Page 164 - Buck Tilton - Outward Bound Ropes, Knots, and Hitches 2 ed.
P. 164
Triple Bowline: Step 2
Take the doubled end up through the loop and
around, behind the standing part.
The triple bowline is no more than a basic bowline tied on a
long bight in a manner that creates three loops. Since it is
tied on a bight, it can be tied in the middle of a rope if
needed. With a fair amount of painstaking effort, the size of
each loop can be adjusted to differing sizes. This allows the
knot to be used as a chair (with each of two loops around
someone’s legs and the third loop around the torso under
the arms). As with other knots used as chairs, the triple
bowline is recommended only when no other means of
raising or lowering a person is available. This knot sees very
little use today, but it is highly useful when it is needed. Its
origin remains somewhat in doubt. It may have been
developed by climbers, not sailors, to anchor one rope to
three different points.
