Thanks, good idea, I'll research that tugboat knot. My docklines have
a loop in one end, sometime I wonder if it isn't easier to do the
length adjustment at the cleat rather than using the loop at the boat
cleat.

And the clove hitch... the trouble is, it slips, but your idea of a,
what, half-hitch, on top is a good one. Trouble is that required
getting the bitter end, although one could do a slipped half-hitch.
I'll play around.

What we do is use a spliced eye in the line to form a sliding loop. Put
that over the piling, pull it tight, and secure the running end on the
boat. That way you can adjust the docklines from on board, and tuck away
the excess line in a consistent way (however yu arrange it).

There is a knot which will do what you want... the tugboat hitch. Take
the bight of the line over the standing part, back around the piling,
then around the standing part again, etc etc. Enough times to feel
secure, then put a hitch on the bight over the standing part of the dock
line. I bet a Google search will come up with a better explanation plus
pictures.

Another way is to put a clove hitch over the piling by tossing a set of
loops over the top of the piling. This takes a little bit of practice
but it makes you look like a pro.

BTW a third hitch added to a clove hitch makes it much more secure. A
simple clove hitch will pull loose if left to itself and the boat swings
back and forth to any degree.

Fresh Breezes- Doug King