Page 215 - Geoffrey Budworth, Jason Dalton "The Little Book of Incredibly Useful Knots"

Cleat hitch

The standard cleat hitch is commonly used for the temporary mooring of boats at docks and

slips. Cleats are generally positioned regularly around the docking area for convenient tying off.
A temporary mooring for a string of boats can be made with the cleat hitch, which is well known
among those who enjoy “messing about in boats.”

Begin the cleat hitch by passing the line around the entire cleat, beneath the horn away from the

boat, then around the horn near the boat. Take the line diagonally across the cleat to the opposite
horn (1). Pass the line beneath the horn, then take it diagonally across the cleat again to the horn
closest to the boat (2). This time put a loop in the line, and turn it over so that the working end
comes from the bottom of the loop (3). Hook the loop over the horn closest to the boat and pull the
working end to tighten the hitch (4).