Yachtsman of the Year: Envelope please

Midwinter 2005

By Tom Snyder

I would like to use this space to thank everyone who voted for me as the Yachtsman of the Year for the region extending from Cape Elizabeth to the southern tip of Peaks Island. Those who went to bat for me on this one, and you know who you are (and I know who didn’t) can be proud to know that your vote counted and counted for something important.

As nearly everyone in the sailing community now knows, this was the first year that such a long overdue award has been given. For decades, thousands have complained that no group had been assembled to adequately recognize the person who each year outperforms all of his or her rivals in the most important categories of boating. Well, that group has been assembled, they have chosen their categories, and they have chosen their man.

The weak link in any group of people who give out awards is the group itself. Are they qualified to review the field of candidates, to set up fair elections, and to monitor themselves? In this case, the answer is yes, yes, and yes. How do I know? Six months ago, I was lucky enough to be asked by the head of The Association for Recognizing Better Yachtsmen to act as a consultant. Because they were understaffed, and because I am the kind of person who likes to help the “next fellow,” I agreed to give of my time. So I was able to observe, as an outsider, the inner workings, the day to day, the behind the scenes – the inside of the sausage factory, if you will.

I am getting a bit ahead of the story. I should first explain that 12 months ago I was asked to create an entity to be known as The Association for Recognizing Better Yachtsmen. Because I had the time and the skills, I agreed to be, on an interim basis, the head of such a group. Who asked me to do this? That is truly not the point, nor do I have the time to chase after names.

More importantly, what did I see from the inside? I saw a group who argued brilliantly and long into the night about what is the most important quality in a Yachtsman. What category of excellence encompasses and outweighs all others? At one point, they were so deadlocked in their debate, they turned to me, an outsider, for perspective. I, of course, begged off, not wanting to interfere, though I did suggest that in a curious way, money spent on a yacht is not a bad measure of seamanship.

This led to a fascinating discussion about willingness to spend top dollar, to have other people work on your boat, to buy the latest gear. To make a long story short, they had found their categories, or category, to be specific. It was: willingness to spend money without reserve.

What else did I see from the inside? I saw a group whose members exhausted themselves scouring the region for appropriate award candidates. They were so spent that they finally had to ask me to oversee that particular function. And why were they so tired? They were tired because they had set their standards so admirably high that they could not find anyone to measure up. I reminded them that it is not failure to find only one or two candidates. In the end, they chose one candidate, and they felt good about it. Time to vote.

Voting is a process that can build strong democracies or tear primitive states to shreds. We certainly were aware of this when we set up our voting procedures. Just one corrupt election would forever destroy public confidence is this award. Here’s what the group decided. We hung posters with a list of the nominated candidates in public areas. People wishing to vote were instructed to mail their vote to a specified address along with a handling fee of $25. People also were informed that voting more than once was a violation of all we hold sacred. The election went smoothly; there were no complaints, which is more then I can say for Croatia.

The hard thing about any contest is that there must be both winners and losers. For example, we can only guess how disappointed someone like Dodge Morgan must feel even as this issue goes to print. But fair is fair. There will be other years, other categories and other chances to win, and perhaps this can serve as a wakeup call for those who try to save a little money by working on their own boats.

And I would like to extend a gracious hand to the losers – a hand that says, “It feels good to go yachting, and it feels even better to win an award.” Thank you.

Tom Snyder sails out of Peaks Island, Maine.