Dear readers,

The wind whistles from the left; howling engine noises are drowned out by loud shouts and clattering halyards on the mast. With strong gusts from astern, a skipper in a pit lane tries to get his yacht under control. He overestimates his speed and forgets how much the aft wind is pushing, misses the targeted pit several times and provides all the yacht crews moored in the pits with a really exciting harbour cinema by frantically operating his engine.

While the yacht moves forwards, sideways and then backwards again, a crew member stands on the foredeck trying to point the skipper in the right direction with loud instructions. The wind picks up and the attempts to catch a box at the end of the pit lane seem hopeless and countless.

There are also countless people ready to help on the jetty.

Everyone has a tip, an opinion, the view that they can do it better and a shake of the head.

Do you recognise yourself? As a good jetty neighbour, you can certainly report similar situations. You want to help other water sports enthusiasts moor up in a friendly manner, but they often don't have their yachts under control, whether it's when the sailing weather is "Lieschen-Müller" or - and this is understandable - when the weather starts to blow.

Everyone who moves a yacht comes to the point where it gets uncomfortable and you ask yourself how you can manage a good manoeuvre without loud words, with clean yacht handling and a happy crew at the end of the trip.

• YACHT podcast: Expert tips for stress-free harbour manoeuvres - with Lars Bolle

How can I say this without coming across as a smart aleck or a do-gooder... good and timely preparation as well as calm and clear communication with the crew are half the battle. Shouting and loud grumbling on board are not very helpful and don't necessarily leave the best impression - especially not with your new neighbours on the dock.

What also helps is the deployment of appropriately sized fenders at the right height for the size of the yacht and a cleanly rigged line that is well cast and can also be fitted with an eye if it is not to lie on a slip.

• Seamanship: 20 tips for stress-free port manoeuvres

Anyone who rushes to the aid of an incoming yacht crew in a dicey situation will be pleased if 15 metres of unshot line don't fly around their ears while they are trying to keep the pulpit off the jetty at the same time.

Timing plays an important role in all these preparations. Once the yacht is in the box, it is too late for the stern line and fenders.

What's going on on board? In addition to dwindling values in society, have we now also forgotten how to behave on board?

Things like rattling halyards in the harbour, squeaking and jerking lines when yachts are tied up too tightly, permanently standing National even with an absent crew, mooring lines that hang so ruthlessly over your own lines that you seriously consider taking a knife to the tangle, dirty fenders that rub against your own outer skin that you have painstakingly polished up in winter storage.

All this sometimes leaves me a little speechless - just as speechless as the moment when I, as the last remaining future neighbour of the restless yacht on the jetty, was thrown that wet, heavy ball of line that almost swept me off the jetty.

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Does it have to be? Sure, stressful moments on board are not necessarily great moments for most of us water sports enthusiasts, but wouldn't it be better to pause for a moment and think about how to calmly carry the emotional wave ashore without upsetting other people?

Sometimes I wish there was some kind of behavioural MOT on board or stricter instruction in sailing etiquette, or at least the opportunity to vent my displeasure about poor boat handling and lack of respectful interaction with other sailors. Herewith done.

Thea Kohlhoff,

YACHT author

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