Captain Lee: Relationships Aren't Our Strong Suit

Ahoy Peeps,

Well here we are, and the time has flown by this season. It's almost over. This episode and then the season finale. The time has just gone by so quickly, and this charter is one that I had high hopes for, but we'll get into that later in the blog. Can you tell by this episode that the crew is feeling the pressure and getting a bit tired and stressed? Just a tad.

Kelley and Jennice go out on a date. Wow, it feels like high school. The stews are all acting like moms. A gesture that I think was sweet. That being said, why not let the two of them be together if that is what they want and let them work out whatever it is they are working on by themselves? I'm not sure they need all the advice or instructions, least of all from our crew. Relationships don't seem to be our crew's strong suit. Let the kids have fun, and let it go where it goes, unassisted by extraneous forces.

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OK, lets move on. We have the charter guests. They were a most unusual group. I don't know, but if I had to depend on the Internet to make my living, and I was on a working holiday with a group of "students" that I was trying to impress with my genius, I don't think that I would go out in the middle of the ocean with limited Internet, which I might add he knew about, and try to make "billions." I'm just saying, we are what we are, and we have limited capabilities. I do believe that they took condescending to a new level. That being said, we still need to do our best to make whatever they need happen, within our capabilities. He seemed like he was trying to impress the crew and the students with his "mini Wolf of Wall Street" analogy. So I'm not sure whatever we do is going to work, but the effort still needs to be there. We can only do what our technical equipment allows us to do. There are limits to everything. He obviously hasn't been in this position before and clearly doesn't understand the meaning of the words "grace" or "class." Money is not the issue. I found his method of delivery and the extremely condescending attitude offensive. But I am not the guest, so I can't let that surface. We still need to do our best. I'm not making excuses, just clarifying. It seems someone in that group has been passing out the Kool-Aid, but I'm not drinking.

Ben, I understand the pressures of what we do. I'm not sure why the meltdown in the galley occurred, but it's not the end of the world, nor does it need to be blown out of proportion. I'm sure everyone has experienced something of this sort. In fact, I know they have, so I'm not going to dwell on it. It was in your own space and not in front of guests. I would have preferred that it didn't happen and you had handled it differently. That being said, it's time to move on. I sat there and heard the primary say leave out the escargot and the uni and she would be fine with everything else. OK, that's what you did, and she didn't like it. You got bad intel from the source and made a nice rebound. Then the primary threw you under the bus and told his girlfriend something totally different. Seems her palate isn't that developed yet. Hey, it happens. I also thought the advice you gave to Amy was spot on. You can't always change, but you can adapt, and that is what matters in the end. 

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OK, let's do Kat and Kate again, because they both seem to be on the same page these days. The chef made a request to have Amy serve the two primaries. You agreed to that. I'm just a bit curious as to why, if you had objections, you didn't express them to anyone's face. If you didn't want to do that, then why not help out with it instead of taking a "lets just see how this plays out" attitude? Why just sit there and watch? Do you get pleasure in watching someone fail? I know you and Kat don't like Amy, but aren't we all in this together for a common cause? Crew mates, not adversaries. Egos seem to be at the forefront and I don't feel they should be.Wow, were egos ever present at the crew meeting. Ya think? Bruised egos don't heal quickly as was evident at the crew dinner later on in the evening. I'm glad I missed that one. Kate, the way it appeared to me was that if the primary wasn't your focus, then the rest of the guests got a smorgasbord with service to match. Interesting. Kat, I'm sorry that I didn't give you any praise for doing your job, but you could have helped out rather than choosing to side with Kate and the "wait and see if things worked out" attitude. I guess contributing to the success of the charter wasn't a priority. I expected you guys to put personalities aside and do a professional job. It makes me uncomfortable to watch what goes on when I'm not there at times. I depend on you guys. I'm not sure why that's so difficult.

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Amy, I thought you did a good job in the awkward position that you were placed in through no fault of your own. You put personalities aside and did your job. Thats what a pro does. What else is there to say? Thanks. 

Lets move to Logan. Wow, dangerous ground you were treading on there with the primary's girlfriend. Talk about blurred lines, and I  thank you for not going over the line, but it looked like it was getting close. Way to polish those "knobs" on the grill. Not sure a grill has ever gotten that much attention. All in all, good job.

Eddie, I think you had a good charter. It's getting easier to depend on you. You are getting the guys to work together. Nicely done. Kelley seems to have his head on properly this trip. Glad to see that. I know that Jennice was five minutes late, but that is nothing compared to what some other deck hands have pulled on you in the past. Good job in letting it go. Nothing to be gained by bringing it up. Way to recognize that. Your team seems to be pulling together, and that is a compliment to you. Kudos to you and the deck crew.

There you have it: the good, the bad, and not so pleasant, but it happens. Seems that Kat may have stepped in it next week, and we have the return of Mr. Slover and creative towel folding. Should make for a very interesting season finale. Stay tuned, peeps. Until then, fair winds and calm seas.

Capt Lee