TOP 6 Boating Knots To Master For Sailing Charter In Croatia

TOP 6 Most commonly used boating knots You should master for your sailing holidays

There are numerous kinds of knots utilised by boatsmen. Individually serving intent and understanding how to tie a piece of rope for your safety is crucial when cruising or sailing a boat. Sailing would not be achievable without ropes and knots, and they are possibly the most critical element to know within your boating knowledge.

There are multiple knots that every boatsman should know, and thanks to modern technology, you will find various boating apps that will give you a quick how-to tutorial on tying knots, but we will deal in this post with the most commonly used ones.

Below each knot, we will share how-to youtube videos for each of them presented by Animated Knots by Grog, the #1 Knot-Tying Website. You can also download the same-named app for your mobile phone.

1. The Bowline Knot

Also called "the Most Useful Knot in the World" or "the king of the knots" and occasionally "the Boiling knot." The Bowline has numerous purposes aboard the boat. First, a bowline creates a specified loop on the end of a rope and is used for hitching, mooring and lifting. Because it tightens when pulled, the Bowline is tied in steps by creating a loop and then bringing the free end of the rope to pass through the loop, wrapping the rope around the fixed line and back down through the loop before tightening. Finally, it is the most useful knot aboard a boat because it forms a settled loop at the ending of a line that cannot run or slip and is typically used, for instance, to tie sheets to the clew of a headsail. Two bowlines can also be used to join two rope ends. The great benefit is that sailors can always easily untie it no matter how tight it becomes after being loaded for a while. The well-known song for binding a bowline goes: "The rabbit comes out of the hole, goes around back of the tree, and then jumps back into the hole." The "rabbit" is the working end of the line; the "hole" and "tree" are formed in the standing end.

2. The Cleat hitch

Some people may say that winding a boating rope around a cleat in the harbour is not a knot. Nevertheless, this does not lessen its significance for sailing. On the opposite, it is one of the most useful something you'll do with a rope when sailing, especially when docking in a Marina. The rope is firmly fastened with several figure-of-eights turns to the mooring cleat. It is crucial making sure that the rope exiting the vessel causes a sharp angle with the longitudinal axis of the cleat. The cleat grips as extensively as possible in the longitudinal direction and least in the transverse direction. It takes just a moment to memorise the cleat hitch, but you'll get it precisely tied after some practice. Safe mooring a sailing boat securely is an important thing.

3. Round Turn & Two Half-Hitches

Very often, you won't be able to encounter a standard mooring cleat in the port of your mooring, like in a small fisherman's village or places that don't have sophisticated moorings. Instead, you will find a fixed object such as a post, ring or tree. In that case, you use the round turn and two half-hitches as the best solution for holding mooring lines by attaching a rope to an appointed object such as a ring. The round turn and two half-hitches are formed by wrapping the end of a rope around the support two times and taking it around the stationary end of the rope. Then another turn is completed before taking the rope's end out of the loop.

4. Figure 8 Knot

The figure-8 knot is a popular basics sailing knot and a very secure knot used to prevent the rope from running out. It is a fundamental "stopper" knot. It is also called the Flemish knot. This knot assures your rope is in place by preventing the tag end of the rope from slipping out. The figure 8 knot is an enduring and non-slip knot that is straightforward to tie and untie. Ideal Usages: Stopping rope ends from dropping out of ship rigging, pulleys, etc. The figure-8 knot is tied by creating a loop with one end of the rope, handing the other end through the loop and tightening both sides equally to adjust the knot. The figure-eight is the stopper knot most typically used by sailors. Even after a severe load, it slackens much more comfortable than other knots.

5. Reef knot (Square Knot)

It is called reef or Square Knot because it is utilised for reefing and furling sails. It's made by tying a left-handed overhand knot followed by a right-handed overhand knot, or vice versa. This technique is a straightforward binding knot that connects two similarly sized ropes. This fast and easy knot is commonly used for reefing and furling sails or to secure the load to the boat's deck. However, the square knot is recommended for light use only as it is unsafe to use for heavy loads. Common Usages: reefing and furling sails, connecting two sections of rope, securing light load to your yacht. The only actual application of a reef knot on a boat is for reefing. If the ship's mainsail is rolled on the mast, you presumably won't utilise this knot.

6. The Anchor Hitch

The Anchor Hitch or Anchor Bend is also known as the Fisherman's Hitch or Fisherman's Bend. It is a perfect knot to attach an anchor line to an anchor. Also known by the names anchor bend and fisherman's bend, this knot is used to connect an anchor line to an anchor. It can also join a rope to a ring or similar termination. It is helpful when setting up a dual anchor in a rush. It doesn't particularly reduce the line strength, is easy to tie and is about 10% stronger than the Bowline. Even if you alternate the load between heavy and slack, the bend holds well.