Throwing Dock Lines

Ken Cross · Sep 3, 2016

I agree that boat handling should normally resolve it but, I've been surprised by wind gusts or unexpected current. Tossing a dock line can be done well without incident.

Throw beside the receiver about chest high and not hard.

Ken

justsomeguy · Sep 3, 2016

Allan12210 said:
What say you all?

Stuff happens. Say you're sorry very profusely and move on.

Terry Cox · Sep 3, 2016

Allan12210 said:
So, this may raise some controversy, but what the heck. What say you all?

That shiner looks as though it came from a pub brawl. Just say'n.

All U Get · Sep 4, 2016

Allan12210 said:
If help is needed, we just hand the lines to the person or have them draped over the lifelines so they can just take them. Usually the first line we hand off is a mid-ship spring. QUOTE]

That is my plan. However my wife has a hair trigger on that throwing arm and it springs as soon as anyone on the dock says "Let it fly". After fifteen years and every attempt to explain and/or demand she listen to me, I have given up. So the plan this winter is to tie the lines in a knot and try to get the boat alongside the dock before she can untie it.

All U Get

SFS · Sep 4, 2016

We teach our students how to throw, as well as how to catch lines. Throwers are taught to throw line over and beyond the receiver. Receivers are taught to stand with their arms outstretched, so their body forms a "T" shape. That way a fair bit of margin for error is provided to the thrower. We don't have throwing knots on the ends of our lines though.

I have found that many people end up throwing a line short (with all its attendant problems) because they throw with a straight underhand motion. The plane of the hand movement is perpendicular to the deck, and your arm stays parallel to the trunk of your body. That movement uses smaller muscles (and is therefore less powerful) than a throwing motion with more sidearm component (like a discus thrower). The latter lets you put your body's core muscles, and leg muscles into the throw. It is also important to prep the line appropriately, and hold it correctly. It should be divided between the throwing and non-throwing hands, with the non-throwing hand just supporting (not-gripping) the loops, palm up, fingers out. This lets the line feed off the non-throwing hand as the first half of the line moves through the air.

It is always better to be able to hand a line off, but there will be times where a line must be thrown. In such cases, there is almost always a penalty (large or small) for a missed transfer. In a best case scenario, the penalty is only throwing a wet, heavier line. Always better to get the line where it needs to be on the first attempt.

To the OP: it's a shame that the woman took the negative approach with you, rather than explaining how to do it better. You would have retained the same life-long memory, but it would have been a more positive one, and you could have shared that ability with many additional people. I wish more people would remember that "when a student is ready, the teacher will appear".

gettinthere · Sep 4, 2016

That woman was an @ss.

There are times when you need to throw like when a strong wind it pushing you off. Or maybe you just misjudged the approach. To some, it seems that of you arent perfect, you should get out of boating.

The biggest problem is throwing too soon when the line wont reach the line handler with plenty to spare. After 20+ years, my wife still sometimes wants to do that. A quick 'wait' works, but to some, I should have kicked her off the boat years ago for this gross incompetence.

thinwater · Sep 4, 2016

I think it's a pretty silly fear. Are we afraid of baseball or tennis?

I can't remember the last time I a threw a line docking. I can drive very well. But I'm hardly offended if someone else does. In fact, the skill to throw a line 30-40 feet accurately shows good seamanship. I've given impromptu classes on how it's done, generally in the context of MOB recovery or towing (the only times I can remember throwing a line--I'm not passing a line when the sea is pumping!).

Jacktar · Sep 4, 2016

Always fasten the bitter end, throw about handful of loops maybe 3 or so , let it run free and aim for center of mass. Dont throw further than about 10' since most dock lines are short anyway.

Terry Cox · Sep 4, 2016

Once I added the mid ship cleat to our boat, the need to throw a line to a dock hand pretty much ended. In all the years since, I can count on one hand the times I have tossed a line, and in half of those it was more a gesture of courtesy rather than necessity. As already mentioned, whenever I approach a dock, the working end of the bow and stern line drape over the life line at the mid ship cleat, along with the mid ship cleat line. The first line secured when I step off the boat is the mid ship followed by either bow or stern depending upon current and/or wind pressure on the boat, but normally it is the bow.

capta · Sep 4, 2016

It is a very important skill, to the point of being a matter of life and death, to know how to throw a line as far as physically possible. There is a right way to do it and a myriad of wrongs ways.
But it is not a skill that is honed to throw docking lines.
I am also of the school that thinks it is the responsibility of the person at the helm to do their job, not those holding lines to cover the helmsman's butt. If the boat is not close enough to the dock that someone with a line cannot hand it easily to the person taking it, or step ashore/aboard another boat with the line and secure it, then it's the helmsman's job to take her around again and not risk injuring anyone. Prudent seamanship; not risking injuring someone to save the embarrassment of making another pass.

druid · Sep 4, 2016

When I lost my transmission in Silva Bay, I HAD to throw a line to the Dock Lady before the wind and current took me into another boat. I was a bit surprised I had to tell her "Cleat it!" so she wasn't pulled off the dock. If you're retrieving a line at a dock, DON'T try to pull the boat in by hand: get a few wraps on the nearest cleat. Sure, if your docking prowess is perfect and nothing goes wrong you shouldn't have to throw a line to someone on the dock. (I've had the transmission fail, had the shifter break so I couldn't get OUT of gear, and lost the steering once. Not to mention the times I've had to come in under sail because the engine failed) .

Things are rarely perfect.

druid

Tim22 · Sep 4, 2016

Many years ago we were locking through the Rideau Canal locks and I tossed the bow line to the lockmaster on shore. To my horror he pulled the bow straight into the side of the concrete lock leaving a large gouge in the bow of my 2 week old boat. Since then, in I have never thrown a line to someone ashore while docking nor do I let my crew do it. In an emergency things may be different.

Tim

Crazy Dave Condon · Sep 5, 2016

Ann and I were in the Islands and not saying where, we received a message to go in due to approaching hurricane. Being a dealer, I had not prepared well enough like having the dock lines ready and coiled properly nor going over with Ann what to do. On first approach, I was not comfortable and backed out to retry again and this time we had the lines ready and instructed Ann on what to do before the second approach. I learned and taught my customers no matter what conditions to be prepared and practice.

Here is the important item to remember. You are at the helm and the one responsible. You have to make the decisions. Forget the idiots who are screaming barking orders as to what you need to do as that was a major distraction to the both of us to include the boat behind us who were avid round the world sailors who experienced the same thing. I finally got those on the docks to shut up so we could concentrate on docking with the skippers then making the calls. As it turned out two of the three dock hands and the two others had not idea of docking boats who were doing the screaming. So if you have to use cuss words to get them to shut up so you can concentrate on docking in emergencies, go for it as then the other skipper and I had to do so and both of us then got our boats in with seamanship.

thinwater · Sep 5, 2016

The only orders/information I typically listen to are from someone calmly reporting the distance/clearance when maneuvering in very tight space. The rest I will be see on my own.

I've always suggested to new boat owners that the best way to learn how to dock is to do it repeatedly on a practice day. Focus only on learning. Try variations. The problem with learning in the course of sailing is that it may be weeks and the lessons are slow to sink in.

uncledom · Sep 6, 2016

I back the boat to in almost every situation except T heads. The Admiral loops the bow cleat with one of the bow line and lasos a cleat with the center of the line while retaining the bitter end to cleat around the midship cleat and stop the boat on my mark. I laso the nearest dock cleat for the aft end or step off and tie the line. If neighbors ask to help I always say thanks but we've got a system. And no one has been insulted so far, thank goodness. If it's a dock hand at Paynes, we throw the line but no other exceptions. It's much simpler to be self sufficient.

Franklin · Sep 6, 2016

As a single handler, I do everything myself -- almost all the time. I have the lines tied off to the cleats and ran along the side towards the mid-ship and then brought back over the lifelines. This way I can jump off and grab the lines as I go or if there is somebody wanting to give me a hand they can easily grab the line. Sometimes strange fuel docks can give me trouble and I have had to throw it a few times.

So, this is how it is done: roll them up with figure 8 style so it doesn't tangle when thrown. Throw to the side of the person, not at them and throw past them. I've been able to throw for up to 25' with dock lines when dealing with haulout bays where you are required to throw them.

NotCook · Sep 11, 2016

SFS said:
Throwers are taught to throw line over and beyond the receiver. Receivers are taught to stand with their arms outstretched, so their body forms a "T" shape.

Well said!

Crazy Dave Condon · Sep 11, 2016

As a former dealer, I made it a point that on all boats, lessons included sailing of course but also docking, systems, etc./ I had instructors for that to eliminate issues no matter what for as long as it took. My folks were glad that we did that as most dealers might only take several hours at most with the large boats. I usually figured two weeks of instruction say for a 44.