As I say in the book - try things until you end up with a system that works for you. My boat has a habit of putting its tiller to port all on its own if it is left in forward gear, pushing the whole boat off line, so the tillers strings just make her stay where I want her to be. If you are one of the lucky ones who don't need them, great. Once upon a calamity one of my tiller strings slipped off - the boat was nudging the bottom gates of a deep full lock, and because she had shimmied off line as I opened the paddles to empty the lock the drawdown dropped her onto a projecting brick, over she went and emptied all the shelves in the office, printers, the lot. I saw it happening and dropped the paddles pretty smartly but she had gone over far enough to jam in the lock tail, and didn't come back up at first. With water now pouring in through the deck drains and in a right panic I shoved hard and suddenly up she came and over the other way, completing the shelf emptying, and all because I hadn't put the strings on properly! So, for me, they are essential. I would rather put 10 incidental idea in the book than have someone ask, 'why didn't you say..............' !!! Cheers, enjoy, I am still syuck on my moorings, bugger.