You are 15 feet off a pier and docking a vessel using only a bow breast line and stern breast line. Once the slack is out of both lines you begin to haul in on the bow breast line. What is the effect on the vessel?

Correct Answer: Option C — The bow will come in and the stern will remain the same distance off the pier.

Hauling on the bow breast line while the stern breast line remains static creates a pivot point at the stern. Because the stern is not being pulled, the vessel rotates around that point, bringing the bow closer to the pier while the stern maintains its original distance.