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| Knots |
Of all the skills important to a sailor, none surpasses the ability to quickly, efficiently, and accurately tie a knot. Knots ensure the safety of gear, the ship itself, and of course most importantly the crew. Knots play a vital role in being a competitive racing team. Knots enable a sailor to conjoin line, fashion harnesses, rig the boat, rescue other crew, and secure the boat when we return to port. Knowing how to tie the basic sailor's knots is one of the best places to start your path to becoming a proficient sailor. Below is a collection of animated knots. These are the most basic knots a sailor must master. |
The Bowline
Uses:
The Bowline makes a reasonably secure loop in the end of a piece of rope. It has many uses, e.g., to fasten a mooring line to a ring or a post. Under load, it does not slip or bind. With no load it can be untied easily. It's principle shortcoming is that it cannot be tied, or untied, when there is a load on the standing end. It should therefore be avoided when, for example, a mooring line may have to be released under load. Two bowlines can be linked together to join two ropes.
The Cleat Knot
Uses:
The Cleat Hitch, or Cleat Knot, secures a rope to a cleat. It is deceptively simple and an unwary skipper who invites visitors to tie the dock line to a cleat may be dismayed by the unsatisfactory results.
The Square Knot (Reef Knot)
Uses:
While often considered the yachtsman's knot, the square not is in all actuality not particularly useful in sailing. The Square (Reef) knot does however have a small place on your yacht: you can tie the sail cover on to the mainsail or mizzen; you can tie the string on the present that you send home to make someone jealous; and you can tie the laces on your deck shoes (if they still come with laces). More importantly, the experience of tying a reef knot teaches the fundamental process of tying a half knot or half hitch.
The Sheet Bend
Uses:
The Sheet Bend is recommended for joining two ropes of unequal size. It works equally well if the ropes are of the same size. It would replace the Reef (Square) knot except for the awkward fact that it has to be tied with both ends loose in your hands with no load on the ropes (The reef - with all its faults - can be tied tight against a sail, or parcel, and usually stays tight while the second half hitch is tied).
The Figure "8" Knot
Uses:
The Figure Eight provides a quick and convenient stopper knot to prevent a line sliding out of sight, e.g., up inside the mast. Its virtue is that, even after it has been jammed tightly against a block, it doesn't bind; it can be undone easily. This virtue is also, occasionally, a vice. The figure of eight can fall undone and then has to be retied.
The Anchor Bend
Uses:
The Anchor Bend is also known as the Fisherman's Bend. It is an excellent knot to use for attaching an anchor line to an anchor.
A Round-Tree with 2 Half Hitches
Uses:
A Round Turn and Two Half Hitches is ideal for attaching a mooring line to a dock post or ring. As the name suggests, it is composed of two important parts, the round turn, followed by 2 half hitches.
Works Utilized:
All "Uses" come from
"Animated Knots By Grog"