Six
Eivind led me out to the deck of the boat. He grabbed a spare rope that hung off the rail and we walked to the bow.
He pointed down to a metal fixture on the deck. “This is a cleat. We have them all over the boat”—he pointed out various others—“and this is how we attach the boat to the dock or a wall or another boat. Whatever we need.”
The cleat was a piece of metal in a T shape, with a short, stubby base and longer arms. The edges were all rounded and curved. Most of the cleats on the right side of the boat had ropes wrapped around them, which were tied to cleats on the dock.
“Wait here.” Eivind crossed the deck and climbed down onto the dock. He went to a cleat on the dock ahead of me and to the left. Quickly, he fastened the rope to the cleat, his hand a blur of movement.
“Now
