As a former instructor,(and I hope I’m not “teaching you to suck eggs” here), I would advise you to get her to think not so much in terms of moving the bow of the boat in the desired direction, but moving the stern i.e. pulling the tiller towards the direction she wants the stern to move will pivot the boat around its centre of lateral resistance, hence moving the bow in the opposite direction.
This is while motoring, of course. While sailing, changes of direction are less about changing direction to port or starboard, and more about “luffing up” and “bearing away”. These terms refer to changing direction toward or away from the wind, but in a situation where someone is trying to familiarise themselves with the use of a tiller, they can also be thought of as “up” – towards the boom, or “away” – from the boom.
- This reply was modified 1 year, 2 months ago by Kevin Murray.