Page 560 - The Ashley Book of Knots

DECORATIVE MARLINGSPIKE SEA1V1ANSHIP (APPLIED KNOTS)

unless they are first secured in some manner the sinnet will fret. An

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end may be tapered and seized ~o a remaining nettle (1I!3470). It

may be side spliced, in which case it requires only one tuck per

strand (11! 34 7 I ), or else a few stitches with sail twine will be suf-

ficient to hold it (11!3472).

3473. Double reef poines are made in the same manner as gaskets

but the eye is much longer in proportion. Three foxes form the eye

and the manner of platting is the same as already described. A reef

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point is rove through the eyelet ~ole in the sail from either side.

Then a round tum is put irc each of the two eyes and the opposite

point is rove through the doubled eye, after which a man on either

side of the sails hauls them home.

3474. Roballds are made and rove in much the same manner, but

the eye is shorter and is not doubled; moreover there is a short leg

and a long leg and the short leg is rove from the back of the sail

forward.

3475. A single roband may have two sinnet tails at opposite ends

with a rope center, in which case it is bent to the headrope, as pic-

cured, and is seized in.

3476. Single reef points are started at the center with SEVEN-

STRAND FLAT SINNET and are platted and tapered toward both ends.

In bending these a SINGLE OVERHAND KNOT is placed in each. After

the point is hove taut and rove through the eyelet hole, another knot 3415"

is added close to the other side and this is hove taut by placing the

feet against a block shiv that is put over the point.

Points got their name because of their tapered or pointed form

when they were made of sinnet. When rope points came into use,

in the latter part of the eighteenth century, they were first called

reef hanks; but it was the older name that survived.

3477. The harbor gasket is made of FRENCH SINNET 11!2976 and is r

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reserved for dress-up occasions. In the Navy they were tarred black

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for appearance' sake and were lined with white duck so as not to I

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mark the sails. I ( 34-16

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To make: Take six nettles, middle them and lay up a section of I

SIX-STRAND ROUND SINNET sufficient to take the thimble. Lav out

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one nettle and lay up a section of ELEVEN-STRAND FRENCH SINNET
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in length equal to one round of the yard. Then taper for an equal •

length.

The eye is served over and the thimble is seized in.

The earlier harbor gasket had a FRENCH SINNET EYE and no

thimble. 417

3478. Another harbor gasket is started with an iron ring instead 3418

of a thimble, and the ring is covered with RINGBOLT HITCHING

(1I!3 605)·

Several nettles are middled and rove through the ring, and a single

nettle is eye spliced to the ring in order to give an odd number of

strands. This is not necessary, but it is customary, as an odd number

makes a symmetrical FRENCH SINNET. One and one half tucks to the

strand are sufficient for the EYE SPLICE since the nettles are to be laid

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up mto smnet.

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