After successfully parking your boat alongside a dock, now it’s time to make sure the boat stays in place, using dock lines – also called mooring lines , to tie the boat to the dock. You’ll need four to six long dock lines to secure the boat to the dock, and at least two bumpers (heavy-duty cushions hung over the side of a boat to absorb the force of contact between a boat and a dock) to prevent the craft from touching the pier. As your boat is eased near the dock, We often see boats tied up with only two lines – one at the bow(front) and another at the stern(back) – with each line running at about a 90-degree angle from the boat to the dock. These two lines will secure the boat to the dock, but the boat may still drift slightly frontwards or backwards, potentially allowing the craft to bump into other boats, especially at a crowded pier. The correct method of tying your boat to the dock is quick and easy, usually involving four mooring lines: a bow line and stern line to secure the ends of your boat to the dock; and two spring lines to limit the fore and movement of your craft. Bow and stern lines’ locations are self-explanatory; the bow line is at the front and the stern line is at the back of the boat. Spring lines hold the boat amidships (the middle), by running one spring line from a dock cleat situated near the center of the boat to the bow, and then another spring line to the dock cleat from the stern. If you find yourself in a slip, instead of parallel-parked at a dock, you can rig two lines from the bow (front) to the port (left side) and starboard (right side) post, and crisscross the stern lines. You only need to know two dock line fastening techniques to tie up your boat. Most dock lines / mooring lines have an eye (loop) on one end; this is the end you’ll tie to your boat. Pay attention, because there are three steps to this procedure: • Push the eye of the dock line through the opening in the base of the cleat

• Loop the line’s eye over the ends of the cleat

• Pull the dock line snug tying the line to a standard dock cleat is also a three-step process. With the mooring line in hand: • Wrap the line around the base of the cleat

• Pull the line over the top and around the opposite ends of the cleat to create a figure eight