Page 73 - Peter Randall - The Craft of the Knot
P. 73

Chapter 6






                                                NAUTICAL KNOTS










  Different knots have different properties that make them useful for specific tasks. Some
  knots  are  especially  secure,  while  others  are  good  for  quick  release.  Some  are  useful
  because they can be easily adjusted, while others are preferred because they stay locked.
  Even the appearance of a finished knot can be important, whether to confirm that it has
  been tied correctly or for decoration.

     Knots are an integral part of the sport and business of sailing—so much so that many

  knots were first invented by sailors. In the days of clippers and square-riggers, when the
  upper deck of a vessel was a maze of ropes and cords, choosing and tying the correct
  knot—one that could be relied upon to do its job—could literally mean the difference
  between life and death.

     On  shipboard,  knots  and  ropes  still  control  such  essential  things  as  sails,  mooring,
  docking,  anchoring,  and  ensuring  that  cargo  will  not  shift  during  the  voyage.  Knots

  were also used by sailors to mark their speed—essential in the days when navigation
  was a less scientifically exact procedure than today. The pilot or navigator would tie a
  cord to a piece of wood, weighted so that it would float upright in the water and resist
  the speed of the waves and of the vessel itself. Knots were tied in the cord at a distance

  of 47 feet 3 inches from one another. The wood (or “chip”) was tossed overboard and,
  as one sailor counted the time, another played out the cord. The ship’s speed was thus
  calculated in “knots”—a knot is approximately 1.85 kilometers per hour.

     Sailors were also responsible for the spread of knots and knotting techniques around
  the world, since their travels took them to all corners of the globe. The knots you will
  find in the following pages are only a small sampling of the infinite variety of knots we

  owe to the travels of seafolk.





  ANCHOR HITCH


  Also called the Fisherman’s Bend, even though it is a hitch and not a bend, the Anchor
  Hitch is commonly used to tie a rope to an anchor.


  STEP 1 Start with a round turn and pass a Half Hitch (see Chapter  4)  through  both
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