I like banter and smalltalk much more than the kind of "conversation" where people simply take turns making speeches on some general theme or, worse yet, go on and on and on. At least with smalltalk and banter the statements tend to be responsive something the other person said, so there's a little listening involved.
I have many fears connected to ocean racing, including storms at sea and submerged shipping containers, but my worst fear is a midnight-0400 watch with some guy—and it's always a guy—who just won't STFU about something.