It Takes a Thief to Catch a Thief
Discovered an old book
of knots today in a thrift store. I didn’t expect to find anything new and
actually I‘m of the opinion that there are probably only eight crucial knots
that a sailor needs to know. The trick is to use them correctly.
Anyway, I was
pleasantly surprised to learn something interesting from the book which made
the 50 pence I gave for it worthwhile.
So, here is the
interesting snippet.
We all know the reef
knot. It is the most well know sailor’s knot but frequently tied wrongly. Here’s
how it should look. You’ll see it’s perfectly symmetrical. Both ends of the
rope leave the knot at the top of the loop. You’ll know if you’ve got it right
because it lays flat. There aren’t many uses for a reef knot other than the
obvious one of tying in a reef on a sailing boat. It works best if it remains
under tension. If it’s allowed to go slack or if it’s shaken too much it can
unravel. These illustrations use different shades and types of rope for clarity
but if you decide to use a reef knot for any reason, it’s only good for tying
ropes of the same size and weave. Never use it for joining two mooring ropes or
tow ropes together, its just not reliable enough.
Now here is the granny
knot, usually tied as a reef knot by mistake. It’s a notorious knot which is
good for nothing on a boat. It’s completely asymmetrical, it won’t lay flat
like a correctly tied reef and it has the capacity both to jam and to shake
itself loose – Avoid it like the plague.
So, what you may ask –
where is the interesting bit promised above?
Seaward
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