Page 96 - Des Pawson "Des Pawson's Knot Craft" 2 edit.

KNOTCRAFT 2009:Layout 1 23/10/09 12:17 Page 95

Dog Leads

NY NAUTICAL DOG should have an appropriately stylish lead
A(or should that be a lanyard or towrope?). As a member of
the crew, they should reflect well on the ship and wear a good
seamanlike lead.
There are a number of solutions, the simplest being a length
of rope with a loop spliced one end and the other spliced to the
snap shackle, clip or ring. Even this simplest of solutions can be
easily lifted if, instead of a plain eye-spliced hand loop, the eye
is spliced with the ‘splice and diamond knot eye’ (page 47). This
decorative knot feels really good in the hand. The snap shackle
can be attached with an eye splice – nicely tapered of course –
but a neater job is based on the back splice, with the eye of the
shackle being held in place with the crown knot that starts the
back splice. This use of the back splice is a neat way to fit snap
shackles on the boat as well. A plain rope lead can be further
decorated with a couple of Turks heads tied round the main
part of the rope.
However, should you wish your sea dog to have something
more tiddly (fancy) then why not make the lead from 4 strand

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