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Mooring is one of the tensest moments of a voyage: orders come fast, there’s no time to think it over, and a misunderstood word can cost a parted line or an injury on deck. Let’s go through the English a deck crew needs to know on the forecastle, the poop deck, and at the windlass.
Why it’s a critical topic
Unlike watchkeeping on the bridge, where orders come over a loudhailer, on the forecastle and poop deck a sailor often hears the order over a handheld radio against wind, running machinery, and spray. What matters here isn’t just getting the term right, but reacting instantly to a short order with no time to ask for clarification.
Key mooring commands
- Stand by fore / aft — get ready on the forecastle / poop deck
- Send the line ashore — pass a line to the shore
- Slack away — pay out the line
- Heave in / haul in — take in the line
- Hold on / hold the line — hold the line, neither paying out nor taking in
- Make fast — secure (make fast on the bollards/bitts)
- Let go — release (e.g. let go a mooring line or the anchor)
Mooring equipment terms
- Bollard — a mooring post on deck or ashore
- Bitts — a pair of mooring posts on deck
- Fairlead — a guide that leads a line through the ship’s side
- Mooring winch — the winch used to heave in mooring lines
- Heaving line — a light line thrown ashore first, with a weighted end
- Fender — a cushion between the hull and the quay
Anchoring
- Let go the anchor — release the anchor
- Walk back the anchor — lower the anchor under power on the windlass, under control, rather than letting it run free
- How much cable is out? — how many shackles of chain have been paid out?
- The anchor is holding / dragging — the anchor is holding / not holding, dragging
- Brought up — the ship has come to anchor and stopped
Reports during the operation
A sailor on the forecastle or poop deck must report clearly and briefly to the bridge on the state of the line or chain:
- “Line is fast forward” — the forward line is secured
- “Anchor is aweigh” — the anchor has broken free of the bottom
- “All lines are fast” — all lines are secured, the ship is moored
How to train this English
- Practise the commands in pairs: one gives the order, the other echoes it back, the same way it’s done on the bridge.
- Learn the equipment terms from photos of the deck — a visual link sticks faster than a word list.
- Rehearse the reports in their short form — nobody speaks in full sentences during a real mooring operation.
- At interviews, be ready to explain the difference between slack away and let go — they’re often confused, and mixing up the command on a mooring job has serious consequences.
Conclusion
Mooring doesn’t forgive a slow reaction or an approximate understanding of the commands. At Sea Service we drill these commands until they’re automatic — the same way watch reports and radio communication are drilled — so that on a real deck there’s not a split second of doubt.