Seamanship

[MMNETSEA]

When you are cruising , besides the Bowline - What would you list as next most useful knot ?

How often have you encountered what could be termed a "overwind sheet lock/jam on a winch" ? How do you free the offending sheet ? One answer = The running hitch - take a length of line, tie a running hitch to the taut sheet back from the clew - the other end to a free winch - wind in the line until the sheet is slack - free the lock/jam and rewind the sheet proper on its winch - take up the sheet , then remove your running hitch and the line from the free winch. Relax !

See some other 20 kots illustrated in our Cruising WIKI - check contents for SEAMANSHIP >> knots

Richard

[Nausikaa]

I would say, appart from the bowline, the knot I use most is the simple figure-of-eight knot. Mostly this is used to stop my sheets running completely free through the blocks. In other words, even if I should lose control the sheets will not run away completely.

Although it is not knots as such, I find myself using quite a few eye-splices and sailmakers whippings.

Aye // Stephen

[Lighthouse]

Learn knots by animation:

ANIMATED KNOTS - great learning tool.

[imagine2frolic]

Lightjouse,

Thanks for the animated knots. My wife will love this.