Was It a Mistake Keeping Andrew?

Ahoy Mates,

Here we are for the second go round with the lovely Georgia Ricks and her guests. What a super group of people. They are for real, no pretense. They love to have fun, and what you see is what you get. How could it get any better? Love that. Where do I start? I am coming to the realization that I may not know as much about what happens with my crew as I think I do. 

Kate continues to impress me with her calm demeanor and her read of her stews and their abilities as well as her own coping skills. So far so good. But again it's early. I hope that she can continue in this fashion, because as of right now I feel pretty good about her. I'm a bit surprised with Kat's attitude towards the beach party. She needs to be a bit more -- am I crazy? -- I mean a lot more positive about these things. Negative attitudes can be contagious, like a cancer in the crew, and it will be interesting to see if Kate can nip this in the bud and turn it around. So far I'm impressed with her effort, and I hope Kat gets the message. Kate doesn't rattle easily, I like that. She just rolls with it. Great attribute. After all it's what we do, and she appears to be doing it well. Love her high standards. One thing that I didn't appreciate is the guests folding their own napkins. That, in my opinion, should have been handled differently, without the guests' involvement.

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Kelley? I still don't know. I'm getting mixed signals about him, he works hard, talks a great game, but edges seem a bit rough, especially if he keeps ripping them in mixed company, or any company for that matter... Really? Who does that? That being said, all too often with a couple, whether it's brother and sister, boyfriend and girlfriend, or husband and wife, when someone has that bond, and one or the other doesn't make it, you lose two. One, because they couldn't cut it, and the other out of a misplaced sense of loyalty. I don't want to see that happen here. I was pleased with his work effort and his attitude, and so far so good.Another item I have concerns about is the dynamic between Kat and Amy. Kat is the devil I know. Amy, I'm not sure about. There is something beneath the surface that I don't know about, and I don't want something biting me in the ass down the road that I had no knowledge of. There is something simmering there, and I don't want it to boil over. I also am not sure of how the brother-sister thing is going to work out either. Seems she may be a bit overly protective. That not a bad thing, but I'm not sure how it will work out on the boat. I don't mean anything derogatory by it, but Kelley's a big boy, and she is expressing her concerns about a girl he met two days ago. The wedding planning is a bit premature. It may be time for a second date or whatever, but I don't read too much into it after two days, and I don't think anyone else should. C'mon. 

Ben, they didn't like filet mignon sushi. Sometimes you just have to give them what they ask for and not over think it. Ben is doing what I would expect a great chef to do. Not take them at their word. I don't know how many times we have had guests say, "We want healthy, no bacon, no fat, no desserts, just tofu and chicken and salads and the like." Then you give them exactly what they want, and it all goes south and the next thing you know they're having tiramisu for breakfast! That wasn't the case here. Ben tried something and it didn't fly at all, but Ben rebounded immediately, which is what all great charter chefs do. He made them happy with the food and that takes a huge load off the rest of the crew when the meals go well. He is the one area that I'm not concerned about and that's the highest compliment I can give Ben.

Jennice, what can I say. She did herself proud. No longer the junior deckie at all. Stepped up and pulled it off. Great job. Her and Kelley? OK, just my opinion, but I think that "little one" is too focused on her goals to let anything but a serious relationship come between her and her success, and even then I don't think she would let it get in her way. She would find a compromise I think. Don't see that happening here. I could be wrong, but this new infatuation with Kelley won't deter her from her job or her goals. I think it would take something more serious than that, and that doesn't happen overnight. Just my opinion. If it turns out to be more than that, OK, but way too early on right now.

Eddie seems to be doing well, I love his take on things, and I have the utmost confidence in him. That being said, he has his hands full with Andrew, who seems to be making himself a legend in his own mind. The boy doesn't seem to have a clue. Eddie has to get him in line and make sure he measures up, if he can't, then I need to step in, and that is a situation I would like to avoid. I'm not going to do Eddie's job for him. He is capable, but as I said before, it's new to him so there is a learning curve and I want to help Eddie as much as I can. Leaving him shorthanded this early in the season would not be in his or our best interest right now. I'm not sure if Andrew is salvageable, but to dismiss him after four days is a bit premature. It would help if he wouldn't act like, "I've got this," when he really doesn't have a clue. The only thing I can see that Andrew is doing is walking out on the short end of an even shorter stick. There may be more here than meets the eye.I know that when the tips were passed out, the crew was unhappy about my decision to retain Andrew and not give him his one way ticket home from Capt. Lee's Travel Agency named "Outta Here." It's my call, and it is never easy to terminate someone and send them packing. That being said, I decided to give him the benefit of the doubt and a second chance. We all know my thoughts on second chances, but it's my call, my bad if it's wrong. Mistake, maybe? But I don't want to throw in the towel too early and regret it later on when we are shorthanded. It's only four days into the first charter, hardly long enough to make a possible career ending decision. We just have to see how it plays out, hoping for the best, but prepping for the worst. It's what captains do. 

On a side note, Eddie and Kelley completed the cleaning of the water line without any one losing their life. CJ, how does that happen? Sorry, couldn't resist.

Until next time...fair winds and calm seas.

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