The trawler yacht is a descendant of its working cousins, the tugboat and the trawler fishing boat. Maybe it is tradition, maybe preference, but these yachts are often equipped with Bitts and / or Bollards just like their relatives. Just like other boats they still have cleats, but Bitts and Bollards are there to do the big jobs.
Whether or not your boat is equipped with one of these babies, you will want to know the correct way to belay a line to one. There are many different styles, so let’s look at them first. Even ff your boat doesn’t have a Bitt or Bollard you should pay attention anyway. One day a dock that you pull up to will present one of these varying styles, especially if you travel around the world as trawler folks like to do.
Bitts and Bollards are heavily built devices and are used for belaying lines. There are different types of Bitts such as single, double, H-Bitt, Cruciform Bitt and others. Bollards also may have a single post, double posts (either vertical or angled outward from center), Cruciform, staghorn, and many other styles. Sometimes Bollards are called Bitts and vice versa.
Lines rely on friction to keep them attached to Bitts, Bollards, Cleats, Lines, or other things. Friction increases with what is called normal force. Normal force is the perpendicular force between two objects. So, for example, when the load on a line increases (the boat drifts away from the dock and the line tension increases) the normal force between the line and the Bollard increases and the friction increases. If the total friction of the connection to the Bollard is greater than the force on the line to the boat, the connection holds.
Lines can be secured to Bitts and Bollards in such a way that they can be quickly released or made with a more permanent arrangement. The first such method has the problem that a boat tugging on a line can cause it to become undone or alternatively, if a line is positively tied off it can be hard to undo when required. The obvious difficulty with using a pre-tied loop of line is that its size has to be predetermined which may not be possible when the intended object for the bitter end is not in sight. A loop may not be a positively secure way of attaching to a Bollard. It may be used as a Lark’s Head however with a double cruciform Bollard which would be a very secure attachment in my opinion and it can be released quickly if it does not have a load on it. If loaded it cannot be easily undone. Another way to more securely attach a loop to a single post Bollard is to place the loop over the Bollard and form another loop behind the Bollard by making a half twist in the loop and then bringing the resulting second loop back over the Bollard toward the front. A larger loop is required for this, but the result is more secure than just dropping a loop over the Bollard.
The bowline is a knot known as the king of knots because it will never slip and nothing can jam it and it can be tied in one hand to form a loop.
A Clove or ratline hitch is a convenient knot for making a line fast to a spar, the standing part of another line, a piling, or a Bollard. It is used to temporarily fasten a line, but it must be watched as it might undo if slack. When under a strain, however, it will not slip, but when under a hard strain, it will set up tight and may be difficult to break loose.
The usual methods of securing a line to a double Bitt is to make one turn on the first post and then wrap the line in a figure eight pattern over both posts of the Bitt. This arrangement may be removed quickly when necessary. Belaying the bitter end of the line coming off the Bitt on a cleat can further security. On a single post Bollard the usual way is to either tie several hitches to the Bollard or to slip an appropriate sized loop of line over the Bollard or as described earlier. Cross pieces on the Bollard can help keep the loop from slipping off the Bollard, but I prefer to ensure that the line will not accidentally come off.
Next is the Lighterman’s Back Mooring Hitch which may be used on a single post Bollard, on a piling, or for heavy towing. Also known as the Tugboat hitch and the Backhanded Mooring Hitch, it is a well known and much trusted little number that, like the figure eight described earlier, can be undone even if there is a massive pull on it. It works well when you wish to moor to a Bollard - maybe whilst waiting for a lock or taking on water etc. and can be tied or untied in moments.