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wrote:

So, and please excuse a really stupid question, but slack tide refers
to the hour or so on both sides of low tide when the tide rising or
falling most slowly?
I've always seen this term but never been precisely sure of the
definition.

As mentioned, "slack tide" (or "slack water"} occurs at both high and
low tide. In most locations slack occurs within 5 or 10 minutes of high
or low tide.

However, the times do not always coincide. In fact, there are sometimes
major differences. Tonight at the RR Bridge in the Cape Cod Canal slack
water will be at 7:46 pm, but low water is over an hour later, at 8:51.
At the time of low, the current will already be running at 3 knots, so
it could be a serious problem if one presumed that low and slack were
the same.