Knots

The Bowline

This useful knot is a means of tying a non-slip loop in a single piece of line. Uses include attaching sheets to sails. May advice is to ensure that it has a reasonable 'tail' (piece of free line left after the knot is tied) if you do this, since the knot can work free if the sail is flapping.

Some people find the idea of a rabbit coming up out of its hole, going round the tree and back down its hole useful. The rabbit is the end of the line; the hole is the first loop you make.

You may find it easier to practice this by looping the line around yourself, then tying the knot, so that you end up inside the non-slip loop. This prevents confusion about which loop is the one you end up with and which one is the body of the knot.

The knot can be tied either left or right handed.

The Clove Hitch

The clove hitch is another useful knot, often used for attaching fenders to the rail. This is fine for short term use, but if you plan for anything longer, it is better to use a round turn and two half hitches.

The knot can be made more secure by tying an additional half hitch or two on the end.

When tying this knot, take the working end round whatever you are tying it to, across itself, round again and underneath itself. The principle is to keep going round and to remember that when you have finished, the two ends of the rope will point in opposite directions.

When dropping the knot over a post, the two loops can be formed beforehand and placed on top of each other.

This knot has only one effective use - tying in reefing points. It is a weak knot, but easy to tie.

It is formed by starting with two ends of line facing each other. Work with one only, following the sequence 'left over right, right over left.' In other words, the left line goes over and around the right, turns around and comes back over and around. You should end up with the two loose ends on the same side.

If you form this knot the wrong way around, you end up with a rogue's knot, which will slip apart easily.

The Rolling Hitch

This extraordinarily useful knot is like a clove hitch with an extra turn at the beginning.

The end is taken around whatever you are tying it to, twice. The it is crossed over the main part of the line, continuing on around and finished off like a clove hitch, beneath the last loop you made.

In order to be most effective, the first loop should be lifted over the second, so that it constricts against it.

The knot will not slide in the direction of the double loop, but can be moved in the opposite direction.

This will be effective on most materials. For example, you can make off a courtesy flag on a wire stay using this knot. If you are concerned, you can tie a second one further down the stay if you leave yourself enough line.

Another common use is for freeing sheets that have become trapped in the winch. You can take the strain off by tying on a rolling hitch and winching in this new line against the other.

This is a very useful knot used in a variety of situations, such as tying on fenders more securely or attaching a line to a ring.

It is formed by first making a loop, then tying two half hitches around the body of the line. Note that the hitches are both formed by going around the line in the same direction.

This simple knot is one that you should use to attach two lengths of line, which may be of different thicknesses.

A loop is formed in one line (the thicker one). The end of the other is passed up through the loop, around the short end, behind everything, round and over the top of the first line and under itself.

The knot is remarkably effective and extremely versatile.

This is a sinple but more secure variation of the single sheet bend.

First make a single sheet bend, then make a second loop around the second line and beneath the first, next to the first loop.