Tips for the subtle art of easing off crew

SAILING:THE DELICATE issue of hiring and firing crew on racing yachts was to the fore at the recent Irish Cruiser Racing Association (ICRA) conference in Cork, where several presentations on Ireland's success at the Commodores' Cup in August were made.

Crew selection was identified as critical to deciding who wins an event at the peak of amateur racing in this branch of the sport. It comes with unique hurdles to overcome.

To get the balance of skills matched on various boats, crew changes were needed, often involving long-standing friendships which were, in some cases, irreparably damaged.

Speaking to The Irish Times, two of the senior crew-members from the combined squad, which comprised nearly 50 sailors, offered insights into the lessons learnt and how these can be used in club racing, where crew selection is the exception and not the norm.

“We changed one crucial position and it was looked at a year ago,” said marinerscove.ie crewman Tom Murphy. “It was one of the guys who was very close to all of us; it was discussed with him and he was willing to step aside, but it was a very tough conversation to have.

“We brought good guys on board,” he continued, “and we were able to see who was willing to put in the effort and come on and those that weren’t, and suddenly you’re faced with having to tell them that they’re not on your boat, but I wasn’t prepared to do it.”

Years ago Murphy went to Britain to study and sailed on good boats from Hamble, and he saw how people were “eased” off boats – and was eased himself.

“Initially, you’re angry but then realise ‘I learnt a lot on that boat’, so if asked to go again you would. That’s how I learnt to deal with it on a personal level.”

Murphy returned to sail on his father’s boat, which hadn’t been winning at that time, and soon a lot of crew were dropped.

“It was hard to do, but once we did it we started winning Cork Week and Cowes after that, as we had built a nucleus of good crew that stuck with us. We also told some fellas that they mightn’t make it to the major events but we tried to bring them along to help out at the event though not actually sail. Sometimes the tough decisions have to be made.”

So is there an ideal way to drop someone from a crew? “I don’t think there is an easy way,” said Maurice O’Connell of North Sails Ireland, who was the professional on Roxy 6. “Nobody likes doing it, but it’s most important to be honest and not to delay, that way you can’t be accused of doing anything other than the right thing.”

Where a lot of skippers and crew bosses make a mistake is that they string people along under false pretences by making them think they’ll make the final crew panel for a particular event, or they give people an incorrect steer on how good they are.

Which may be all very well for Commodores’ Cup, but what about at club level – is it possible to ease crew that aren’t performing?

“It’s not like it’s the Irish rugby team where people are getting paid,” said O’Connell. “It’s their holiday time they’re giving up so you have to be careful not to de-motivate or demoralise them as well.”

“For a big boat, you need a panel of people and, like a subs bench you can pick from. But flicking people off a boat at club level – you’d want to be very careful. It’s a different game and building consistent performance at weekly events is key.”

There are several models, according to O’Connell. For a 30-foot boat that needs seven crew, a season may involve a panel of 10 or 12 people to pick from as not everyone can make every race.

“But you have to build a team as well, so if there’s someone on a boat lacking skills, its incumbent on the owner/skipper to develop these so you build your (club) racing team and panel with committed people.