I SAID ‘HOLD ON’, NOT ‘LET GO’!

Have you ever been shouted at during a mooring manoeuvre? ‘Get out of the way – I can’t see!’ ‘No, the other line, not that one!’

While it makes for good marina entertainment, and we’ve all seen crew and skipper have a stand-up row over fender height and mooring lines, no-one really enjoys it.

If you’re the person at the helm, what can seem like a calm instruction, shouted over the noise of the wind and the engine, can come across much more harshly.

We’ve been testing a new crew intercom headset that might help prevent such strident exchanges, simply by making it easier to hear each other. Who knows, it could make sailing with your crew much more harmonious.

Cruising Scotland’s West Coast may seem unattainably far away during lockdown, but we can dream and plan. A week’s cruise could take you to Gylen Castle on the Isle of Kerrera (p44)