NIKKI HENDERSON

IS GOOD SEAMANSHIP JUST ABOUT SKILL ON THE WATER? OR IS THERE MORE TO IT IF YOU WANT TO BE CONSIDERED A TRUE MASTER OF YOUR CRAFT?

- NIKKI HENDERSON

What is seamanship? The Oxford dictionary defines seamanship as 'the skill, technique or practice of handling a ship at sea'. But the more I've dug into it, I've realised seamanship has just about as many definitions as there are captains.

The word seamanship has been used since the 1700s. Just as the 'ship' in leadership implies mastery, 'seamanship' is about being an expert seaman. If it was thought up today, I imagine it would be 'sailor-ship' - but don't panic, this column isn't about new-age terminology.

A few centuries ago, seamanship was everything involved in getting from one port to another 'shipshape and in Bristol fashion' - keeping the crew alive, the decks scrubbed and the boat floating. Today the details have modernised but the basis remains. It's about parking a boat as if you've done it a hundred times before, trimming sails and helming as naturally as walking, and navigating on time and safely. Seamanship, in short, is the mastery of sailing.

Yet to be considered a master of something involves more than just talent.

In October I skippered a team in the Rolex Middle Sea Race. Following the race, fellow competitor Francesco Giordano, skipper of the X-41