Bowline to Mooring Ball

[Seaworthy Lass]

Originally Posted by Kettlewell

A Bowline can come undone in a situation where there is off and on tugging, so it is worthwhile to throw a couple of half hitches on for good measure, or have a second safety line.

If tugging is a risk, a safe and easy (and elegant) way of securing a bowline is with a Yosemite finish .

[Dennis.G]

A bowline should really have constant equal tension in the loop. I think thing that the round turn could cause the knot to work loose when boat is surging about. I don't think this is proper knot for this application.
An anchor bend more appropriate.
The previous suggestion of a figure 8 also good (needs to be tied as a follow-through figure 8 however - Goggle it for how to tie). This is what a mountain climber would use (they never trust their life to a bowline).
The line from bow, through ring, and back to boat is good except: NEVER LOOP FROM ONE BOW CLEAT TO THE OTHER!! Need to loop back to the same spot. If a loop between bows the line can saw back and forth in the ring (as boat's bow turns in wind) and will chafe through!

[Kettlewell]

The line from bow, through ring, and back to boat is good except: NEVER LOOP FROM ONE BOW CLEAT TO THE OTHER!! Need to loop back to the same spot. If a loop between bows the line can saw back and forth in the ring (as boat's bow turns in wind) and will chafe through!

Cuttyhunk has rental moorings with a tall stand up PVC pipe on top, and on the top of the pipe is just a nylon anchor thimble. The idea is you pass your line through the thimble. A lot of people do just as you say not to do, and the thimble saws back and forth on the line. One day I was in my dinghy and I noticed a nice Island Packet going merrily on its way downwind towards the shallows and apparently nobody on board. I chased it down in my dink, came up alongside, lashed off my dink, ran forward and was able to quickly drop an anchor and let out some scope. As we straightened out in the wind I ran aft and peered over the stern and there was a big rock visible just aft. I had anchored her just in the nick of time. Turns out their mooring line had been sawed right through.

[Paul Elliott]

A round turn isn't going to affect the strain on either side of the bowline enough to make a difference. Secure the free end with some half-hitches, or use the "Yosemite finish" that Seaworthy Lass suggests (I've not seen it called that name before, but it's a good way to secure a bowline).

An anchor bend is certainly secure, but after a night of tugging and snatching, I would be afraid that you would have to untie it with a knife. It really binds up.

I repeat my recommendation: pass the line through the float eye and secure both ends at your boat.