It seemed like the perfect time to check out the Ala Wai Harbor's new docks that are under construction—as well as what's left of the old ones—with a Kona storm bearing down on Oahu's south shore last week.

The weather forecasters were predicting sustained winds of 40 mph, with gusts up to 58 mph. Coupled with heavy rain, it meant the marina operators and the resident boat owners should have been getting ready for a real blow.

Well, the good news from my dock-walk was that Hawaiian Dredging had completely removed the old, condemned B Dock, and was well into replacing it with a new aluminum-framed and composite-decked floating dock system.

That still left the half-submerged C and D docks, of course, but it was a step in the right direction, and it appeared the company's plans for having all of the docks replaced by the end of May 2009 were on track.

The bad news however was I noticed that way too many boats throughout the marina were improperly tied up (belayed and made fast, in nautical terms), leaving them at risk from a serious storm.

Because making a line fast to a dock cleat is one of the simplest hitches in the book, it made me wonder if many of today's boaters even look at “;the book”; anymore.

The book I'm referring to is “;The Ashley Book of Knots,”; which is arguably the most definitive text on knot tying, or what in past centuries was known as marlinspike seamanship.

The book's author, Clifford W. Ashley (1881-1947) devoted 11 years to writing it after some 40 years of practical research while working aboard sailing ships and later, “;hobnobbing”; with butchers, steeple jacks, cobblers, truck drivers, linesmen, Boy Scouts, cowboys and “;ladies who knit.”;

“;(When) unfamiliar sailors' knots became increasingly difficult to find,”; Ashley wrote, “;I was attracted by the knots of other occupations.”;

His book gives clear, concise directions on how to tie more than 3,900 knots, along with their histories and explanations on how and why to use them. And as Ashley was also a noted marine artist, there are sketches clearly depicting how the knots are used.

“;A knot is never nearly right; it is either exactly right or it is hopelessly wrong, one way or the other; there is nothing in between,”; Ashley wrote, as if speaking directly to the owners of many of the boats I had seen in the Ala Wai.

Making a line fast to a dock cleat properly requires only taking a simple turn on it, covering it with a few S-turns to belay it, and make it fast with a single hitch. Any other way is “;hopelessly wrong.”;

If you know a sailor who doesn't know a square knot from a Granny, or you are one, with Christmas coming up, “;The Ashley Book of Knots”; might be a great gift to give or receive.

I've seen the book on Amazon.com priced around $50, however the well-thumbed copy of Ashley's I've had for nearly 40 years sold originally for $16.95, so maybe a used book store or eBay might have one cheaper.