Docking and dock lines
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Plan the approach for wind and current, rig fenders and lines early, go only as fast as you're willing to hit the dock, and what each line — including the spring — does.
Sources (7)
- Docking skill is key to a skipper's reputation; check wind, current and other boats before docking; stay at steerage speed with crew and lines ready — boatus.org
- A spring line made fast to the dock, wheel turned away and engine at idle forward, walks the boat sideways into a tight space — boatus.org
- Five rules for avoiding injury: brief the crew, no leaps onto the dock, keep fingers and limbs inboard, hold on, never use bodies to stop the boat; a crew member's fingers were crushed when the skipper backed hard while she cleated a spring line — boatus.org
- Never approach a dock faster than you are willing to hit it; add short bursts of power; operate mostly in neutral; dock bow into wind and current if possible; have lines and fenders ready and tied on before arrival — freedomboatclub.com
- Bow and stern lines with cleat hitches; two spring lines for longer stays, one stopping the boat drifting back and one drifting forward; lines tight enough to hold the boat off yet loose enough to rise and fall — mercurymarine.com
- Cleat hitch: around the base, figure eight over the horns, finish with a locking loop — youtube.com
- Lines chafe where they bend over cleats and chocks; chafe protection is a sacrificial layer between the hard point and the rope — practical-sailor.com
General guidance for recreational boaters — your engine and equipment manuals and local regulations come first.