DOCK LINES AND LINE HANDLING Dock line configurations vary from vessel to vessel. [tis important to understand the principles and forces involved. These principles can then be adapted to any docking scenario. Movement of the vessel can be Jdivided into two directions of motion, movement along the dock and movement towards and way from the Jdock. A rotational force also develops as spring lines come under tension, For example, the bow will be drawn towards a dock as a foreword aft leading spring comes under tension (see lower right illustration). Al be I Directional Forces Spring Lines Bow & Stem Lines Rotational Force (bow drawn in) Spring lines should be tighter than the bow and stern lines to prevent the boat from working along the dock |due to wind or swell. Unchecked motion along the dock due to slack spring lines will cause the bow and stern to alternately come against the dock. A cyclical motion will develop and the dock lines may part. CRASH! ‘As a boat approaches the dock and lines are passed ashore, it is very important to realize the effects those lines have ‘on the motion of the vessel. To the left we see a boat as it approaches the dock. The bow line was passed first and the line handler made it fast to a cleat causing the bow to crash into the dock, oops! On the right we see the same approach. This time a spring line was lead aft to the dock from a location behind the midsection of the vessel. As the line handler took strain on the line the boat is drawn, nicely against the dock. Skilled crews will also “work against” spring lines to pivot on or off of the dock. Dock lines are dangerous. A heavy boat even moving slowly caries with it an extreme amount of inertia and power. More than enough to severe limbs. Never sacrifice your body to save a little paint. Also, stretchy nylon dock lines recoil when they break with speeds capable of ‘causing death. Never stand aligned with a line under tension. I VERY NICE!For USCG exam purposes, dock lines are shown below as excerpted from exam material Offshore Bow Line ‘offshore Stern Line tA Cl Inshore Bow Line Foreword Breast Line Alt Leading Spring Line DoOaang Foreword Leading Spring Line