[Minnewaska]

A bowline on a bight should have two loops in the middle of the line. Does yours?

Anyway, why not tie a normal cleat hitch in the middle and continue on with the long bitter end?

If I were doing this, I would likely prefer the bight of the line be on a dock cleat near amidships and run the line aft and forward on the boat. This way, the bight will always be tied in the correct place, as I leave my lines on the dock. However, ideally, lines left on the dock have spliced loops for the boat cleats that just drop over. I suppose a long line could have loops at each end, but that a bit too custom and less adjustable.

 

[Minnewaska]

Thanks all. I will switch to the alpine hitch. I use the pre made hitch to quickly slide over a mid ship cleat as I enter my slip single handed.

That makes more sense, as to why you want a loop. I'm curious, however. Do you keep both ends of your long line tied to the slip, or do you remove one end, so you can drop the loop earlier on approach. I would think the later, as tying each end would allow very little room for error.

Another idea is to have a dedicated landing spring line. It doesn't even need to be a part of your final tie down. Best if it's even a different color from the rest, in the event you ask someone on the dock to hand it to you.