'are you positive this is a friend? the captain grimaced 'those are cliffs of rock ahead if i'm not mistaken' - subconsciously she knows that this other woman is a potential threat, a wrecker trying to draw her in to destroy her (perhaps by gaining her confidence and telling her that she's not interested in the guy), but she's sailing closer and closer to the rocks - destruction of the relationship. 'tying up along your coast' - she's been distant from him, and is trying to be closer to him again in the hope of seeing off this threat, but maybe the other girl, the pirate, has already done the damage and is moored with him.
I think the other girl is an ex, as the Rebeccas she references are from the other Du Maurier book 'Rebecca' where a new wife is haunted by her husband's deceased ex-wife, and the influence she still has over him and all those who know him. She is constantly judged against the ex.
'are you positive this is a friend? the captain grimaced 'those are cliffs of rock ahead if i'm not mistaken' - subconsciously she knows that this other woman is a potential threat, a wrecker trying to draw her in to destroy her (perhaps by gaining her confidence and telling her that she's not interested in the guy), but she's sailing closer and closer to the rocks - destruction of the relationship. 'tying up along your coast' - she's been distant from him, and is trying to be closer to him again in the hope of seeing off this threat, but maybe the other girl, the pirate, has already done the damage and is moored with him. I think the other girl is an ex, as the Rebeccas she references are from the other Du Maurier book 'Rebecca' where a new wife is haunted by her husband's deceased ex-wife, and the influence she still has over him and all those who know him. She is constantly judged against the ex.