Deck General · Mooring Lines
When heaving a messenger line to a dock, the heaving line is first attached to the messenger by:
- AA bowline through the messenger eye
- BA square knot
- CA monkey's fist weighted ball at the throwing end, bent to the messenger✓ Correct
- DSplicing the two lines together
Explanation
A monkey's fist is a knot tied around a weighted core (often a steel ball or stone) at the end of the heaving line. Its weight enables accurate throws over distance. The heaving line is then bent (tied) to the eye of the heavier mooring line or messenger, which is hauled across by the dock workers. The monkey's fist itself is not the mooring line — it is the throwing lead.
Authority: Marlinespike Seamanship
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