Club Politics

Earlier today I had to take our pet-mouse, Olive, to the vet. The vet is close to Welsh Harp and we finished early. I know that the other two clubs who are based there, race on Tuesday and Thursday evenings like we (WSC) do on Wednesdays, so I thought I could go to the Harp to see some of the action and what time it gets dark and everything.

I arrived there, I saw quite a few cars in the car park, so I was sure there was some action. As soon as I got in, there was this lady at the gate who asked what I was doing there. I explained that I am a Wembley Club member. She told that there is nobody at the Wembley club today. I then had to explain to her that I know that, but I wanted to watch some racing and see how it is in the evening. I said I was a new member and I was trying to get a feeling of the place. Then she told me that she is from one of the other two clubs and she started asking me for how long I have been sailing, if I am a Wembley member club (I just told her that, didn’t I?) and that I shouldn’t be with WSC(!!!). She was saying that I had made a bad choice, as far as the club is concerned, that their club is better for beginners and that WSC is a pure racing club and no good for beginners because they don’t pay any attention to them. Then she told me I should go to their clubhouse to ask to speak to someone there that would give me more information.

Out of curiosity I went there to see where the whole thing would lead to. I asked for the guy, told him that the lady at the gate had sent me to him and I he told me the same things she told me, plus how good club they are, the fact that they train all new members to RYA Level 2 +, and then they “check you out” and you can sail on your own any time you want. He didn’t say that you shouldn’t sail when there is no safety boat on the water. He did mention though that completing the training is not the only requirement to check you out. They make sure you are responsible and you understand the dangers. Apparently they had an incident in the past where a newly checked out member took some friends cruising and they capsized in the far end of the harp without much help around. Since she was inexperienced she didn’t really know what to do, she panicked and never sailed again. Anyway, he told me everything about the training and the racing for new members they do while at WSC you end up crewing all the time for someone experienced and you don’t helm. He also told me that they have relatively new boats but WSC has old boats. Actually he was talking and not listening. Every time I tried to say something he interrupted me half way through my sentence.

Anyway I told him that I would see how it goes with WSC, since I am already a member there. The whole thing didn’t feel nice. To be honest, he managed to put some doubts inside me, but by the time I had arrived home I had dismissed them all. The reason? Wembley Sailing Club have treated me very well. They put me in a boat every time I have been there even if I was scheduled for another day, they have been flexible, accommodating and friendly. The thing is that even if these people who tried to “recruit” me were right in everything they said, it didn’t feel good. They shouldn’t make a beginner, like me, feel uneasy. I know some people who could be put-off sailing altogether. Intimidating and scaring people off is not good for your sport no matter which sport it is.

I don’t know I might have misunderstood the whole thing, but I don’t feel good. I am trying to block it out and not pay too much attention to it. At least I know WSC don’t “bitch” about the other clubs and on Sunday I can sail without an instructor and I don’t need to be “checked out”. I have completed RYA 1 and they trust me to use their boats as long as there is a safety boat in. At the other club I would need to spend at least 2 months training with an instructor and another “student” in the boat.