No guests on his boat

Dave didn’t believe in what’s now called micro-managing. Whether you were an experienced sailor or not, he treated everyone the same. If he needed something done, he’d give instructions to whoever was standing nearest. Some of the fair-weather types learned to sit out of sight to avoid being asked. But for the most part, people enjoyed sailing with him because everyone had a role to play.

I was always puzzled by the way he’d send complete beginners off to do things without any apparent concern, especially when the outcome was sometimes, predictably, not great. I couldn’t understand why he didn’t just ask someone more capable. But he once told me that, as captain, he wanted everyone to feel they were part of the crew. There were no guests on his boat.

If and when things went wrong, he never blamed someone’s ability. If a task wasn’t done right, he saw it as a sign that his instructions hadn’t been clear enough. It wasn’t the fault of the person carrying them out.

Conclusion: always give clear instructions.