OOF, I haven't had much experience handling pleasure boats. I knew, in theory, that they tend to be lightweight and with rudders too small to get the barn door effect that heavier hulls have.
I spent a day locally driving a 78' light yacht, one of those clorox jog hulled Euro fast foo-foo things that for all its' size can't do an ocean crossing for lack of ass, per order of the insurance company.
Ever see Rodney Dangerfield at the end of Caddyshack?
Anyhow, I'm not a yacht guy. If you switch which ass cheek you're leaning on more, the boat starts to swing to that direction but the hull porpoised about 3 degrees back and forth when on a stable course. Annoying.
It was fun though. After I finished screaming on the inside the first few minutes. I don't like looking like an asshole. I think I covered up that I was in full Weekend Warrior mode, like a dumbass, before settling into what I hoped was quiet competence.
Another funny thing I saw was that as a commercial guy, I was expected to be quiet and competent, moreso than the experienced yachties, as the actual captain was a yacht guy. So when I got a 'you move this thing like it's your daily driver,' rather than gush and beam, as I wanted to on the inside, I nodded a thank you and just said 'At some point a boat's a boat; this 'un don't drive like 'n office building on its' side like workboats." (Author's note: I'm a tankerman. I don't do boathandling on our tugs to speak of unless I'm working over as crew on a tug which I only do about once a year).
It WAS nice to get behind the wheel of a boat. I don't do it enough.
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Hawsepiper, some years ago, a small yacht sent out a distress call on Lake Superior. First responder was a thousand-foot ore boat. I can never imagine how her captain took his behemoth close enough alongside to throw a towline to the yacht.
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