Chapter 3 · Lesson 1Practical demonstration · about 5 minutes
Before you touch the line
A line looks harmless until it loads. Learn where not to stand, how to keep an escape route and when to stop rather than grab.
Video coming soon
Before you touch the line
In the video
- See the danger before the job starts
- Hands are not winches
- Stay in the operation
From the captain
Before you start
Before we tie anything, let us keep your fingers attached. A slack line can become a loaded line remarkably quickly, and it will not care how strong or alert you are.
By the end of this lesson
Identify bights, changing load paths and pinch points before entering a line-handling job.
See it
See it for yourself
The bight closes
Where you stand is decided before the line moves.
5/5Before you touch it, trace the whole run from the fairlead to the bitts.
Concept sketch · not to scale · a painted boundary is not a guarantee · your vessel's procedure governs
What to look for
Follow the whole line
Trace where the line leads and what could move it. A slack section may take load when another part of the operation changes.
A painted boundary is not a guarantee
Line recoil and movement depend on the arrangement and failure. Do not treat a diagram or a painted patch as proving the rest of a mooring station safe.
The lesson
The lesson
- 01
See the danger before the job starts
Look at the whole run of the line. Find the standing part, loose loops, pinch points and the direction the line may travel. Never stand in a bight or in the likely path of a line that parts or runs.
- 02
Hands are not winches
Hold a line so you can let it go. Never wrap it around a hand, wrist or body. If you need more grip or power, pause and use the vessel's equipment under instruction.
Photo coming soon
A hand holding a line in an open grip. No turn of the rope goes round the hand or wrist, so the hand can open and let go.
Hold it so you can let it go - 03
Stay in the operation
Listen to the person in charge. Keep your footing, your escape route and your view of the line. If the load, call or next movement is unclear, say so before touching it.
Where it goes wrong
A loose coil sits around a deckhand's boots. The line takes up during the manoeuvre and the loop closes before they can step clear. The mistake happened before the line moved: they chose the wrong place to stand.
Your call
What would you do?
Pick one, then read the feedback on all three.
The situation
A slack loop lies near the place you have been assigned. Another team is about to tension the line.
Take it aboard
Trace the line without stepping into it
Do this during your induction or first weeks, with the person responsible for your work.
Unloaded practice
Lay a short loose training line on a table. Point to the bight, standing part, fittings and possible movement.
- 01Identify the complete run and loose loops.
- 02Name where a hand or foot could be trapped.
- 03Explain what movement would change the hazard.
- 04Practise a clear stop call.
What a useful result looks like
- No body part enters a bight.
- You consider movement outside the immediate coil.
Stop: No live mooring line, tension, snap-back demonstration or person inside a loop.
Deckhand Foundation · Job card
Before handling a line
From the lesson: Before you touch the line
- Role and next command understood.
- Whole lead and possible movement checked.
- Bights, pinch points and recoil hazards considered.
- Assigned position and escape route clear.
- No rope wrapped around the body.
Hazard found
Clarification / stop call
Your vessel's procedures and senior crew come first. Nothing on this card is stored.
Quick check
Four decisions, then move on
This check confirms the principle. Your vessel's own induction still comes first.