Heaving a line.

[William_H]

I was just reading a previous post on MOB and it occurred to me that maybe all sailors are not proficient at heaving a line.
That is a plain piece of rope. (It is easy with a weight or monkey's fist attached.
A rope needs a mass to give it direction and distance when thrown.
On a plain rope ie jib sheet this is achieved by coiling the rope in such a way that part of the rope makes the weight.

So For a right hander put one foot on the end of the rope or fix it to the boat. coil the rope into the left hand using medium sized loops about 40cms in diameter. When half of the rope is coiled isolate the first coils with a finger of left hand and continue coiling the rest of the rope.
Now separate the second half of the coil into right hand.

Throw the rope in the desired direction with a full arm swing of the right hand while throwing the left hand coils after it but with less vigour. Hopefully the right hand coils will stay together drawing out the LH coils until that is depleted then unravel itself.

If you practice on shore you will find you can throw a plain rope a long way. Of course in practice you throw the rope over a persons head so it lays over them and beyond them.
Take your time to coil the ropes as described. A half hearted incorrect throw will see the rope not go far enough and you will have to do it again.

Maybe I am teaching grandma to suck eggs (sorry) maybe it will help someone to a little skill which may save a life. olewill

 

[john_morris_uk]

Some fair points made.

I was always taught to divide the coils into 2/3rds 1/3rd. The 2/3rds coil being the one that you heave. A good underarm swing seems to work for most people.

Like all things practice makes perfect, and don't ruch the preparation. Get it right and it goes right the first time. Get it wrong and you take much longer sorting the mess out to get it right the second time...

 

[oldsaltoz]

G'day Will,

When I worked in North West we tied up the bulk carriers, this meant returning their heaving lines.

Standing on dolphin with the ships hand rails a very long way overhead, I managed to get it back on the first throw about 75% of the time. I use the 50-50 coils method and swing, letting go the left hand coil first and the right hand faster and harder right after it.

Works for me.

Avagoodweekend......

 

[bedouin]

I used to do a lot of this on lifesaving training courses. The point about marking your place while coiling the rope is important - it can be surprisinglu difficult to split the coils once fully coiled.

One point to make is that when you throw the rope you should throw it almost flat - not up into the air. When experienced it can be better to throw with a straight arm side action - rather like throwing the discus - but that tends to be les accurate than the underarm version.

I don't get the "throw with the left" idea - I would do no more than drop that at my feet - I would have thought that trying to throw with both hands at once would mean you got less power into the right hand throw,

 

[Poignard]

In the Royal Navy, we used to have "Heaving Line Competitions" to encourage people to develop the skill. Might be a good idea for a yacht club evening....

 

[smeaks]

used to sail on a bulk carrier, "Auora" used to get into Abbotts Point for coal.... paid off there once.... not alot for miles!

 

[damo]

The split coils method is the best IMO if you are using whatever rope is to hand, but the easiest way of all is to have a dedicated lightweight line stuffed into a throw bag, which is what kayakers use all the time. Larger versions are also available for a MOB situation.

Dipping the bag in the water adds some weight and lets you throw it further - the line pays out as it flies. It is very simple to DIY.

 

[cliffordpope]

There must be an interesting trade-off when transfering a larger rope between weight and carrying power, and lightness and ease of throw.

Obviously in an extreme case you would only manage a throw of about 2 feet, so would throw a lighter line that would be attached to the heavier. But if the lighter line were too light it would not go as far as a medium weight rope.
What is the optimum size of rope in order to achieve maximum distance?

 

[maxi77]

A couple of points from my past in the RN, yes split coils is a must, with the thrown coil of a smaller diameter than the following coil, also a loop in the non thrown end to go over the wrist was common. Also braided line was used, and the heaving lines were towed behind the ship after leaving port to get all the twists out, makes coiling and throwing easier.