Practical Boat Owner

Are you a good skipper?

A wise man (actually, a friend of mine) once said that a person’s true personality is revealed when mooring a boat. There’s a lot at stake; you may appear incompetent to others, and if you get it wrong, you can cause expensive damage to your boat – or even worse – other people’s boats.

The task itself may be complex, and sometimes it’s hard to predict precisely what’s going to happen. It takes co-ordination, co-operation and communication, especially when things don’t go to plan. And all of this takes place in front of an audience! It’s an interesting exercise, perfectly designed to bring out the best and worst in a person’s character.

The same can be said of being a skipper in general. You’re living in very close proximity to each other on a boat, and most of

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