The Art of the Sailor, which many know only as an artistic expression, is first and foremost a set of cable solutions that are frequently used on board to solve the problems we face.
Among the many known and used sailors’ knots, we will show you perhaps the most important and most useful ones.
Slipknot
This is effectively the simplest knot and is often the first step for more complex knots. When made at the rope end it serves as a temporary grip and can also be used to quickly prevent a cable from unreeving through an eye or a block.
Overhand loop knot
It is performed as if it were a slipknot at the centre of a cable and serves to provisionally adjust a cable, marking any measurement. The figure shows this knot after it is « tightened ».
Bowline knot
Similar to the Sheet Bend Knot, the Bowline Knot is one of the most used sailors’ knots on board. It is tied at the end of a mooring rope to quickly slip over a bollard and on the towing lines of vessels when these have to be towed. There are several types of Bowline Knots; here is the most common: a simple bowline tied at the rope end.
Learn more: Nautical terms and Nautical Signals.
