PHOTO Boat etiquette? It’s not just a matter of etiquette

How should a “good sailor” behave? What does it mean to have sea foot? What’s more, are you sure you know how to properly arrange guard shifts and be prepared to deal with seasickness as best you can? Explaining what to do on any occasion are Paolo Ruffo Bernardini (publisher, actor, journalist and writer, referred to as “the poet of the sea” and Leonardo Zuccaro (longtime contributor to the Giornale della Vela and now director of Ancona’s Marina Dorica marina), in a delightful book, “The Etiquette of the Sea,” published by Biglia Blu in its Acqua series. An original overview where answers to most of the phenomena involving the individual and the crew of a boat can be found. In the editorial staff, when we decided to make this article, we wondered how to illustrate it in an original way. it is by scrabbling through our archives that we found the images you will find on these pages, all taken aboard the legendary J Classes in the 1930s: in the years of the Great Depression of 1900, for the first time real nautical clothing was born. Of an elegance never again achieved….

ENVIRONMENT AND ANCHORAGE
A small bay with a bottom carpeted with posidonia is a marine paradise whose preservation is entrusted to humans. The erosive action of the anchors on the bottom creates deep furrows that eventually destroy the grassland. Thus, anchorage etiquette includes norms toward the environment as well, not just in arriving in port.

THE SEA FOOT

It is like taking the treadmill rhythm, only in this case the movements do not respect a single direction. Even the most casual sailor may experience an initial moment of uncertainty when, after a few months of inactivity, he sets foot on board again. Then, similar to what happens in climbing back up after years on a bicycle, the body regains confidence in the instability and the pace becomes more assertive.

THE NOISE.
If a dawn departure is decided, it is best to prepare the night before for unmooring maneuvers.Without roughing the engine, slowly retrieve the anchor, gallantly taking leave of the public dormitory that is a bay. We feel unable to give any further guidance than to meditate on the evangelical phrase “do not do unto others what you would not have them do unto you.”

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THE GUARD.

One must scrupulously comply with all of the commander’s directions. When you awaken your guard successor, you must pass the handover, patiently waiting for the upright shift to have time to orient itself to the situation of the moment. Before returning to the bunk, offer coffee or hot tea as a gift to those who ride.

NAVAL ETIQUETTE

In seafaring tradition, naval etiquette refers to that set of rules concerning the proper way to communicate, in overt and unambiguous terms with flags and insignia a message or situation at hand. An example is that of the ship-to-ship greeting. The custom of saluting at sea is very old and dates back to the Greeks and Romans.

THE SEA SICKNESS.
The psychological component of seasickness is so significant that it can affect even the healthy. It is therefore a good idea to avoid transferring the feeling of discomfort to others. Any hysterical scenes will have to be spared for fellow travelers. If you decide to stay on deck, remember that the right side to be on is downwind aft.

THE COMMANDER.
Competence at sea is not acquired with a certification. There are countries with greater seafaring traditions than ours where no license is required to drive a hull. For sea theoretical knowledge, if not validated by considerable practice, can hardly legitimize leadership.

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THE ALREADY YOU ARE THERE
“Experience it as a reason for friendly banter that can loosen some character edges of those who are not yet integrated into shipboard life. This someone then, as soon as he or she is there, can be asked for anything: four sandwiches, two cold beers, a kid, glasses, cigarettes, a baked sea bass, and “while you are there, please hang up that button on the commander’s blazer!”

EQUIPMENT
On board, all feelings are amplified, and living together for many days in a small space can promote the onset of negative tensions and unexpected behavior. On a boat, on vacation, we experience a particular relaxation, very different from that which we achieve ashore, which is anything but idle. On the contrary, a strong spirit of participation and the predisposition to support are needed.

Entitled precisely “The Etiquette of the Sea” (Ed. Biglia Blu, pages 146, 12 euros) is the book written by Paolo Ruffo Bernardini and Leonardo Zuccaro, from which we have taken these “tips of elegance.” You can also find it in our online store Nauticplace.com in the Bookstore section.