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Dear readers,

"Who was that, Dad, did you know them?" My crew chuckles. I casually raised the oar in one hand and the other in a sweeping motion. And with great satisfaction, I watched the helmsman of the oncoming yacht react with the same gesture.

It's the start of the season, our first weekend cruise, and I realise how much contentment sets in as missed habits like these return from hibernation without a second thought.

That's changing now. The question actually makes me think. And I feel a bit like Captain Bluebear as I try to come up with an explanation. But it's relatively simple. "On the water," I tell my adolescent co-sailors, "you look out for each other. You help each other. And to know if someone needs help, you say hello to ships coming into view and wait for a response. If they say hello back, everything is fine and you sail on. If not, you have to get to the bottom of it."

So much for the theory. And also the practice - if you only occasionally meet someone on the water and are actually sitting at the helm.

But just go out on the Schlei on Whitsunday. If you follow the old custom, you can hire your own greeting uncle, who will look like the solar-powered plastic figures with waving arms from China.

Or sail through a field of fishing boats in the herring season (that's a challenge even without greeting ambitions). The same rule should actually apply.

And what about windsurfers? I greet them because their reactions are so exciting. Only rarely does someone routinely take a hand off the boom and wave casually. Understandable.

But I have also experienced situations in which the greeting fulfilled its true purpose. In which someone was happy that eye contact was sought. Perhaps because they needed a tow. So it is not a question of lamenting the decline of customs when it is realised that the custom, which is often dismissed as a traditional fuss, is no longer part of the standards of what is taught to new fellow sailors. It is more about the hope that its meaning will be recognised.

Much has already been written about the sense and nonsense of yacht customs and rituals on board. The greeting from ship to ship, however, has a very deep meaning and will hopefully survive all discussions.

Lasse Johannsen,

Deputy Editor-in-Chief YACHT

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THE OCEAN RACE

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The fourth leg of The Ocean Race is in full swing - and how! The mast breakage of "Holcim - PRB" will not only affect the current leg, but also the entire course of the race - it couldn't be more exciting! Here on yacht.de you will find daily news, background information and updates on the race!

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