When making up a long, large coastwise tow,...

🔍 Key Concepts

• Towing gear safety – especially what parts must be strongest and most reliable in a long, exposed tow • Redundancy vs. load‑sharing – why we have backup wires and what their normal tension should be • Proper use of shackles and bridles – where safety shackles are critical and how forces are transferred through the fishplate

💭 Think About

• Think about which item, if done as written, would most likely create a single point of failure in the tow system instead of improving safety • Ask yourself: in heavy weather on a long coastwise tow, what do you want your backup gear to be doing BEFORE something breaks? • Consider: which pieces of hardware (shackles, bridles, fishplate connections) are typically designed to take the primary load, and which are mainly for retrieval or emergency use?

✅ Before You Answer

• Verify how backup (safety) towing wires are normally rigged in relation to the main tow wire – are they kept slack, sharing some load, or fully taut? • Confirm the usual practice for shackles connecting to a fishplate on a large tow – are safety (bolt‑type) shackles recommended or avoided? • Review why tripping ropes / retrieving lines are used on long tows and whether they are considered good or bad practice.

When making up a long, large coastwise tow, which of the following procedures is INCORRECT?

Rig tripping ropes (retrieving lines)

A chain towing bridle is generally preferred

Safety shackles should be used when connecting to the fishplate

Backup wires are left slack

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🔍 Key Concepts

💭 Think About

✅ Before You Answer