Page 181 - Adlard Coles "The Knot Bible"

Jury mast knot

Whether you’re building a jury rig after being dismasted in mid-ocean or
simply setting up a mast on a dinghy, you’ll need something to tie the
rigging onto. The jury mast knot replaces those fancy metal bands and
straps that most boats use nowadays. And it has the advantage that it
doesn’t rust or come unfastened.

There are many extraordinary the other two forming a pair of
stories of yachts being dismasted handles – and you have a neat jug
in mid-ocean and limping into port carrier, to rival the prusik bottle sling
under a variety of ingenious jury (page 168). Tuck one working end
rigs. Usually their crews have across the middle of the knot, going
to make do with whatever materials alternately under and over, and go
they happen to have to hand – be it around the whole knot again, and
a spinnaker pole or boom rigged as you’ve got the basis of a place mat.
a mast, or the top half of the mast So, if you do get dismasted and
lashed to its stump. end up on a desert island, at least
Whether any of these vessels used you’ll be able to serve dinner in style.
the jury mast knot (also known as
the masthead knot) is open to debate. KNOT SCORE
Even more uncertain is whether the
Strength
knot was ever used in historic times
Security
to rig the sailing ships of yesteryear.
Diffi culty Tying
Most square-rigged sailing ships
Diffi culty Untying
had a mass of shrouds and stays
Usefulness
holding up their masts – up to 20
pairs, according to some sources.
These were usually attached to the
mast by means of a loop either
seized or spliced into the ends – or,

if they were fitted in pairs, spliced
into the middle of the shrouds.
Eventually, these loops and splices
were replaced by single metal

fittings, with multiple tangs for the
necessary number of shrouds and
stays. Which is what the jury mast
knot attempts to approximate.
Whatever its practical purpose,
the knot has several more frivolous
functions. Like the tom fool’s knot
(page 144), which has a similar
starting point, it can be turned into 1 Form three overhand loops in the 2 Tuck the left-hand loop over the
an amusing party trick. Tie the ends standing part, and place them side middle loop, and the right-hand loop
together and drop it over a jug – with by side as shown. under it.
two loops tucked under the base and

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