Page 91 - The Complete Rigger’s Apprentice

EIGHT BENDS

Saying that a bend is a way to tie two ropes together
is like saying that Julia Child was a cook; both defi-
nitions are true as far as they go, but they leave out a
great deal of information about complex and unpre-
dictable subjects.
For instance, there’s the matter of style: prac-
ticed, easy grace can do wonders, whether one
is dealing with a recalcitrant mousse or a frozen
hawser.
Then there’s the need for appropriate use of
ingredients: Ms. Child could fashion a religious
experience out of a few simple items which, in
the hands of a less talented chef, might yield only
indigestion. Similarly, a good bend is an elegant,
subtle interweaving of the exact same ingredients
from which a lubber will fashion that Spam of
knots, the Granny.
Sometimes the worlds of cuisine and ligature
overlap, as in the case of the Butcher’s Knots used
to bind roasts, corned beef, salt pork, etc., but
most often the virtues mentioned above are mani-
fested in quite different particulars. Leaving Julia
the Chicken Ballantine, let us turn our attention
to bends.

The Sheet Bend
This most utilitarian knot, structural cousin to the
Bowline, acquires a useful dash of style when made
by the Weaver’s method (Figure 3-27). Afloat or
ashore, ease and speed of tying are among the most
important qualities a bend can have. Note that in
the finished knot both ends are above the standing
part. It is possible to mis-tie and finish with the ends
diagonally opposite each other, making a “back-
wards Sheet Bend”—a form that is much more lia-
ble to slip than the proper knot.
But the Sheet Bend is no paragon of virtue, either.
Figure 3-27. Sheet Bend tied by the Weaver’s method. It’s perfectly adequate for most situations but will jam
The arrows detail the method of tying. To draw up, under very heavy loads, and can slip when made in
hold left standing part and end together while pulling slick material, as Table 3 (page 73) shows. Much
on right standing part. A backwards Sheet Bend (D), modern synthetic cordage is, of course, very slick. So,
in which the ends are diagonally opposite each other, although it’s a good basic bend and can be tied in a
should be avoided.
hurry, the Sheet Bend does have its drawbacks.

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