244 seamanship secrets- Make a fi gure eight. Wrap one full
fi gure eight from horn to horn. It’s
not necessary to make more than
one. - Lock the half hitch to the lay.
Finish with a half hitch. Th e bitter
end should lie parallel alongside
the fi rst hitch. Remove all slack.
BOWLINE
It was another perfect November day
for frostbiting—until that 25-knot
gust struck out of nowhere! With no
time to release the mainsheet, I fl ipped
the boat in shallow water, about 200
yards from shore. Th e tiny 14-footer
rolled 180 degrees before planting its
mast fi rmly into the muddy bottom of
Charleston Harbor. Th e boat resisted
every attempt to right her. As tempting
as that lee shore looked, I decided to
stick with the boat and wait it out. It
turned out to be a good decision.
I pulled myself up onto the boat’s whale-belly bottom, wrapped one arm
around the centerboard, and waved like a fool with the other. Since I was well
outside the channel proper, no one saw me. And it was getting colder by the
minute. Matter of fact, I was quickly losing feeling in my submerged legs. I
prayed that help would arrive soon.
Finally I saw them, riding that glorious white thoroughbred with a fl aming-
red racing stripe. Aye, with a bone in her teeth she was steaming dead for me!
Th ey came alongside and asked me how I was. “Hi guys, thanks for stopping
by!” was about all I could mutter between blue lips and chattering teeth.Cleat Hitch without the
Final Half Hitch
There are instances where you would
not want to make a final “locking
turn” on the cleat hitch. For example,
lines used on sailboat sheet winches
usually shouldn’t include the fi nal
half hitch. Dock lines that surge
(strain) with a large range of tide or
in storms should not be half hitched.
In either case, you risk having the
half hitch freeze onto the horn. But
you must use caution if making
up a cleat hitch without one. Use
extra fi gure eights around the horns
and then snug up the bitter end by
passing a full turn around the cleat
base. The cleat must be large enough
to accept extra turns and allow a
full round turn at its base. Let each
situation guide your decision.
SEA-CRET TIP
X Sometimes you need to make up two lines to one cleat. First,
decide which line will be the last to cast off. Make an eye in that
line; pass it between the cleat legs and over the horns. Then, make
a cleat hitch with the second line.