While listening to a programme on BBC Radio 4, I heard a historian quoting a medieval mystery play. These 14th- century spectacles always had a bit of low comedy alongside the religious reference; the Les Dawson mother-in-law vibe was always there. This one was about Noah’s Ark and The Great Flood, and there was Mrs Noah being reluctantly forced to go aboard. She cries, in good old shrill female defiance, the words: ‘Shut up was I never, in such an oyster as this!’

The great wooden boat, the first she has ever seen, is not an escape or an adventure but feels like a trap. Some say the ‘oyster’ means ‘hostelry’, but I like to imagine her feeling as if she’d been trapped in an oyster shell.

This set me thinking about how natural it is for any Mrs Noah to be reluctant to embark on something that wobbles with the water and confines its inmates: a floating prison cell threatening to take you away from safe solid ground.

Why wouldn’t a shore-accustomed human feel this way? It’s as natural as a dog’s reluctance to go into a rowing-boat. Of course, most guest newcomers to the boating world need little persuasion, and reckon a trip round the bay to be an utter treat. But there are Mrs Noahs too, of every age and sex, and it’s not unnatural to be a bit horrified at being shut up in an ‘oyster’ from which there is no escape.

Even some first-time skippers feel this way in their very own boat when the weather changes. I was very struck by one who, after his first offshore solo passage in iffy weather and strong tides, said: ‘The books all talk about feeling so free at sea, but I just felt trapped!’

Article continues below…

Why every sailor eventually starts singing to their boat – Libby Purves

During the romantic wedding season, let us muse on the emotional attachments we yachtspeople have, not all of them human.…

‘What is the best thing to do when you enter a new marina? Laundry… yes really!’ – Libby Purves

Ever wonder what a person learns from 57 summers yacht cruising, serving as crew aboard boats from 18 to 50ft…

So I thought about what we boat lovers can do to make it easier for new guests. Because, especially in high summer like this, there are times when socially we would like the company of Mrs Noahs, if only for a picnic, or because the accompanying spouse or children are thrilled at the idea of a sail. So remember, your little boat is not a floating hotel like a cruise ship or a big ferry. It could freak a person out.

We have never had too much trouble (though there was one lady who was aboard all weekend and by superhuman continence never overcame her horror of the heads). But I have seen the Mrs-Noah reluctance a good few times on other boats: a clenched nervousness, a hesitant step down the pontoons, dismay at the tiniest movement, the obvious wish for a handrail.

They glance suspiciously at these unfamiliar monsters of metal, plastic or textile, reasonably unnerved by the wind whistling and clattering in all that rigging, unsure what to grab for. They don’t want to spoil everything for the rest of their family, but inwardly the 14th-century cry goes up: ‘Nay, I’ve never been shut up in such a thing, and don’t want to be!’

Fair enough; we are land animals. But whatever age the reluctant one might be, you can help to ease the nervousness. One obvious resort is to be alongside and easy to step aboard. Possibly, if Mrs Noah is in a skirt or tight skinny jeans, you should mitigate any extreme stepping over the guardwires. In a small and particularly tender yacht, a warning about the wobble could help. So would guidance as to which of the confusing lines and wires are safe handholds, all the way to the cockpit.

If it has to be boarding from a dinghy, the task of reassurance is 10 times greater. Some of us, with knees of a certain age, even after decades, can come to grief stepping into an inflatable – again, no handrail. Someone who has never done it before, even if fit, may quail, and not know about the wisdom of stepping right down, rather than onto the tube.

Arriving at the yacht, a Mrs Noah (of either sex) may quail even more when confronted with a rickety ladder or inflatable fender-step in a lively chop; even the comparative size and steadiness of the yacht might not feel reassuring.

All I am saying is: be gentle and patient with the Mrs Noahs. They sportingly agreed to come, and as a gentlemanly captain (again, of either sex) gentleness is vital. Good luck…

Enjoyed reading this?

A subscription to Yachting Monthly magazine costs around 40% less than the cover price, so you can save money compared to buying single issues.

Print and digital editions are available through Magazines Direct – where you can also find the latest deals.

YM is packed with information to help you get the most from your time on the water.

• • • Take your seamanship to the next level with tips, advice and skills from our experts
    • Impartial in-depth reviews of the latest yachts and equipment
    • Cruising guides to help you reach those dream destinations

Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Note: We may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site, at no extra cost to you. This doesn’t affect our editorial independence.