Going about - what commands?

Maybe I dreamt this but I'm sure I remember there being a ferry across the river Severn. It consisted of a cable suspended across the river, the ferry boat was tethered to a pulley block that ran on the cable. The ferry crossed the river by being angled to the flow of the current. There was no engine/oars involved. It wasn't very big, only for a few foot passengers.

That would be the Hampton Loade crossing, I expect, which is an example of a reaction ferry. There are several across the Rhein at Basel.

Hampton_Loade_Ferry_-_2004-07-24.jpg
 
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My checklist, for 03:50 am when you can't think straight, so it is stuck on the bulkhead in the cockpit. Of course the last one wasn't necessary at night.

Tacking

- Load high side winch; winch handle
- Ease traveler, bear away a bit
- Stacking [move everything in the boat from the high side to the low side]
- Inner forestay back to mast
- Slack out of new running backstay, close clutch
- Check boom is ready to cross (traveller open / preventer / nothing round boom or tiller)
- Pre-set traveler
- Tiller down / tack autopilot
- Release old jib sheet, pull on new
- New backstay on; old one off
- Check course, look up, trim solar panel

That made Oi larf. With a self-tacking rig and two hulls, the procedure is - make sure no one's got their head above the cabin top, turn the wheel.
 
On a recent flotilla holiday in Croatia, teenage daughter's favourite spot on passage was stretched out along the leeward cockpit seat with book and ipod.

First part of tacking was to tack her first:

Hannah, we need to tack in a minute.

Hannah, could you move to this side please.

HANNAH!

Thanks. Could you take your towel as well.

OK, ready about?

etc...
 
Where time and forethought permit, the drill is:

"Tacking in 3, 2, 1"
then "Tacking" or "Lee ho"

Otherwise it's "Tacking now!" where the occasional circumstances conspire so that they do not.

The countdown was progressively beaten into me by the crew of an Enterprise dinghy that I still occasionally race, when she finally tired of getting tipped on to her backside or, occasionally over the side, by frequent, sudden and, evidently, unanticipated roll-tacks.

My reasoning of "Well, if you'd been paying attention it would've been bloody obvious what I was about to do" never quite washed.
 
On a recent flotilla holiday in Croatia, teenage daughter's favourite spot on passage was stretched out along the leeward cockpit seat with book and ipod.

First part of tacking was to tack her first:

Hannah, we need to tack in a minute.

Hannah, could you move to this side please.

HANNAH!

Thanks. Could you take your towel as well.

OK, ready about?

etc...

Oh my! I sail with a friend who is blessed with a voluptuous (and doesn't she know it) teenage daughter who treats the boat as might Cleopatra her barge of burnished gold. Your scenario rings a veritable peal f bells with me! :)
 
On a recent flotilla holiday in Croatia, teenage daughter's favourite spot on passage was stretched out along the leeward cockpit seat with book and ipod.

First part of tacking was to tack her first:

Hannah, we need to tack in a minute.

Hannah, could you move to this side please.

HANNAH!

Thanks. Could you take your towel as well.

OK, ready about?

etc...

Next time you could try

"Ready about - lee-oh" or whatever you use.

Hannah: "Why didn't you warn me?!?!?!"

You: "We did. We said ready about. That's your cue to shift yourself, girl. Make sure you're out of the way next time or someone will be stepping on you."
 
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