The New Commodore

And so the yacht club has a new commodore. Many of the members are excited about his election. And it has triggered me to make an important decision...

To be sure not all the members are welcoming the election of our new leader. Some are concerned that he is a body surfer from Hawaii. We've never had a body surfer from Hawaii as commodore before and some of the crustier old members can't handle it. I say, get over it. Body surfers are sailors too. Or something.

Some even say he used to pal around with cat sailors. So what? Maybe he learned something useful from hanging out with cat sailors, though I can't imagine what.

But, as I said, most members are thrilled about our new commodore. To be sure he has a tough time ahead of him. As my friend Greg Andkris said, the previous commodore "nearly bankrupted the club over the past eight years, pursuing international domination in events that were not recognized as important by our club members." However, there's every reason to believe that, with support from all the members, the new guy will be able to correct the course the club has been sailing and steer us into calmer waters.

And now I have a confession to make. I'm not really a member of this club. Sure, I've been sailing here for twenty years but I never applied for full membership. I have one of those weird provisional memberships which lets me participate in all the club activities, and I do have to pay the same dues as the rest of you. Only difference is that I don't get to vote in club elections, which is a shame because I would love to have cast my vote for the new commodore. Here look, here's my membership card. No, it's not green. Why would you think that? It's pink.

I'm actually still a member of UKYC. That's that quaint little old club on the other side of the lake. It was quite a fine institution in its day but has fallen on hard times recently. The commodore is that doddery old girl who has been in the job for over 50 years. They say that when she kicks the bucket her crazy son with the big ears will take over. What a way to run a yacht club!

I have no real excuse for not applying for full membership of USYC before. I love the club. The members are very friendly, the grounds are magnificent, and the sailing waters are second to none. And I have long admired the ideals that led the founding members to create this unique society.

But the truth is that, much as I love the club. I haven't had a lot of faith in its leadership while I've been sailing here. At least, not until now.

The 41st commodore was an accomplished fellow, but he always seemed a bit of a wimp to me. After he promised that he would never raise the dues, and then went ahead and did exactly that, I lost all faith in him.

I had high hopes of the 42nd commodore. He seemed to have a lot of good ideas and he certainly put the club finances on a sound footing. But I could see right from the beginning that he was a bit of a lady's man. And he totally lost my respect after that unfortunate incident with the young female sailing instructor in the locker room.

What can I say about #43? I suppose the members elected him because he was a good chap to have a beer with in the club bar. But what kind of qualification for leadership is that? I think most members of the club are now relieved that his term is over. I hear that he is going to give up sailing for good and take up riding horses instead.

And so we are all looking forward to #44. He has promised change for the club. God knows we need it. I wish him well. And now that the club has a leader whom I admire personally and whose philosophy I share, I think it's time I signed up for full membership.