They might even stay side by side, but for the fact that pilots are not all alike, and the smartest pilots will win the race.

If one of the boats has a 'lightning' pilot, whose 'partner' is a trifle his inferior, you can tell which one is on watch by noting whether that boat has gained ground or lost some during each four-hour stretch.

The shrewdest pilot can delay a boat if he has not a fine genius for steering.
Steering is a very high art.

One must not keep a rudder dragging across a boat's stem if he wants to get up the river fast.
There is a great difference in boats, of course.

For a long time I was on a boat that was so slow we used to forget what year it was we left port in.