The Banstick Coup de Grace!

Good gravy I’m glad that’s finally over! That was freakin’ excruciating!

Imagine being handcuffed in a small room full of old, bitter, incontinent, neutered dogs that are given free reign, then told to not blame the dogs for the bites and fluids all over you. After all, “you shouldn’t have gone into the room – that I let you into”.

That’s some fine “moderation” there, eh?

My crime? Here it is…

I acknowledge one guy’s aggro actions that have been repeated over many, many threads, try to defuse said fight, and agree with him. And I ask another guy (who I’ve never tussled with at all) a question, which leads to perfectly civil conversation with that guy, while the dogs howl about my use of the word “only” – and obviously report me to the mods for said infraction…who obviously bite hook, line, and sinker.

“Stick in the eye”? Hmm.

Though I have been there for 10 years and had a hell of a lot of fun and learned A LOT, and while my threads are consistently the most read on the entire forum,  Sailnet is, unfortunately, dead as a relevant place to talk and learn about sailing in any meaningful way.

It has primarily become an increasingly insular, protected clique for the Chesapeake Posse and a couple of acolytes who troll threads and beat down anyone they don’t “like”, including newbs – which the mods do nothing about. In fact it was me (link here) who had to actually admonish these chuckleheads for doing what the mods loudly proclaim is not allowed. Lots of sticks in an eye there, I’d say. Maybe the mods are just too intimidated by these guys – I don’t know. I’m certainly not. So I tried.

The worst part is these guys aren’t even fun or funny while doing it! I could at least respect that. As you can see for yourself, they just seem to be insecure, not that smart, not that experienced, and really angry about it all. Is this really what the Chessie sailing community is like? I sure hope not.

Anyway, I’m perfectly content to have a larger world than that.

So, it’s all good. Cheers!

19 thoughts on “The Banstick Coup de Grace!”

  1. I have not seen any updates, watching your YouTube as I type. Do you still have a Hunter 40?

    1. Hey Chris – it’s been a long while since I’ve been on this blog. But I appreciate your comment. We sold Dawn Treader in 2019 after completing that leg to Florida. The eldest son was heading to college and we weren’t going to be able to have that kind of time to take big trips again. I would recommend the Hunter 40 all day long for whatever sailing you’re going to. No regrets whatsoever. It was a great boat.

  2. Hey Steve,

    Stuck my head back into Sailnet and noticed you’ve been banned again 🙂

    I must admit the place seems a bit dull and dreary. Not a lot of going on.

    There is maybe two or three active threads at at time. Not the place it once was my friend.

    I mean maybe it’s part of a bigger question? Maybe forums have had their day?

    Craig

    1. Hey Craig – yeah, I got the boot a good while back. Jeff just finally caved to the Chesapeake Posse. I don’t blame him – he was tired of dealing with all the selective whining from those chumps. I’m actually glad to be gone. It just wasn’t fun anymore. And, you’re absolutely right – after being gone a while, I realized how small and isolated a community SN had become. Facebook – though I don’t like it as a platform – is FAR more active and enjoyable. So that’s where I hang mostly – along with YouTube.

      SN is dead. There’s no question about that. It’s sad – but it’s true. Time to move on my friend!

      BTW – I’m following your channel. Keep it up broo!

  3. Ha ha ha… LOL… Smack… You must visit the SN forum to see the usual girl’s panties in a twist over an overboard dog and his owner happiness the dog survived 3 -4 miles out and made to shore…. It is unbelievable such a thread made it this far… Instead of sailing these chuckle-heads are now debating and fighting over ‘religion’… LOL

    1. Dude, I’d really rather stick a pencil in my eye. That is why I’m perfectly fine with being gone. As I’ve said it’s nothing more than a Chessie Sailors Club – with most of those Chessie “sailors” being idiots who have no clue what they are talking about. I already know the drill over there and I’m not surprised. Jeff_H is the only one left there with any credibility whatsoever. It’s sad that it’s become what it has – but there’s FAR more to life than following a boring, ill-informed forum.

  4. I was reading a post about a captain sailing a 21 foot gaff cat rigged sharpie in heavy seas and high winds (20 knots 3 to 4 feet) and getting the boom in the water from time to time. I came to the conclusion it should be stamped BFS and wondered why it wasn’t. Googling Smackdaddy I find out you have been banned.
    That sucks. Fair winds to you Smack.

    1. Hey Jer, I’m glad that the BFS legend lives on! It’s really what makes sailing so damn exciting.

      I have to say that I really don’t miss SN. It unfortunately turned into a place run by a group of really lame-yet-loud Chesapeake area idiots who sucked all the fun out of the place. They can have it.

      If you think that post deserves the stamp, cut and paste the following to stamp it yourself:

      Oh hell yeah!!

      [IMG]https://bfsshop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/BFS_certified.jpg[/IMG]

      1. I know exactly what you are saying smack. I was on a homebrew forum. There were two boards, one was beer talk, the other was the backroom bar room. It got pretty roudy in the backroom, virtual bottles flew about every night. We got a new moderator and the bans started, the backroom bar room was removed. Just wasn’t fun any longer. Thanks for the permission to stamp the thread BFS.

        1. Jer – I think I saw the thread you’re talking about. That’s no BFS – the dude just lost control of his boat, and blames it on the boat it seems. He just needs to learn how to sail before he exposes himself and his family to the dangers of F4 conditions again [eyeroll].

  5. So there I am over at Sailnet, reading about catamarans, and I start to wonder, “where’s Smackdaddy? He should be in on this…” Now, I haven’t been on Sailnet as much the past couple of months; my daughter graduated college and we had to deal with all of that, including moving her 300 miles home. And on top of that, we then immediately took a two week vacation to Italy. Since then, I’ve been trying to actually sail and I’ve had some other priorities too, so less interwebbery stuff. In short, it took me awhile to realize that you weren’t around anymore. So I decided to check over here to see if my worst fears were true…

    Too bad for us over at Sailnet. You will be missed by most of the crew, even if there are some that are happy with your banning.

    Good to see that you will still have an online presence for us to check in with.

    1. Hey Stern – first congrats on your daughter’s graduation and your trip. Both great ways to spend a few months!

      As regards Sailnet, per our PMs you knew as much as I did that it was inevitable. I tried my hardest. I really did. But Jeff just simply refused to believe that there was a Posse that was coordinated in their attacking. So he just held me to a standard he refused to hold others to. And those Chuckleheads took advantage of that (and him) being masters at using the report button and back-channels to manipulate the outcome. And with Donna working with them, and Jeff willfully blind to it all, there was just no hope. So it had to happen. And I’m okay with it. I like Jeff, but he made a really, really bad call here.

      In any case, I have to say I am very happy to be gone. There was just very little left to learn on Sailnet. The most outspoken, self-proclaimed “salts” there are truly just idiots and continually shouted down the truly valuable sailors. It just wasn’t worth the trouble. Still, I’ll be doing a SmackTalk segment once a month or so checking in on the various forums and judging their worthiness – and calling out the idiots obviously. Those “salts” obviously need my guidance and direction. Otherwise, they are just going to hurt themselves and their crews. And none of us wants that. So I’m certainly not done yet. Actually, just getting started! Heh. Stay in touch. You’ve always been one of the good guys. Cheers.

  6. Smack… Man I see you’ve been banned again at SN… Hahaha… this is nuts but then again I can see from what I’ve read the usual suspects at it again especially the chef guy… he really had his panties in twist over you… anyway just a note my Hunter is being sold and I’m getting out of sailing altogether… bitter taste and who do ya talk to… same at SBO as it was for SN. Getting a SeaRay powerboat since it doesn’t seem we’ll be cruising anywhere long distance with my better half’s injuries after the accident. She’s alright but not conditions to sail long distance anywhere so the SeaRay will take us out on the bay enjoying what’s left of our lives… Take care buddy and let me know if/when you get that CAT…. Chao!

    1. Hey Nick. Thanks for the note. Sorry to hear about you getting rid of your Hunter. But it sounds like it’s the right move for you and your lady. Just being on the water works miracles. However you have to do it. Stay in touch. I’m always around FB. Stay tuned on the cruising cat. In the mean time, we’re still enjoying our beach cat FIASCO!

  7. Man I must be slow sometimes ! I just recently realized you were no longer welcome at SN . Ya the burger flipper is teflon coated for sure , no polite way of putting it , he’s a dick …. he was the first person I threw on ignore , back when storm sandy was cruising up the coast some teenage kid comes on SN, posts a question about how to prep his boat , no money to haul it , never told his parents he had , no insurance, typical 17 year old stuff, ( except for the fact he bought a small sailboat instead of a new PlayStation ) . Chef berated this kid post after post about how wrong he was not having insurance… endangering other peoples boats , etc…, finally a couple of other posters finally told him to lay off the kid, I saw enough ( I was less than a year into boat ownership at that point ). Blocked his ass before sandyhad even arrived! You’ll be missed buddy, I got my iPad set up from you , nuud case with a spring loaded carrier mounted at the helm.
    Works awesome , and to any of the “experts ” who don’t trust iPad gps abilities, I have yet to find my iNavX to be anything other than spot on . I was bringing my boat from Portland Ct to noank Ct this spring , at the end of the Ct river at the saybrook channel it is very narrow with shallows just out side the channel , fog rolled in just as we entered … that iPad saved the day , there’s a breakwater you run along with a lighthouse ( inactive ) at the end … never sw it except on the screen , fogged in solid . I kept watch in the screen while my friend stood watch on the side deck . I’d call out , red can coming up should be two boat length off port … and there it would be … I call bullshit that a iPad can’t be used as sole means of nav . While motoring on Long Island sound in the fog I tapped the screen and went to a menu page by mistake …. took a minute or two to figure my error out as I’m not smooth with the app yet, didn’t panic , just whipped out my iPhone tapped on iNavX which I had sent my route to before hand , and bam … perfect backup , took my time to find my error , got the pad back on point , . Can’t see it in the sun? Bullshit , I don’t have a Bimini and I’ve been out running into the sun , high noon sun , setting sun behind … ya the screen can wash out ( just like a dedicated plotter can ) but i , like most wear a hat , bend down , shade the screen , look at the data , keep on keeping on , no problem … … oh yah , that run in the fog was some nerve wracking crap … I’m gonna have me a furuno first watch on that boat before fall …. ill let you know how it works out , keep up dispelling myths and poking the flat earth people , let me know if you land on a forum somewhere … Scott

    1. Scott – thanks for note. I’m glad you’ve found the iPad solution to be as powerful as we have. Stay tuned for a very fun video I have coming up on the subject. You’ll recognize some of the chuckleheads. As for the one you’re talking about and a couple of other douchebags as well, all I can think is that since he and the primary mods are in the same area, the mods just protect him. There’s really no other explanation for why they let him and the other Posse members get away with behavior they ban everyone else for. Honestly, it’s a relief to finally be done with SN. I really loved that forum since it’s where it all started for me. And I had a lot of respect for Jeff. I really and truly did try. But there was no freakin’ way it was going to work. Things and people change – and it’s sad but it is what it is. So it’s on to new adventures. I’ll be on my typical channels – here, FB, Twitter, YouTube, etc. – and on FIASCO! Stay in touch!

  8. I mean, how could I possibly come to the conclusion that this chucklehead likes to pick fights in threads?

    “Arcb
    Senior Member
    Back to the live aboard centric view again. You just can’t get over yourself. I will make it clear for you. I don’t want to live on a boat.”

    http://www.sailnet.com/forums/2051501962-post59.html

    Eyes and sticks baby. Heh-heh.

    PS – I see he edited his post. Probably for some incredibly nefarious reason.

  9. Wow. The Chesapeake Posse just keeps on hammering…

    http://www.sailnet.com/forums/2051500866-post45.html

    Will it be colemj who gets banned – for being attacked? Or will it be Chef2Sail..who is (and has been) doing the attacking and actually deserves it if the mods are being at all fair.

    If history holds, my money is on Chef2Sail being protected by the mods.

    We’ll see.

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