Mooring Principles

General Mooring Principles

• When first securing a vessel, the bow line is commonly secured first, then stern, then the spring lines.  The reason for this is because most boats have little lateral control over the position of the bow at slow speeds.  Always check with the OIC for mooring intentions as this sequence may be affected by wind, current, and a ship’s lateral bow/stern maneuverability.
• The term “singling up” means to free all lines except the bow line and stern line.  It prepares the ship for departure.
• Knowing where pike poles are located on board the ship can be helpful in the event a line is stuck or mishandled.
• If necessary when approaching a dock, be sure to have fenders in place along the side of the ship as well as a spare ready to be used for when the ship is to first touch the dock.
• Fair leads or hawse holes are smooth, enclosed holes near the side of the ship that are particularly useful when mooring.  If a mooring line is running through a fair lead or hawse hole, it is less likely to chafe and it improves the control of lines on deck should the vessel creep forward or aft.  Fair leads and hawse holes also provide a consistent location from which to apply tension which can be especially useful on larger vessels.  The use of fair leads and hawse holes is especially important when using capstans to apply tension to mooring lines.
• As mooring is almost always a team effort, be sure to maintain good communication with the bridge and fellow crewmates.  Handheld radios are often used for this purpose especially on larger ships.

Fastening to Cleats, Bits, and Bollards

• Docks will commonly have cleats, bits, bollards, or a wooden rail beam to attach to.
• In the case of cleats, bits and bollards, typically figure 8 back and forth loops is recommended.  Simple figure 8’s ensure that it can be taken off even when under tension and that nothing about how it’s secured should become difficult to untie.
• As a matter of good practice and if conditions allow it, start the soft eye of the mooring line at the ship, loop it around the fixed point on the dock, and then bring it back to the ship for securing.  This way, when it comes time to untie, nobody is on the dock.