An evil person.

Note that you don't have to be convicted of a felony to be considered a felon; all you have to do is to have committed a felony. Many people get away with their crimes--especially State employees.

On a related topic, the website notes the increase in membership prices this season (except for instructors and their buddies, of course, who still get free memberships) and states:

"we will be increasing our Summer and Annual memberships rates on June 1, 2014 by only $10 for students and $15 for Union and Faculty/Staff."

Yet, on the membership page, the Union member rate is going from $295 to $315. That's $20 guys, not 15. Maybe you should take a break from texting during math class next fall. Note that membership rates are in effect going up an additional $5 because the deposit refund is being reduced from $65 to $60 (not that anyone gets their deposit back anyway.)

Blue Water Cruising

Finally some good news. On Sunday and Mon evenings, former commodore Pam Wall gave a nice slide-show presentation on her six year cruise around the world with her family. Much of the Sunday talk was friendly banter with the 25-30 people who attended, padded with sailing 101 stuff, e.g. "connect the halyard to the sail before raising it". Of course, if you're cruising across the Pacific solo and start cranking up a halyard with nothing attached to it, you could be in trouble...

Talking about their cruising equipment, e.g. sewn canvas dodgers (to keep water out of the hatches), mast steps (for climbing the mast), running lights mounted high up by the lifelines, using the whisker pole for wing-on-wing, etc, Pam said: "None of this stuff was our idea. This is all from looking at other boats and seeing what works."

Indeed, much of it is just common sense.

A better source for info on cruising equipment, rigging, safety at sea, and emergency conditions is Royce's Sailing Illustrated. There are lots of books out there on sailing, but Royce's is the only one that's a must-have (see sample page at right—picked especially for Hoofers! :) Known as "the sailor's bible", it puts the U.S. Sailing books (e.g. Basic Keelboat, Bareboat Cruising, etc.) to shame. And those are not bad books.