Been looking for a suitable illustration of a tier. Will keep trying. In the meantime a very good illustration can be gained by going to Google and typing in Starvation Buoys at Greenwich. This shows dozens of unemployed sailing barges on tiers in the 1930s. Being smaller vessels they are only moored fwd whereas large vessels would have fore and aft moorings. Nonetheless it illustrates very well the danger of falling down on the tier in a small vessel and the very high risk of death. -- /Andy Adams/