fairlead

thumb|Adjustable fairlead (lower right) leading to winch on sailboat thumb|Fairlead (Chock style) thumb|Three mooring lines (hawsers) running through fairlead on a [[Royal New Zealand Navy ship.]]

A fairlead is a turning point for running rigging like rope, chain, wire or line, that guides that line such that the "lead" is "fair", and therefore low friction and low chafe. A fairlead can be a hook, ring, pulley, chock, or hawse (hole) sometimes surrounded by rollers.