Knots

A rope has precise names for its parts, and you need them to follow the instructions for the knots. The standing part is the long part that takes the load; the working end is the end you work with. A bight is a curve in the rope without a crossing, an eye or loop is a loop with a crossing. A turn is one pass round an object, a round turn is a complete turn; a half hitch is the simplest turn round part of the rope.

In English a bend is a knot that joins two ropes, a hitch is a knot made round an object (post, ring, another rope), a stopper knot is a knot that stops the rope running. Do not confuse the thumb knot with these: it is something else, the overhand knot.

The knots on the syllabus are few and each has a precise job. Learn them for what they do, not just for how they are tied: choosing the right knot is worth as much as being able to tie it. Faced with a rope, first ask yourself what you need to do: join two ropes, make an eye, stop a rope or make something fast? And then: shall I have to untie it while it is under load?

The answers change the knot. The bowline does not come undone under tension; the round turn and two half hitches does. The reef knot is not secure and must never be used to join ropes that carry a load. In each card you find when the knot is used, the steps and the most common mistakes. The steps are described in words: while you read, hold a rope in your hands.

The reef knot is used to tie the reef points when you take in a reef, that is, to gather up the reduced sail. It is made of two half knots in opposite directions: first the right end over the left, under and up; then the left over the right, under and up. When you pull, the two ends must come out on the same side, each next to its own standing part.

It is not very secure: do not use it to join two ropes that carry a load. The typical mistake is to repeat the same direction twice, which gives a granny knot, and that slips and comes undone.

The bowline makes a fixed eye that does not tighten and is very secure, but it does not come undone under load. It is used to fasten the jib sheets to the sail and to make the eyes in mooring lines. The steps follow the rabbit story: make the hole, the rabbit comes out of it, goes round the tree and goes back into the hole; then tighten by holding the working end and pulling the standing part.

There are two typical mistakes: leaving the working end too short, or bringing it back in on the wrong side. In either case the knot distorts and slips.

The clove hitch is quick to tie and easy to adjust. You take one turn round the support (guard rail, post or ring), cross over the standing part and make a second turn in the same direction, then tuck the working end under the last turn and pull both ends. The result has two parallel turns on the support and a crossing in the middle. The RYA describes it as ideal for securing fenders to the guard rails.

If a load shakes it for a long time, or the working end is too short, the knot can work loose, so it must be rechecked. For this reason the Accademia Velica Italiana prefers the round turn and two half hitches for fenders.

The round turn and two half hitches is a knot with a thousand uses that can be untied even under tension. It is used to make fast to a ring or a post, for example a mooring line to the quay ring. The full turn at the front matters: the friction lets you hold the load while you make the half hitches.

The half hitches are always made in the same direction, and then tightened towards the ring. If the full turn is missing, or the half hitches go in opposite directions, it is no longer the intended knot and it holds less well.

The figure of eight is an easy stopper knot: it stops a rope running out through a fairlead or a block. Make a loop in the working end, with the end crossing over the standing part; pass the end behind the standing part and put it back through the loop, entering from above; then pull tight. The knot has the shape of an 8, as the name says.

If you tie it too close to the end it can pull out: leave a few centimetres of rope beyond the knot.

The sheet bend is used to join two ropes, especially if they are of different diameters. Make a U-shaped bight with the thicker or stiffer rope; pass the end of the second rope up through the bight from below; take it round both parts of the bight, passing behind; tuck it under its own part and pull. In the double version take a second turn round the bight before tucking the end.

The typical mistake is to put the two free ends on opposite sides: the knot is less secure when the ends come out on different sides, which is why they must come out on the same side.

The rolling hitch holds a pull along the rope or object it is tied to, in one direction only, without slipping (the RYA says it holds when pulled at an angle). It is ideal for taking the strain off another rope, for example a sheet under load.

Take a turn round the loaded rope, bringing the end towards the side the load will pull from, then a second identical turn next to the first, between the first turn and the standing part. The two turns are on the side of the load. Take the end to the opposite side and make a half hitch in the same direction as the turns; tighten well before applying load. The load must pull from the side of the two turns, where the knot bites: if you make them on the wrong side, they slide along the rope instead of gripping.

Making fast to a cleat is not a knot, but a skill to know. First take a complete turn round the base, which takes the load; then one or two figures of eight over the two horns; then a locking turn. The RYA calls it OXO: a turn, a figure of eight, a locking turn. Finishing with a reverse half hitch instead of the last turn is discouraged: with a wet rope under heavy load it can become hard to release.

To release a loaded rope from a jammer, first take the load on the winch. On the winch you wind clockwise (on common winches), keep hands and fingers away from the point where the rope goes onto the drum, and check that the turns do not overlap: a riding turn jams the rope.