Editor,
The Globe and Mail
September 23, 2010
Ms. Patten's explanation for the Titanic's collision with an iceberg seems unlikely. (Family Secrets rise to surface, shed light on sinking of Titanic, Sept 23,10, Globe). While it's true that switching from tiller to wheel can initially be disorienting to a neophyte sailor, the wheel in a sailing vessel works exactly the same way as that in an engine powered ship. To postulate that an inexperienced recent graduate of small tillered sailboats was at the wheel of the Titanic is far fetched.
Sincerely yours,
Alban Goddard Hill