Keeping conduct from being misconduct

by Craig Leweck, Scuttlebutt Sailing News
The bar at my club was busy on a holiday weekend when I noticed a younger member past his limit. Bad things were going to happen, so I offered him a ride home. He accepted but while enroute, he got angry and grabbed the steering wheel. When I got him home, he kicked in my car door. No good deed goes unpunished.

More recently, the club had to take action against a long-time member after an investigation revealed sufficient offenses. This person had been a disrupter over the years and the leadership found it was time to rescind their membership. Clubs provide a safe space that brings together people with common interests, and balance had to be restored.

At another club, a late-night incident during a tune-up regatta for the 2026 Melges 24 Worlds led to a person’s entry being voided. The situation allegedly required police, and a decision was made by club and event volunteers to protect their members, local community, and event competitors from future disruption. Private clubs are private, and guest privileges have limits.

Personally, I think back to a Halloween regatta party decades ago in which hay bales and fire extinguishers were inappropriately used. There was another time when I chipped someone’s tooth with a champagne bottle. At a prominent keelboat regatta, the host club railed on my owner for something I had done. But there’s a much shorter leash today, exemplified by the US Sailing Code of Conduct I just had to sign. Wish me luck…