Embedded in Victoria’s Tall Ships throngs, we’ve gotten a crash course in navigating the paths and docks and fair ways of the festival.

You might think you know how to walk with 10,000 or so other people around you, but historic sailing vessels change the rules.

So here’s a new set:

1. Be vigilant for photo hazards. Apparently, everyone wants a clear shot of a loved one standing in front of a ship. To get it, the subject stands by the ship and the shooter backs up until the framing is just right. Your challenge is twofold: Avoid being backed into, and stop dead before you end up stored in someone’s digital camera.

2. React quickly to sudden random stops. The person in front of you may halt without warning to avoid a photo hazard. The overheated parent may suddenly realize that one of the over-stimulated kids has run off to be a pirate. The cluster of teens may sense an immediate need for shave ice. Your job: Swerve, halt, or end up with your $6 ice cream cone on your shirt.

3. Maintain your infrastructure. Wear comfy shoes and clothes. Pack twice as much water as you think you’ll need, because once you’re inside the grounds, water doubles in price. Slather up with sunscreen. Pack moist wipes to deal with ice cream hazards.

4. Be alert to the rigging. Nothing stops a Tall Ships crowd faster than the sight of a nimble crew member waltzing out on a yardarm to adjust a halyard, or whatever it is they do 40 feet in the air without a net. Stop, too, and forgive the person who bumps into you.