Waiting for the tide
with the editor Confession and competence The words of columnist Dave Selby (page 16) this issue reminded me of my first trip as skipper. After avoiding all disasters getting out of the pontoon berth, exiting the marina and the harbour and hoisting the sails, my mostly novice crew and I enjoyed a few hours of plain sailing. Nothing went wrong – I was in control! Starting the engine to motorsail through a slightly narrow channel, however, made the boat react very strangely indeed. Our speed dropped right off, the reefed main and partially furled jib started to shudder slightly, but only the experienced First Mate on board noticed anything was up. The rest of the crew didn’t bat an eyelid. I simply couldn’t understand how starting the engine in neutral could be affecting performance…