When the stern is clear, the bow ______ should be cast off.

When the stern is clear, the bow ______ should be cast off.

• A. Mooring line
• B. Spring line
• C. Bow line
• D. Towing line

Answer: (C)

Lines secure the forward and rear ends of a boat to control how it sits at the dock. The bow line is the one tied from the bow to the dock and keeps the bow anchored in place. If the stern is clear of the dock, casting off the bow line frees the bow so the boat can move away while the stern is already free, allowing a controlled departure. The other lines have different roles: a general mooring line is just a securing line, a spring line is used to limit forward or backward movement along the dock and isn’t the first line you release when you’re ready to depart, and a towing line is for towing another vessel, not for departing from a dock.

Lines secure the forward and rear ends of a boat to control how it sits at the dock. The bow line is the one tied from the bow to the dock and keeps the bow anchored in place. If the stern is clear of the dock, casting off the bow line frees the bow so the boat can move away while the stern is already free, allowing a controlled departure. The other lines have different roles: a general mooring line is just a securing line, a spring line is used to limit forward or backward movement along the dock and isn’t the first line you release when you’re ready to depart, and a towing line is for towing another vessel, not for departing from a dock.