Editor,
I’m not sure what you are referring to when you mention “clamps clicking on sailboat masts”.
If you are referring to any sound made by the crew or boat during the process of getting under way or returning to dock, then I am in full agreement.
However, if you are referring to the sound coming from a stationary vessel then I could not disagree more.
As a sailboat skipper for many years who enjoyed the pleasure of sleeping aboard our own sailboat throughout the Caribbean, I consider it very bad boating practice to leave a boat with any halyard, shroud, or any other line flapping in the breeze. Not only can it potentially cause damage to the lines or vessel itself, but it can be very annoying for those trying to enjoy the peace and quiet of the bay or anchorage to have those constant banging and tinging noises from nearby vessels.
Good seamanship demands that a tied up or anchored vessel be left fully secure and as quiet as possible for the benefit of all other sailors.
(This, of course, avoids the issue of noisy parties from the drinking crowd, but that is an entirely different issue.)
Steve Brockhouse, Leith
