GL: Dock Line Throwing

[Ralph Yost]

Charles is correct in that this correlates with how I was taught as a kid on
the tugboats.  Of course the lines were heavy, stiff, and easier to toss. In
the tugboat world, if you cant "catch a piling" you are a nobody !

You have to have plenty of line in the hand you are throwing with, and the
line has to go unimpeded towards the piling.
The most common mistake in this process is not throwing enough line, the
line being too short, and the loop never reaches the piling.

We did do it with bowline ends but we were also doing it every day and 
getting a LOT of practice.
R,
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Charles and Pat Culotta" <charlesculotta at gmail.com>
The way I was taught by professional seamen is to take the
> eye in one hand and coil  one or two courses of line on it in one hand.
> holding the eye and the several coils open with the other hand.. Place
> your
> foot on the bitter end ( you do not want it to go overboard). Now throw
> the
> eye and coiled line out towered the piling or cleat. Throw high so that it
> falls on to the piling or cleat.
>
> Here is the IMPORTANT part.
>
> LET GO OF THE LINE WITH BOTH HANDS
>
> I repeat LET GO OF THE LINE WITH BOTH HANDS.
> Speaking of heft. THE WIFE always wets the eye end of the line to add
> heft.
> She finds that it helps.