Wayne.B wrote in message
...

It seems to be a consensus among experienced twin screw
captains that
leaving the rudders amidship is good practice for most
maneuvers.
There are exceptions of course but having the rudders
amidship leads
to more predictable response in my experience.

Comments?

True. You only need rudder if you're trying to achieve a
lateral shift in position.

This can be nicely illustrated in zero wind and current if
you position close to a buoy, apply full rudder, then
balance one engine astern and the other forward to give zero
yaw rate and boat speed, and the boat will slowly (deep
keel) or quickly (shallow keel) move laterally away from the
direction you've applied rudder.

The 'Kick Ass' effect, with rotation cancelled by
differential power!

JimB