Some of the most common knots onboard a Yacht

Being a sailor needs many skills and characteristics. Right from learning navigation to reading the polar diagram, you have to take many lessons before on boarding the vessel. Here we are providing some important information about knots that are very useful for making your sail safer.

The Bowline

The bowline is the very useful onboard a boat. It creates a fixed noose at the end of a line which isn’t able to slip and is commonly used to secure sheets to the clew of a headsail. Such kind of knots is also used to connect two lines of a boat. The bowline knots can be easily united doesn’t matter how tight or loose they are after being loaded.

This process of making this kind of knot is like a wandering rabbit. The rabbit comes out of the hole, revolves the tree and goes back into the hole. Here, the rabbit is considered as the working end of the rope. The hole and tree are formed by the standing end. All you need is to give a hard pull on the tree and the rabbit simultaneously. You also need to take a must care for the shape of the knot.

Stopper Knot

This is the sturdiest knots when compared to other kinds of knots on the yacht. This knot is tied at the end of the rope, in order to create a strong hold at the clutch. It keeps you more secure for doing different chores onboard. There are two types of stopper knot, simple overhand knot and overhand stopper knot. The easy way to tie a true stopper knot is by using your hand as the support. All you need is to make two loops around your palm and tuck the working end under the loops. Then you need to pull the loops off your hand. Isn’t it simple?

To keep a line from pulling through a block or rope clutch, a knot should be tied at the end of it. The most secure knot for doing this is the double overhand stopper knot, known as the stopper knot for short. Unlike a simple overhand knot or a figure eight knot, this knot does not come loose easily.

The Sheet Bend

The sheet bend is the most important knot for tying two pieces of rope together. It is considered as the sturdiest form of knots of all time. Many of the sailors are using square knot for tying two ropes together, which becomes loose when underloaded. The sheet bend is more secure when compared to square knots as it easily works to unite two lines of unequal diameter. You can say that the final form is minutely different from a square knot.

Any layman can easily learn to tie this strong knot. All you need is to pass the end of the other line through bight from beneath and around both parts of the first line. You should finish the knot by passing the working end of the second line under itself. You can make the knot more strong by pulling both the ends at the same time.

Rolling Hitch

This rolling hitch is designed not to slip for the sailors. All you need is to use extra rope to tie a rolling hitch on the standing portion of a jammed line. Then shift the load to the extra line and you can free the jammed line. This type of knot will keep your line secure to a vertical cylinder object such as stanchion from slipping onboard. This knot is also very useful to form an adjustable noose that doesn’t slip under load. It is handy and secure tie-downs for an awning deck.

For making this type of knots all you need is to wrap a line twice around another fixed line. Take the third turn by passing the end over the first line and then around the second line. Then, all you need is to pull on the standing part of the first line and hitch down the second line.

The Reef Knot

This is a traditional form of a reef knot which is rarely used on board nowadays. The main characteristic of this knot is that is can be easily tied and is likely to undo when you are not using the knot. It is more likely to be used when compared to other types of knots. The reef knot is also very important for securing the foresails on deck.

Clove Hitch

The clove hitch is generally used to keep the boat at the dock. You can see so many clove hitches at the dock around your area. The good thing about this knot is that it is very easy to tie. The essence that makes this knot so popular is its clean and interesting patterns. You can easily create this type of knot without worrying about losing a finger in this process.

Making clove hitch is as simple as quilling a stripe. All you need is to tie the end of the rope at the cleat and then bent it around the horns of a cleat by making an eight figure. On the final turn, pass the rope under the line and pull it tightly. You can judge the shape and patterns of the knot as you proceed to tie the rope across the cleat at the dock.

Double fisherman loop

Double fisherman loop is the knot which is formed by two strangled knots. It is also known as grapevine bend. It is formed by tying two knots around each other. This knot provides immense flexibility as you can add as many knots as you can. The more the knots, the more strength you can get. But you have to take care about the shape and formation of the knot. It is quite simple and it is also used for climbing and sailing.
From the above-described knots, you can choose to learn some of the convenient that makes your voyage safer and helps you to do your regular chores onboard.

Would you like to read the previous news items? Go to the blog page

Photos