Season 2 Episode 5: How to Splice a Mooring Line

The Coastal Trader's deck crew are busy in the mast-house, repairing the mooring lines which tie the vessel to the dock. They use four to eight of these lines, depending on the weather, to moor the ship.

The big green rope is the mooring line. It takes all the strain. The smaller yellow rope spliced around its eye is the tagline, which aids in getting the eye over a bitt or piling. Our mooring lines are made from eight-strand plaited rope and are a little over 2" in diameter.

Part of the job of AB-seamen and deckhands is making new lines out of rope, as well as repairing worn ones. 'Splicing' means making a loop in one end (called an 'eye') or braiding two old lines together to make a new, longer line.

(AB-seaman stands for Able-Bodied Seaman, an old term meaning an experienced deckhand who has passed tests with the Coast Guard to prove their competence).

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00:00-00:19 Intro.
00:25-00:30 In the mast-house.
00:34-00:54 Using a torch.
1:10-1:33 Splicing the tagline.
1:50-2:00 Marking the mooring line.
2:08 to 2:47 Preparing the strands.
3:48-6:15 Making the tucks.
6:16-6:25 Pounding the splice into shape.