Instruction

Four Useful Sailing Knots

1. Figure-Eight Knot. This is one of the simplest knots. It is a "stopper knot," which means it is tied at the end of a line (nautical terminology for "rope") to keep it from running out through something. On many boats a figure-eight knot is used while rigging to make sure the jib sheets stay in the fairleads and won’t fly out of the boat if you let the jib sheet go. This knot is used in preference to any other knot as a stopper because even if it has been under a lot of strain while sailing it is still easy to untie when you de-rig.

2. Round Turn and Two Half-Hitches. This knot is used to tie a line tightly to an object. The end of the line is first taken around the object (the "round turn") and then the end is secured to the standing part of the line with two small knots (each a "half-hitch"). An example of when to use this knot is for tying a boat up to a pole at a dock.

3. Bowline (pronounced "bo'lin"). One of the most versatile knots, used to tie an eye which does not slip, in the end of a line. The eye can be tied around an object to fasten the line to it. On some boats it used in rigging to attach the main halyard to the head of the sail, and may also be used to secure things to the boat. A correctly made bowline is very secure, yet easy to untie even after it has been under strain, by "breaking its back" similarly to a figure-eight knot.

4. Cleat Hitch. Used to secure the end of a line to a deck cleat. Cleat hitches are commonly used in tying up to a dock, and for securing halyards and other sail controls. There are also other kinds of cleats you may encounter to which lines are attached in other ways.

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