We’ve come a long way from manila
I WAS watching a harbour tug at work not long ago, working with one of these “high modulus synthetic fibre” towropes which looked about as substantial as a heaving line. I can quite see that their use takes a bit of getting used to, in that the stern could be torn clean off the ship if the tug skipper was over-enthusiastic, before the rope broke. At least there is no shortage of information about the introduction of these exciting developments, thanks to agencies such as OCIMF.