Page 22 - Knots, Splices and Rope Work: A Practical Treatise

CHAPTER IV

NOOSES, LOOPS AND MOORING KNOTS

Nothing is more interesting to a landsman than the manner in which a sailor handles huge,

dripping hawsers or cables and with a few deft turns makes then fast to a pier-head or
spile, in such a way that the ship’s winches, warping the huge structure to or from the
dock, do not cause the slightest give or slip to the rope and yet, a moment later, with a few
quick motions, the line is cast off, tightened up anew, or paid out as required.

Clove hitches, used as illustrated in Fig. 55, and
known as the “Waterman’s Knot,” are often used,
with a man holding the free end, for in this way a

slight pull holds the knot fast, while a little slack
gives the knot a chance to slip without giving way
entirely and without exerting any appreciable pull on
the man holding the end.

“Larks’ Heads” are also used in conjunction with a running noose, as shown in Fig. 56,

while a few turns under and over and around a cleat, or about two spiles, is a method
easily understood and universally used by sailors (Fig. 57).