Page 24 - Eric C. Fry - Knots and Ropework

11 The fool's knot (Knot 10) with two half-hitches. combine to form
the harness, sometimes known as a chair knot, suitable for
lowering a casualty over a ship's side or down the face of a
Man building.
The fool's knot is made at the centre of a rope which must be at
Harness least twice as long as the descent with the bights adjusted so that
one is twice the si~e of the other; their sizes also being governed
from by the size of the casualty, eg a child or an adu lt.
For photographic purposes the bights have been formed in
Fool's Knot miniature and would be considerably larger than illustrated, even
for a child.
A half-h itch is turned and cast on from both ends to complete the
harness, which is then arranged on the casualty w ith the smaller
bight around the chest and under the armpits, the larger bight
under the thighs, and the knot itself in front of the casualty, just
above chest level. One half of the rope is retained for lowering
and the other end thrown down to an assistant. The casualty is
lowered in a sitting position with the weight of the body taken on
the thighs. The assistant below hauls off with his standing part,
keeping the casualty clear of the ship's side.