Become a Club Senior Skipper

Senior Skipper Qualification Process

(Approved August 15, 2005)

Summary

The Sailing Club, Inc. is continually interested in improving the safety and sailing skills of its membership, and in particular, in the skills of those who volunteer as Skippers on Club trips. This document has been developed to provide a definitive process for the identification and qualification of the role of Senior Skipper as the evaluator of a skipper-candidate, and the identification of the information and skills necessary for such qualification. The specific duties and responsibilities of a Senior Skipper are outlined in Appendix A. No one may serve as a Senior Skipper who is not a Club Qualified Skipper. In addition, the use of the term Senior Skipper does not connote any special rank or status in the Club, nor does it mean to imply any special abilities above a Club-qualified Skipper, other than those described herein.

Qualification

Qualification Criteria

The qualities of a Senior Skipper that distinguishes one from Skipper are less tangible but equally as important as those skills identified in the Skipper Qualification Process <LINK>. Among the more important assets are a widely demonstrated ability to interact with crew having diverse experience levels, and a successful history mentoring less experienced Skippers, First Mates and crew. Equally as important is having the trust and respect of club members in general as demonstrated by the extent that the opinions and leadership of the individual are sough and valued. A candidate for Senior Skipper shall also have demonstrated an ability to evaluate others and adequately communicate that evaluation.

To be nominated for Senior Skipper, one must have been a Club-Qualified Skipper for at least two full sailing seasons. In addition, the candidate must have served as Trip or Assistant Trip Leader in at least two of the previous five seasons. These requirements are to ensure that the candidate has reasonable familiarity with current Club processes and procedures.

The qualification process has two basic steps as identified below:

Step 1 Nomination

In this step, a Club-Qualified Skipper, who has met the above requirements, is nominated to be a Club Senior Skipper. The nomination may either come in a letter of nomination from the Training Coordinator to the Board, or, alternatively, in a letter of nomination signed jointly by at least three (3) current Club Skippers to the Training Coordinator. Any Club-Qualified Skipper may make a request to the Training Coordinator for consideration as a Senior Skipper.

Once a Skipper has been so nominated, it is the Training Coordinator’s responsibility to ascertain that the candidate will accept the nomination and that he or she is fully aware of and prepared to accept the additional duties and responsibilities of being a Senior Skipper, as well as the requirements for retaining this status, as described below.

Only the Senior Skipper candidate may withdraw his or her nomination, in writing to the Training Coordinator. Email is an acceptable medium for said withdrawal.

Step 2 Trustee Approval

Step 2 involves presenting the nomination to the Board of Trustees for approval by the Training Committee Chair (which may also be the Training Coordinator). The presentation shall include the candidate’s sailing history and reasons for the nomination. The Training Committee Chair may request that the Training Coordinator make the presentation on his/her behalf. Upon approval by the Board, the candidate shall be immediately considered a Senior Skipper. Any candidate not approved shall not be eligible again for twelve months from the date of nomination.

Removal of Senior Skipper Responsibilities for Inactivity

A Senior Skipper who is removed from the active Skippers list shall also be removed from the list of Senior Skippers, and must re-qualify according to the procedures described in this document. Additionally, a Senior Skipper may have Senior status revoked if he or she fails to complete a candidate evaluation without an acceptable reason which is to be verified by the Training Coordinator. A Senior Skipper may not refuse two successive evaluation requests for any reason for trips he/she is enrolled in.

Removal from Senior Skipper Qualification Roster for Cause

A Senior Skipper who has been removed for cause as a Club-Qualified Skipper shall also be removed from the list of Senior Skippers, and must re-qualify according to the procedures described in this document.

Appendix A
Specific Duties and Responsibilities when performing as a Senior Skipper

The overarching purpose for the position of Senior Skipper is for the evaluation of Skipper (and First Mate) candidates through direct observation during “check-rides” on a Sailing Club trip. Within that framework the duties and responsibilities for a Senior Skipper are described below. (Note that other Skippers may evaluate First Mates, as set forth in the First Mate Qualification Process document.)

  • Pre-trip

    • Participate in the skippers’ meeting for the particular trip.

      • Assist in crew assignment for skipper and first mate candidates.

      • Provide evaluations for skipper and first mate candidates

      • Mentor and assist lesser-experienced skippers and first mates as requested or needed.

    • Prepare for trip

      • Discuss qualification process and requirements with candidate

      • Discuss check ride process/expectations with candidate

  • Trip

    • Observe Skipper (or First Mate) candidates acting in that role throughout trip

      • Provide support and encouragement during check ride.

      • iProvide feedback on performance at least daily.

    • Provide support for Trip Leaders and other skippers as necessary.

  • Post-trip

    • Share final verbal summary of evaluation with candidate.

    • Submit written evaluations of candidates within two (2) weeks of trip completion.