anchoring and marlinspike seamanship 245
Th ey tossed me a hawser and I dove beneath the hull. Of course, there could
only be one knot to tie around the boat’s mud-sucking spar: the bowline. Th ey
hauled me aboard and stowed me down in the warmth of the cabin to thaw. Gaz-
ing through the porthole, I saw the coxswain take a strain, and my lovely righted
herself. Free at last! Th e knot I used, the bowline, is the one I consider the king
of knotland.
- Bitter end on top. Start the bowline as shown. Face the standing part. Hold
the standing part with your nondominant hand. With your other hand,
loop the bitter end and place it on top of the standing part. Hold it in place
with your palm facing down and your thumb underneath, as shown in the
fi rst illustration. - Twist away. Keep the line held in your nondominant hand a bit slack
(notice in the fi rst illustration, the nondominant hand allows slack in the
standing part). With your other hand, twist your wrist away from you and
at the same time, pass the bitter end under the bight to form a small loop
(fi rst and second illustration). - Loop around and through. Pass the bitter end around the standing part
and back down into the small loop. Keep the bitter end 4 to 6 inches long to
prevent the knot from untying when shocked.
ROLLING HITCH
Next to the bowline, the rolling hitch easily makes the list of most reliable knots. I
consider it the king of get-out-of-trouble knots. Tie this knot to a post, another line,
or a rail, and you needn’t worry about slippage. Use it to take out a nasty override
from a jammed sheet winch. If you need to go aloft , use this hitch to secure your
safety line. Lash your fenders to a lifeline with a rolling hitch and they won’t slide.
Tying a bowline.