*hands Alandriel a patch for her eye and a mug of ale*
Actually, to me, "a light hand on the tiller" has even a more precise meaning... and one I think fits Alandriel very well.
It has to do with adjusting the steering of a ship... using the tiller to affect the rudder, the base, the counterbalance of the ship... lightly in response to the changes of the wind.
An inexperienced or anxious sailor will, when they sense a change in the direction of the wind, wrench the tiller back and forth with great changes to direction. More often than not they then tend to have to compensate for their actions immediately and push the tiller back again. This can cause a zig-zag course through the sea, with a great deal of wasted energy and time.
A sailor with a light hand on the tiller adjusts the steering slightly, carefully, confidently, in response to the slightest change of wind; the ship can sail the straightest possible course, with the least wasted effort.
I think this describes our Alandriel's efforts here very well!
:cheers