With “permanent” dock lines, many folks like to use lines with eyes, placing the eyes boat-side, the other ends having been adjusted for length and belayed to the slip’s pilings or on the pier’s cleats.

Though this arrangement simplifies the positioning of the boat in the slip, it can complicate things if the boat needs to be maneuvered beyond the length of any of the lines, or if a line needs to be adjusted from boat-side.

On the other hand, having eyes on the shore-side cleats limits line adjustment to only the boat-end of the line.

There’s a third choice-use bald-headed lines-no eye or a loop in either end.

These “eye-less” lines have the advantage that they can be adjusted or cast off from either end. Plus, there is more flexibility in the use of these lines, and no eye to interfere if the line needs to be thrown. If the boat might need to be maneuvered around in the slip, make these lines as long as might be required. For positioning the boat, put “positioning marks” on the lines to indicate where to belay them once the boat is positioned “just right”.

Belaying an “eye-less” line to a piling can be done in numerous ways, but doing it so that the line can be released easily, with control, especially if the line is under a load limits the choices.

One of the best ways is to simply take a turn or two around the piling-maybe a third, if the load will be exceptionally high-secured with a rolling hitch thrown around the line's standing part.

This round turn, secured with a rolling hitch, is also an alternative hitch for belaying to a cleat, and is a better option if a cleat hitch will jam.

Learn more about anchoring with Rudy and Jill's book Anchoring: A Ground Tackler's Apprentice.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Jill and Rudy Sechez first began cruising in 1997 aboard a 36-foot wood, cutter-rigged sailboat that they built in a small backyard. They currently live and cruise aboard a 34-foot sail-assisted wood trawler, which they designed, then built under the trees out in the woods. Relevant to this book, they have seen their boats successfully through seven hurricanes, anchoring through five of them, in addition to numerous tropical storms and countless gales. They cruise primarily the east coasts of the U.S., Gulf of Mexico and the Bahamas, with a trip to Bermuda along the way. Click here to purchase this book.