How to throw a dock line

Throwing to a person © Waterway Guide

The ability for each crew member to competently throw a line is an extremely helpful skill, even empowering, since many times it is not convenient or even possible for one crew member to stop what they are doing to throw a line for another. Fortunately, learning to throw a line is a skill that is easily and quickly learned.

TIP: If folks are having to struggle to catch your line, the line is probably too short. Instead, throw longer lines, at least 30-35 feet long; for larger boats, 40 feet or more will probably be needed.

The technique- Throw to a person

Coil the line in one hand, then divide these coils between both hands; avoid tangles.

Grip the end of the line in one hand. Then, swinging the coils in your other hand, release them; these coils will pull those coils out from the other 'idle' hand.

Throw beside, but beyond the person; if you must throw at the person, throw over their head, but beyond them.

Once the person has the line, tell them what to do with it.

Throwing over a cleat or piling - photo © Waterway Guide

The technique- over a piling or around a cleat

Once you master the simplest line throwing skill outlined above, there is another line throwing skill worthy of learning: The ability to throw a bight of the line over a piling or around a cleat. This is done very much like throwing a line as mentioned above, only you grip both ends of the line, one end in each hand. Aiming for over, but past the cleat or piling, swing both arms forward, putting a slight arcing motion in the 'lead' arm. As your arms swing forward, release the coils from the leading, slightly 'arcing' hand; these coils will pull out the coils from the other hand.

Suggestions for improving your success

• Throw long lines-35 footers(or longer if the lines don't get beyond the target).
• Practice twice a day-2 throws every morning, 2 throws every evening-until competent.
• We all miss at times: chuckle, re-coil and re-throw.
• Some situations require coiling the line clockwise, others counter-clockwise.
• If the line will first be belayed before being thrown, choose lines that are at least 10 feet longer.
• For short distances release the coils only from one hand; maybe gather fewer coils.
• Experiment with varying the number of coils in each hand.
• Knots and eyes in a throwing rope often interfere; if so, throw bare lines, lines that don't have knots or eyes.
• If a location is difficult to throw from, throw from a better location, but use lines long enough to be taken to where they will be belayed.
• If you want to throw without someone's 'interference', say something like, "Stand back for a few minutes, then I'll tell you what I want you to do".
• To those trying to 'socialize' while docking, say something like, "Give us a few minutes to get tied up, then we'd love to invite you onboard".