Such a Simple Thing

Part of Writes and Wrongs of Passage by Suzy O'Keefe

There have been a few sunny days lately and thus my reason for a saunter around the docks. I became acutely aware of so many improperly secured dock lines that I just conducted an unscientific impromptu survey. 22 out of 62. 10 out of 30. 6 out of 27. 21 out of 62. 10 out of 16. 10 out of 24. That's 79 out of 221 or well over 1/3 of the boats that had their dock lines wrapped in something other than the recommended method.

Okay, so what does that mean? 1/3 of the boats? What it means is that if your dock lines are properly secured to the cleats, then chances are your neighbor either to port or starboard has theirs wrong! 1/3! In several cases the dock lines were "locked" at each of the turns around the cleat. One as many as 16 times! On top of that, they coiled the rest of the dockline and their electrical cord around what was left of the horns.

Photo pending: The Wrong Way

This is something so simple that you still may think it's no big deal, but it is a big deal. If these people don't know how to tie their docklines, what else don't they know? Ever have a boat fire in your marina? Or, even just the need to retie the boat next to you 'cause it's smacking you in a blow? I don't want to alarm you, but when those improperly tied lines load up, each one of those "locks" tightens up to a point that you can't get any of them lose. Yes, you could cut the lines if you had to, but that can be pretty time consuming in an emergency.

Here's the rest of the problem. How do you get the other boaters to retie their docklines without pissing them off? I frequently take the time to tell and show people the correct way. Sometimes I succeed. Sometimes I fail and get the answer "this way works fine for me". These are people who don't have a "clew". Least you think I'm speaking of just sail boaters... I'm not. Power boaters, sail boaters, large & small, expensive & not, all kinds of boaters have this problem. It's non-discriminating.

These people don't think it's important or perhaps they just don't know any better. They've never noticed the subtle differences in the way they do it and the way others do it. Maybe no one ever explained why it matters. It's not like they have been "taught" how to be a boater. Even the skills classes that many of the insurance companies require don't touch on this basic concept.

Photo pending: The Right Way

So, I see it this way. It's up to us - those of us who know that it does matter! Broach the subject with your neighbors. Offer to show them a "better" way. Hopefully, that's all it will take, but if that doesn't work, then ask the marina to address the issue with the boater. Actually, as the marina management walks the docks for meter reading and maintenance, it's something they should probably address anyway.