Whips for Sailboats
Mooring Whips are mounted (on the dock) directly opposite the fore & aft cleats to which they will be attached, so that the lines are at right angles to the dock & boat. Sailboats generally require that the whips be outside the fore & aft perimeter allowed by your spring lines (to avoid fouling the stays). In this instance the lines will be "toed in". (spaced at about 35' apart for 28' boat) Your manufacturer should have provided detailed mounting and usage instructions (some manufacturers recommend tying the whip rope to the near dockside cleat, and some to the far offside cleat). The pole should be bent so that the boat rests (no wind) at about 2 - 3 Ft. from the dock. (It gets a little more complicated for Fixed docks in Tidal Waters) In any case, you still need to tie the boat with proper bow, stern, & fore & aft spring lines, and Fenders should still be deployed. You may (correctly) assume that I'm not a big fan of Whips for sailboats. HTH Gord
