# Why do skippers yell?



## MedSailor (Mar 30, 2008)

In the "Mutiny a Dawn" thread we have a classic/extreme caricature of the racing skipper who is a yeller. But this feature is not at all unique to this particular boat. In fact it's so common, that it's a stereotype.










I can't tell you how many times I've been told about a captain in this way, "You should go race with Bob. He's a great skipper and don't worry he's not a yeller."

It's so common it seems, that in a two sentence bio, it must be commented on. Why is that? Is there a certain personality type (that has high blood pressure ) that gravitates to sailboat racing? Or is it the position of skipper that somehow turns a normal person into a yelling Napoleon? After all, (with the referenced thread being an exception) it is usually the Skipper doing all the yelling and not the rail-meat or fore-deck.

In our polite society the kind of behavior I've been witness to, and on the receiving end of, on boats would NEVER fly. I know at my organization if even a highly valuable employee had a vein-bulging rage fit they'd be fired that day.

There are some areas of our society where yelling is normal and expected. Drill sergeants at boot camp are one example that comes to mind. Is sailing enough like these areas of the military that it serves a useful purpose?

In families and relationships it seems specific to the family/relationship. In my family yelling was never okay. In other families it is a normal means of communication. As a consequence I probably take yelling more personally than someone from an "Irish/Italian/insert stereotype" yelling family. So at the risk of getting Freudian, is it their upbringing?

*So what is it then? Why are so many racing skippers yellers?*

*Please discuss, and as always....*









MedSailor


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## JomsViking (Apr 28, 2007)

The heat of the moment (race). 
Most skippers I've raced with doesn't yell (but do sometimes raise their voice to be heard on the foredeck, whatever. We broached recently and I yelled "hang on" then.....


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## Irunbird (Aug 10, 2008)

I'll confess right now that I did this when I was new to the sport, but only had my wife as crew.. Although my yelling was nowhere near as bad as I've heard on other boats, it was enough for me to realize I had to change that behavior or not sail with her again- or worse, make her not interested in sailing ever. Since we then moved from Tucson (no sailing) to Charleston (year-round sailing), I can say that I overcame that little personality problem and know at least one cause- lack in ability to properly direct crew and inform them of all maneuvers while under way. We're all human, and humans make mistakes- regardless of experience. This sport can be one of the more complicated (depending on the boat), but the less experience you and your crew have on the boat, the lower your expectations should be of how smoothly things go. Our priorities are #1. safety, #2. have fun, and #3 beat at least somebody (if racing). We survived those first few months, and I think my wife realized at the time that I was in very unfamiliar territory and was willing to give me a lot of latitude as a new skipper.


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## JomsViking (Apr 28, 2007)

Respect!



Irunbird said:


> I'll confess right now that I did this when I was new to the sport, but only had my wife as crew.. Although my yelling was nowhere near as bad as I've heard on other boats, it was enough for me to realize I had to change that behavior or not sail with her again- or worse, make her not interested in sailing ever. Since we then moved from Tucson (no sailing) to Charleston (year-round sailing), I can say that I overcame that little personality problem and know at least one cause- lack in ability to properly direct crew and inform them of all maneuvers while under way. We're all human, and humans make mistakes- regardless of experience. This sport can be one of the more complicated (depending on the boat), but the less experience you and your crew have on the boat, the lower your expectations should be of how smoothly things go. Our priorities are #1. safety, #2. have fun, and #3 beat at least somebody (if racing). We survived those first few months, and I think my wife realized at the time that I was in very unfamiliar territory and was willing to give me a lot of latitude as a new skipper.


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## Sabreman (Sep 23, 2006)

I consider yelling a sign of weakness and insecurity. A quiet boat is often highly competent. 

Many years ago I witnessed a powerboat owner yelling at his wife as she tried to back their 40' sport fisher into a slip. She walked off the fly bridge with the boat in reverse. He got what he deserved.


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## poopdeckpappy (Jul 25, 2006)

I'm no racer but i'll throw this in here, lack of confidence in the ability as leader?, lack of clear communication skills?

I know when I got back to sailing after offroad racing i had a hard time adjust from 80-100mph across open desert to 6,7,8 kts across open water, for the first several months I found myself trying to preload my suspension at the base of every swell and being really frustrated at not getting air.

So maybe it's fraustration at not reaching or maintaining a pre-concived level of preformance


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## Tim R. (Mar 23, 2003)

We have a rule on our boat. If it is important and time sensitive, yell. Applies to all persons on board.


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## Donna_F (Nov 7, 2005)

With the exception of yelling to be heard over noise or possibly when the other person is unknowingly in danger, there is no excuse and it isn't necessary. Hand signals or headphones work much better. I've seen quite a few boats where the helmsman and crew do perfectly well in silence using hand signals. I also like the idea of the headphones on larger boats.


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## hellosailor (Apr 11, 2006)

Well, why does _anyone _yell?

The purpose of racing is usually winning, which means the skipper has entered a competition for the purposes of competing and presumably winning, and probably put a lot of money into it (whatever "a lot" means to them) since you win races by having the best crew and the best stuff, and stuff costs money. You can't buy luck but that of course helps too.

So perhaps it is just that the Type-A personalities pick the sport where they can make a big deal of competing and winning, and the quieter folks are finding something else to do. Like, cruise.

I'd think you have cause and effect mixed up: Not that racing skippers yell, but that yellers captain racing boats.


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## lapworth (Dec 19, 2008)

I think yelling has a purpose. I yell at my work crew if there doing things wrong. If you over do it, yelling has no effect. Coaches,generals or other people in charge yell. I also use yelling on my dog. Sometimes a low growl pitch to show I'm mad. Other time a high pitch for play. YOU CAN EVEN YELL WHEN YOU WRITE!!!!


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## MedSailor (Mar 30, 2008)

lapworth said:


> I think yelling has a purpose. I yell at my work crew if there doing things wrong. If you over do it, yelling has no effect. Coaches,generals or other people in charge yell. I also use yelling on my dog. Sometimes a low growl pitch to show I'm mad. Other time a high pitch for play. YOU CAN EVEN YELL WHEN YOU WRITE!!!!


If a skipper growls at me, I would think it's time to swim for it! 

MedSailor


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## capta (Jun 27, 2011)

It seems to me that most of the captains I see yelling on their boats (in anything less than a gale and then to be heard) are not in their "comfort zone". Though they may be very experienced, at that moment they may be a bit uncertain of the correct action that should be taken and since their voice lacks confidence, they over react by yelling.
In well over 30 years as a licensed captain and many more before that as owner/captain, I have learned that yelling is counter productive in any stressful situation, especially with inexperienced crew. A calm, confident and steady voice, conveying just the information necessary to accomplish whatever it is I desire done, gets a lot better results than yelling and berating the people who are trying their very best to get done what I am asking. If someone on a crew of mine deserves to be yelled at, then they most likely will not remain a member of my crew very long. A well trained crew needs only minimal conversation to carry out most tasks, so from "stand by to come about" to sailing on the other tack, the only other thing I believe I should have to say is "hard a-lee".


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## SlowButSteady (Feb 17, 2010)

Sabreman said:


> I consider yelling a sign of weakness and insecurity. A quiet boat is often highly competent. ...


I think that's exactly right. I've been on several large research vessels. Captains and crews (boat crew, not research personnel) of such ships are almost always _*very*_ experienced and _*very*_ professional. The only time I can ever recall the Captain of such a boat yelling at anyone was when one of them caught a couple of students smoking a joint on and 80+ foot boat on a class day cruise.

On the other hand....
While I don't race, I have on many occasions heard racing skippers on nearby boats _*screaming*_ at their crew, at other boats, at the wind....et cetera. Why? See above.


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## poopdeckpappy (Jul 25, 2006)

I just discovered another reason why skippers yell, when a new ratcheting 7/16th boxed end wrench decides it's too hot to work and goes for a swim and THEN doesn't bother to return.............the Lil sh*t


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## jephotog (Feb 25, 2002)

Yelling is a perfectly acceptable form of communication on a racing sailboat. Yelling is a way to be heard above the many other voices on the boat and to let someone on the other end of the line your needs should be prioritized. Its the screamers you have to worry about.


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## blt2ski (May 5, 2005)

jephotog said:


> Yelling is a perfectly acceptable form of communication on a racing sailboat. Yelling is a way to be heard above the many other voices on the boat and to let someone on the other end of the line your needs should be prioritized. Its the screamers you have to worry about.


Me feels this is a better way to put it. Yelling to be heard is ok, or to have the captain/skipper(me) which is reasonably deaf hear you.

Sometimes one has to YELL when a boat is coming on port, to make sure they know you are there and have rights as starboard boat. Or other rights on course, fouls, protests etc.

Swearing or other shall we say derogatory comments, should not be heard!

Marty


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## MarkSF (Feb 21, 2011)

"Is there a certain personality type (that has high blood pressure ) that gravitates to sailboat racing?"

Yes.

(tongue in cheek)

(well, mostly)


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## abrahamx (Apr 3, 2006)

capta said:


> It seems to me that most of the captains I see yelling on their boats (in anything less than a gale and then to be heard) are not in their "comfort zone". Though they may be very experienced, at that moment they may be a bit uncertain of the correct action that should be taken and since their voice lacks confidence, they over react by yelling.
> In well over 30 years as a licensed captain and many more before that as owner/captain, I have learned that yelling is counter productive in any stressful situation, especially with inexperienced crew. A calm, confident and steady voice, conveying just the information necessary to accomplish whatever it is I desire done, gets a lot better results than yelling and berating the people who are trying their very best to get done what I am asking. If someone on a crew of mine deserves to be yelled at, then they most likely will not remain a member of my crew very long. A well trained crew needs only minimal conversation to carry out most tasks, so from "stand by to come about" to sailing on the other tack, the only other thing I believe I should have to say is "hard a-lee".


 We're talking yell here right? Berate is another topic entirely. I guess yelling can be looked at differently and is a fairly broad term. I figure yelling is for volume so one can hear you. If the op means berate then that is a whole nother story.


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## blt2ski (May 5, 2005)

Med,

As a few of us are pointing out, are we disCUSSing "yelling" to be heard across 30-50' of deck to give a command.......or are we disCUSSing the skipper the CUSS's, berates, says derogatory comments to crew etc?!?!?!?

I personally am seeing many of us describing "YELLING" in two different ways.

Marty


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## jephotog (Feb 25, 2002)

Screaming is seldom an affective racing strategy. Usually the screamers are screaming because his crew sucks because good sailors usually avoid his boat.

The best part of racing is being on a non screaming boat. Disappointment at the mark as your nemesis rounds in front of you then.... their spinnaker does not go up smoothly Your spinnaker goes up as planned and your slides past you hear the Captain screaming at his wife somewhere forward, her screaming back. If they were quiet they would hear the boats around them laughing as they pass them.


Boats on the course need to communicate with each other and yelling across the water while two boats near a mark or starting line can get interesting and is a large part of the game where tactics knowledge and aggression can make a difference in the race.


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## MedSailor (Mar 30, 2008)

blt2ski said:


> Med,
> 
> As a few of us are pointing out, are we disCUSSing "yelling" to be heard across 30-50' of deck to give a command.......or are we disCUSSing the skipper the CUSS's, berates, says derogatory comments to crew etc?!?!?!?
> 
> ...


I like the distinction that was made between "yelling" (speaking loudly) and "screaming" (berating angry yelling).

The topic I posed is more about the skipper SCREAMING and berating rather than elevating the volume of his/her voice in order to be heard. Turning up the volume makes sense when there is wind and other things that impair hearing (though that can still be misinterpreted by the receiver as screaming).

I'm giving some thought to what's been proposed about insecurities about the situation or things not going as planned in ones head. I don't scream at my crew, because my crew is usually my wife, and I really want to to continue to be both wife and crew. 

Recently however, I did yell (scream?) briefly and I immediately regretted it and apologized later. I was surprised at myself that I let myself do that, but it absolutely WAS a situation that wasn't going as I planned and I wasn't confident I could easily get us out of it at that moment. The situation BTW was a last minute aborted docking (it was an unmarked ferry dock and the ferry was right behind me) followed by my docking in an unfavorable wind in a hastily chosen slip.

So yes, we're discussing why skippers SCREAM. Yelling of the most ugly kind. 

MedSailor


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## tdw (Oct 2, 2006)

Fair amount of difference between yelling and screaming, the former is sometimes excusable indeed necessary but the latter does tend to betray insecurity. I know cos I've been guilty of that. 

Otoh, one of the reasons I choose not to race on a regular basis is that in reality I am simply way to competitive and so often, it is in the heat of battle that the shouter comes out to play.


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## THEFRENCHA (Jan 26, 2003)

I believe it's all a question of tone and words.
In a race you are in competition mode and you can yell to motivate and encourage your team. That's motivational yelling on a positive way.
Why would a crew accept to get insulted by a skipper is beyond my understanding
Last time an unhappy, unsecured skipper yield at me I stopped doing anything and asked to be brought back to the dock immediately. And 2 other followed in silence. Any good crew can find a good spot on a good boat.


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## sailordave (Jun 26, 2001)

As I just said this past weekend. I may yell TO you (to be heard) but I will not yell AT you. 

Yelling pretty much means you've lost control if it's done to berate or criticize someone and you can forget having a productive outcome.

If it's b/c there is some emergency or urgent condition then all bets are off of course.


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## Geoff54 (Oct 30, 2011)

Without wishing to delve into the underlying psychology, there is a certain personality weakness that causes some people to turn in absolute a**holes if put in a position of power. Being in charge of a boat creates a position of power without many of the restraining influences that would be present in most other circumstances. And that's before you add in the stress and excitement of racing.

Often those that I sail with know more than me so I can learn something along the way and I enjoy the discussions. That just wouldn't happen if there was a lot yelling. But I do have a magic word which means, "just do it and do it now". So far I have used it a grand total of once, when the person on the helm was heading towards some submerged rocks and didn't want to tack yet  - In retrospect, I could have probably handled it better but I was starting to panic. 

On other peoples boats, I have been yelled at.... also once. We had three "incidents" on that trip, all avoidable, and one of which was to run aground, despite two of us advising that the harbor approach he wanted to make was too risky and that we should wait for the tide. The skipper was very experienced and while I like him as a person, I have never sailed with him since. 

I'm not really sure what my waffling is all about except that life is far too short to be yelling at someone... unless they truly deserve it


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## pdqaltair (Nov 14, 2008)

Yes, screaming is a problem. A few thoughts not mentioned:

* Often crew members confuse yelling (to be heard above the wind and engine) with screaming. Often it is hard to tell how loud you need to be.
* Sometimes yelling (not screaming) follows a request when the initial request got no response. The person in question simply was not paying attention the first time, and is offended the second.
* Often folks offer to help, thinking it will be no more complex of physical than an offer to set the table. They think offering help is a politeness, not a promise to approach a task with focus and commitment. These folks just don't understand sailing or sports involving commitment and frankly, the skipper should have spotted that.
* Single hand more often. It teaches planning and the crew won't take no cr_p. 

In my own experience, competent crew doesn't get yelled at if the skipper is competent. Competent skippers don't accept much help from unknown crew.


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## MedSailor (Mar 30, 2008)

Geoff54 said:


> Without wishing to delve into the underlying psychology, there is a certain personality weakness that causes some people to turn in absolute a**holes if put in a position of power. Being in charge of a boat creates a position of power without many of the restraining influences that would be present in most other circumstances. And that's before you add in the stress and excitement of racing....


An interesting point, though you generally don't see managers, schoolteachers, factory foreman and CEOs blowing a vein while screaming at work. Yet you do see the screaming of coaches in any high level sport. Most NFL coaches look like they're seconds away from a stroke during the game....

I wonder if it's the immediacy of sports, of which racing is one, that makes screaming more acceptable than in social or work environments. After all, getting the correct cover-sheet on your TPS report may be important, but it's not immediately urgent and time-sensitive as the $5,000 jib that is flogging itself to bits is....

Hmmm.......

MedSailor


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## Geoff54 (Oct 30, 2011)

MedSailor said:


> An interesting point, though you generally don't see managers, schoolteachers, factory foreman and CEOs blowing a vein while screaming at work.


 Because those that do are looked down on and don't usually last long, therefore there is a restraining influence.



MedSailor said:


> Yet you do see the screaming of coaches in any high level sport. Most NFL coaches look like they're seconds away from a stroke during the game....


Regarded as acceptable behaviour, therefore no restraining influence.



MedSailor said:


> I wonder if it's the immediacy of sports, of which racing is one, that makes screaming more acceptable than in social or work environments.


Could be true in some sports, not all.

Except for the pro. ranks, sailing is one of the few places where you get to be team captain without having to earn that right.


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## sailjunkie (Nov 4, 2009)

Sabreman said:


> I consider yelling a sign of weakness and insecurity. A quiet boat is often highly competent.


Bingo!

Once upon a time, I yelled. I was a new skipper and very insecure. My wife and son both disliked going out with me.

More experience, culminating in a stint as a paid sailing instructor cured me. Even when students tried to decapitate me with accidental gybes, I had to smile and calmly explain what could have been done better.

When I used the same approach with my wife, sailing became fun for both of us.

Yelling is presently restricted those times when it is necessary to communicate over the noise of the engine. We're currently looking for efficient, low cost alternatives for that also.


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## SchockT (May 21, 2012)

I think non-racers hear the yelling and screaming on a race course, (usually the starts and mark roundings) and are shocked by it because to them is is all meaningless. To the people involved most of it makes sense when you put it in the context of the race. That's not to say there aren't screamers of the worst kind out there, but I have only encountered a few in the many years I have been racing.

Even on boats with highly competent crew there can be a lot of yelling. The fact of the matter is that on a busy mark rounding where all the boats are in close proximity and they are all executing complicated maneuvers, changing sails AND battling for position yelling is a necessity. The skipper and tactician may be yelling at the boats around them to make sure they are given the room they are entitled to, the foredeck might be yelling back to the pit for what they need done, the trimmer might be yelling to make foredeck aware of a problem that they need to resolve etc etc. And all of that communication has to be done over the din of flogging racing sails. You have no idea how loud a new crinkly headsail or spinnaker can be! Yes the yelling can also escalate into screaming when things go wrong; usually proportional to the potential damage or injury that may be about to occur. 

When it comes to the true screamers, I can sort of understand how it comes about. Most of my years of racing have been as crew, usually foredeck, and I know exactly what needs to happen and when at a mark rounding. When I am at the helm of my own boat I feel helpless and frustrated when things go wrong elsewhere on the boat because usually it is obvious to me what needs to happen. One has to be VERY patient when training crew, and it is difficult to be patient when you feel helpless because you are holding the tiller. That is why I believe the helmsman should NOT be the one training. If you want to run the boat handling, get someone else to take the helm. A helmsman that is trying to tell everyone else what to do probably isn't doing their own job properly either!

Fortunately I have many skilled sailor friends that I can call on if I want crew for a race, including much better helmsmen, so I am happy to give the tiller to one of them so I can pull strings! Most of the time I prefer to race on other people's boats anyway!


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## Brett Bris (Jul 26, 2013)

Yelling, like any other form of communication (including behaviors) can actually be useful to the recipient, i.e.
1. raised voice, nothing derogatory, out in the calm bay - just being heard
2. raised voice, nothing derogatory, situation a little more tense - ok, someone may be doing something dangerous and they need to take notice quickly
3. yelling, derogatory or gratuitous abuse - drink their beer at the end of the day and never sail with them again
4. hysterical screaming - see (3) above and advise your friends of same.......


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## Boasun (Feb 10, 2007)

Actually most of the yellars learned it at their mothers' knees... When she yelled at them for infractions and at their husband for other infractions and so forth. Plus they also learned it from Skippers that yelled while teaching them how to sail.
Now I was a Boatswain Mate in the Navy and there were times I needed my voice to carry across the deck of a ship... I spoke loudly but with enough timber for me to be heard above all the racket going on. But I never yelled at my crews or other people. But I've seen managers in various businesses that yelled. They have a high turn over rate in employees and don't know why. 
1. yelling don't really work... it just irritates people.
2. Needing to have your voice carry above the background noises is necessary in some instances. But use a name so that person will know you are talking to them.
3. They now have small personnel radios that can be used the length of your larger sail/power boats that you really don't need to yell or make your voice carry... 
Note: those radios do save marriages.


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## luhtag (Mar 5, 2003)

Captains who scream and yell are afraid. Call it stress if it makes you feel better. 

If you must raise your voice to be heard over the wind that is one thing. But screaming at someone, although hilarious to watch in a marina, is the trademark of a sociopath.


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## capt vimes (Dec 2, 2013)

Brett Bris said:


> Yelling, like any other form of communication (including behaviors) can actually be useful to the recipient, i.e.
> 1. raised voice, nothing derogatory, out in the calm bay - just being heard
> 2. raised voice, nothing derogatory, situation a little more tense - ok, someone may be doing something dangerous and they need to take notice quickly
> 3. yelling, derogatory or gratuitous abuse - drink their beer at the end of the day and never sail with them again
> 4. hysterical screaming - see (3) above and advise your friends of same.......


this!
just on my last trip, i yelled at my skipper (i am also a skipper, but he chartered and i joined) bringing the boat in reverse into a tight berth at nights... to our port side was a big gulet type ship perched and he was looking to starboard...
so he did not see the dark slip line going all the way across the spot we tried to get in - called out to back up immediately because it was really close, the line was hard to see and would have ripped of our bimini or - even worse - would have caused some damage to the aftstay/mast...


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## SkywalkerII (Feb 20, 2008)

I enjoy racing my old Tartan 27, usually with my kids as crew. We are a highly competitive family, each of my three children is a national and/international caliber fencer. My one daughter is in Venice as we speak, competing in a World Cup! So, they are very driven and motivated. They grew up racing and cruising. My wife does not like sailing all that much, but will join in an occasional raft up. 

On a recent raft up, I was preparing to sail off the raft up and my wife was down below. I had just hoisted the main as my buddy threw off the bow line. At this moment, my wife popped her head up out of the companionway, and I said in a sharp, probably stern voice, to get down! ( I saw the sail starting to fill, and I know she doesn't know what to look for). She was upset that I "yelled" at her. My 17 year old son "oh, you used your sailing voice', meaning you have to act now, nothing personal. 

I am not a yeller by nature, but I do use a louder voice and stern tone on occasion. 

Call this what you will.

Skywalker


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## capecodda (Oct 6, 2009)

Two different cases:

Cruising- the usual yelling scenario occurs when docking or anchoring. After being entertained by others, we learned to use hand signals, and to walk casually forward to hook a mooring, drop an anchor, tie to a dock etc. No words spoken. The stronger crew member handles the lines, the weaker drives (opposite of the iconic heavy set guy at the helm with his wife or weaker physically buddy on the bow). It's not how you anchor or dock, it's how you look  Besides, there is frequently an audience.

Racing- was lucky enough once to take a ride with Buddy Melges at the helm. He was softly discussing when to tack with the tactician. We, the crew started to move in anticipation. It was light wind. The other boat was close by. Buddy whispered, "don't telegraph the tack". Nuff said.


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## TomMaine (Dec 21, 2010)

Sabreman said:


> I consider yelling a sign of weakness and insecurity. A quiet boat is often highly competent.


Me too in the case of obnoxious, abusive yelling. I used to race a bit and found many of the screamers simply had little team competition experience. Simple 'sportsmanship' had never been learned. Skillled racers were not the screamers.

And then on boats in general, especially with couples, when I see screaming, it looks like the screamer is uncomfortable with his/her abilities. Same stuff.


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## 34crealock (Dec 30, 2012)

What Saberman said and a few others. In my 40 years of professional flying the Yelling captains were inept and fearful.


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## djodenda (Mar 4, 2006)

No yelling on my boat, whether racing or otherwise.

We have fun.


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## eherlihy (Jan 2, 2007)

The volume of the skipper is inversely proportional to his/her level of competence.

I had the privilege to work as a dock master at Sail Boston in 2009. I saw most of the skippers for the tall ships in action. Most of their boat handling skills were awe inspiring, but the skipper of the Alabama (sails out of Martha's Vineyard and owned by The Black Dog) was amazing. I NEVER heard him raise his voice, and he would show his crew what to do, and how to do it. It seemed as if he was single handing the vessel, and crew were there only to assist him when needed. 

That said; when I skipper, I speak loudly so that I can be heard over the wind and engine. I'm not yelling; just trying to make sure that I'm understood the first time.


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## ajoliver (Feb 23, 2007)

Well, you could do it this way . . 
"3. yelling, derogatory or gratuitous abuse - drink their beer at the end of the day and never sail with them again" 
But at one of our Club regattas, the crew went on strike during the race. They all went below and started pounding the yelling skipper's beer. He had to single hand the rest of the way. 
BTW, the origin of the word "strike" for work stopages is nautical. Back in the age of sail, rebellious crew would "strike" the sails and refuse to continue the voyage until grievances were addressed.


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## PCP (Dec 1, 2004)

Because in some occasions they cannot afford not to be heard immediately or to be misunderstood. A yell also marks an absolute urgency in what regards a situation.

Now, one thing is to yell when needed and that means very rarely another is yelling almost all the time. The ones that do that are just annoying and the yell serves nothing because on a really emergency nobody is going to differentiate between the unnecessary yelling and the one that is justified by a warning regarding an eminent accident or an absolutely necessary fast action.

It all depends on what one call yell. I am talking about this:

*speak with a strong, loud, clear sound; shout*

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/yell


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## chip (Oct 23, 2008)

There are any number of reasons why a skipper TRIM TRIM TRIM!


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## krisscross (Feb 22, 2013)

Yes, I yell all the time. But you should have met my crew!


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## capt vimes (Dec 2, 2013)

PCP said:


> Because in some occasions they cannot afford not to be heard immediately or to be misunderstood. A yell also marks an absolute urgency in what regards a situation.
> 
> Now, one thing is to yell when needed and that means very rarely another is yelling almost all the time. The ones that do that are just annoying and the yell serves nothing because on a really emergency nobody is going to differentiate between the unnecessary yelling and the one that is justified by a warning regarding an eminent accident or an absolutely necessary fast action.
> 
> ...


another explanation from your link:
"to utter or tell by yelling: *to yell an order to the troops.*"
as skipper you are responsible for the boat and the people on board... and we all know that sometimes the sh** hits the fan...
a good skipper now is able to foresee any problems that may arise, but nevertheless have yelled orders as last resort, to keep the boat and the people safe, uttered in a way that everybody understands what is going to happen...

when we (4 altogether) had a rudder failure in a tight channel very close to the cliffs, after the skipper told us 'the rudder is broken', 3 of us jumped without anyone saying a single word...
not overboard, but for the anchor, starting the engine and for the emergency tiller... we all were training for our license at that time.
if this situation is going to happen on a leisure cruise, the skipper is really in problems and he would not be able to distinctively tell everybody what he/she had to do in short notice without giving orders in a precise and sometimes load voice - i.e. yelling...
yelling also is an instrument to broadcast that it is right now very important, that you do it now without questioning back!

yelling all the time of course is as mentioned - stupid!


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## randyrhines (Jun 5, 2010)

PCP said:


> Because in some occasions they cannot afford not to be heard immediately or to be misunderstood. A yell also marks an absolute urgency in what regards a situation.
> 
> Now, one thing is to yell when needed and that means very rarely another is yelling almost all the time. The ones that do that are just annoying and the yell serves nothing because on a really emergency nobody is going to differentiate between the unnecessary yelling and the one that is justified by a warning regarding an eminent accident or an absolutely necessary fast action.
> 
> ...


Yes this sounds much more palatable, A "shout", as opposed to a yell, yelling sounds rude anxious, unbalanced.......
Whereas the distinguished and dignified "Shout" comes across as much more certain, thot out, comforting and in control,
And the Captain shouted "extra ration of rum for All"


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## Ferretchaser (Jan 14, 2011)

I thought that the yelling was for entertainment of others. Mostly myself. Don't you love this picture. 

Wife holding the bitter end of a 3 foot mooring line.
Hubby got the boat to a dead stop 20 feet away from the dock.

JUMP JUMP JUMP 

Or is it just me ??

Cheers

Michael


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## davidpm (Oct 22, 2007)

Screaming port over starboard to the other boat with a lot of authority will sometimes cause the other guy to flinch for a second or two before he figures out what you are doing giving you a slight advanage.

Seems to only work once though.

So it can be a competitive technique.


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## rgscpat (Aug 1, 2010)

davidpm said:


> Screaming port over starboard to the other boat with a lot of authority will sometimes cause the other guy to flinch for a second or two before he figures out what you are doing giving you a slight advanage.
> 
> Seems to only work once though.
> 
> So it can be a competitive technique.


Until it gets tried on a competent crew with a short fuse and they slam the liar/bluffer with a RRS 2 protest that gets upheld.


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## ajoliver (Feb 23, 2007)

And, um, also because some sailors (not just racers) are
Narcissistic Psychos


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## blt2ski (May 5, 2005)

Look at post 21 for those of you coming into this thread 5 or so months after it was posted. Post 21 is by the OP, to a question I posed to him back then, as many are also pointing out over the last day since this thread reappeared.........there are two types of yelling........

#1 talking/yelling loudly to be heard above wind, engine noise etc......If spoken as you would normally, but loud, this is ok. Especially if said captain is more or less deaf.......will not name any one I know.............

#2 is what many call screaming.....ie loud voice, but laced with some 4 letter wording or two or three or more! This type of yelling/screaming is what the OP ment when asking the question. 

As noted.......on my boat, we are a bit loud, as the captain, ie me, wears hearing aids, can not hear higher pitched sounds. sometimes even the person yelling/talking behind me is not heard! So while it may sound like everyone is yelling per say.....we are talking in a manner so we all hear ea other, expect this etc. Altho we do try to be quite when appropriate as a crew member of Buddy Melges pointed out somewhere in this thread.

We also many times talk/yell through manuvers, so we all release, or tighten things up as appropriate too. again, loud talking, no swearing is allowed unless at yourself!

marty


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## randyrhines (Jun 5, 2010)

If your not sure whether you have been heard 
Shout dont Yell


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## rgscpat (Aug 1, 2010)

Just because the skipper is a narcissistic psycho doesn't mean the crew shouldn't be hiking harder. Of course, some skippers never realize that the yelling often interferes with the crew getting work done.


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## PCP (Dec 1, 2004)

randyrhines said:


> Yes this sounds much more palatable, A "shout", as opposed to a yell, yelling sounds rude anxious, unbalanced.......
> Whereas the distinguished and dignified "Shout" comes across as much more certain, thot out, comforting and in control,
> And the Captain shouted "extra ration of rum for All"


English is not my main language so that's about very fine detail. Mos dictionaries give yell as synonymous of shout. Maybe a yell can put a note of urgency on panic that a shout does not contain...put than shouting is many times associated with anger.

A anyway I can tell you that last summer when I saw a 55 T motorboat coming in reverse at speed straight to my anchored boat I yelled to the motor boat skipper....it served no good (I was rammed anyway) but at least the skipper looked at me and my boat before hitting it!!!

Regards

Paulo


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## blt2ski (May 5, 2005)

Paulo,

From what I can tell, the OP was trying to figure out the "angry" shout/yell vs a "non angry" shout/yell. He seems to have been in the land of mostly "ANGRY" shout/yelling. 

Many like myself have pointed out that yelling/shouting in a non angry form may also be appropriate. As noted, what is the definition of said "yelling!" add the angry or non angry from a tone standpoint, and we have the difference's in yelling per say. 

Marty


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## randyrhines (Jun 5, 2010)

PCP said:


> English is not my main language so that's about very fine detail. Mos dictionaries give yell as synonymous of shout. Maybe a yell can put a note of urgency on panic that a shout does not contain...put than shouting is many times associated with anger.
> 
> A anyway I can tell you that last summer when I saw a 55 T motorboat coming in reverse at speed straight to my anchored boat I yelled to the motor boat skipper....it served no good (I was rammed anyway) but at least the skipper looked at me and my boat before hitting it!!!
> 
> ...


English might not be your main language , but your command of it , was honest and to the point, when we discussed the other pirate thread, and changed my opinion of the subject, for which i am grateful for your patient response. 
With this yelling shouting issue, i think when shouting fails to be heard many of us progress to yelling, then screaming lol as anger or frustration with a situation requiring urgency and action increases the emotion, and when it comes to the guy about to ram your boat, I would add to ....rolleyes..... load cannon-fire! All my best to you Paulo!


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## PCP (Dec 1, 2004)

Maybe I have screamed then When I went to the next boat to ask to a British skipper, a very phlegmatic one, to be my witness, if needed, the first thing he said, even before I open my mouth was: Do you have F... his wife or what?!!!

Regards

Paulo


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## randyrhines (Jun 5, 2010)

One would wonder, what the distraction was that he was not looking in the same direction his vessel was moving...lol, im a heavy equip operator so if the machine is moving in a direction You are looking in the same direction. 
lol im sure it looked intentional ramming to the British sailor!


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## PCP (Dec 1, 2004)

In fact he was a professional skipper.Later he said to me that the controls blocked and he completely lost control of the boat. In fact he hit me very hard one time at almost the middle turned around my boat (always in reverse) and hit me again in a glancing blow at the stern. 

I never understood why he did not cut the engine off instead of trying to maneuver the boat using the two engines. I guess it is a motor boat skippers thing NEVER CUT THE ENGINE!

The blow was so hard that the British Skipper could not believe my boat was not holed. It cost me 10 days of holidays and a lot of hardship because even if the skipper assumed that it was all his responsibility the owner of the boat refused to participate to his insurance company.

In fact only 5 months later my insurance company managed to solve the problem with the other company and I believe that the written testimony of that British skipper, a friend now, was fundamental. They are going to pay more than 16 000 USD of boat repair.

Regards

Paulo


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