SEAMANSHIP warping and knots

Know your

98 Sailing Today Febraury 2010

Having systems and being organised are part of what makes boating more fun. They remove the unknown factor from the equation and keep us out of danger.

Tying on Fenders Pics A to CSensibly, you can choose from a Clove Hitch, a Slip Clove Hitch and a Round Turn and Two Half Hitches Pic A. The Clove Hitch is a perfectly good knot for tying fenders.

You can tie the knot across the top of the stanchions for added security Pic B. Then for super security the Round Turn and Two Half hitches is the best knot. Tying it on the horizontal of a guard wire is fine or if you tie it on the vertical of the stanchion you can get the knot to pull down on the working end and make it bullet proof as the knot cannot undo itself, handy if you are in a lively harbour where you might rub against the dock Pic C. I have always used slip clove hitches and they work fine for me. The advantage of the slip for single and short-handers is that

February 2010 Sailing Today 99

Duncan Wells comes up with some handy hints and tips for making life easier with judicious use of warps and lines. This month he’s tying fenders so they stay on, using the figure of eight knot, the double figure of eight knot and keeping it simple when making fast to the dock.

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Clove Hitch Pics i to vPass the working end over the rail Pic i. Bring it up on the right hand side (as you look at it) of the standing part Pic ii. Go round the rail and bring it up on the left hand side of the standing part Pic iii. Then take the end through the loop it made and tighten Pic iv. To make a slip clove hitch just pass a bight of the working end through the loop and tighten Pic v.

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Glossary Warp A rope used for manhandling a vessel. A rope which is used for securing a vessel alongside a quay or jetty.Standing End The end of the rope not involved with making the knot – the end attached to the fender for example. Standing Part The section between the knot and the standing endWorking Part The section between the knot and the working end Working End The active end of the rope involved in making the knot, also called the Running End. Bight A loop.About the Author

Duncan Wells is an RYA Instructor and Principal of Westview Sailing.

Round Turn and Two Half Hitches Pics 1 to 4Make a complete turn round the rail Pic 1. Take the working end over the standing part, around it and back to make the first half hitch Pic 2. Repeat for the second half hitch Pics 3. Tighten Pic 4.

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it is easy to adjust and undo. Always take the weight off the knot before untying, so lift the fender onto the deck and then you will find it easy to undo the slip clove hitch. When stowing fenders on deck, tie them inside the pushpit with slip clove hitches Pic D.

Attaching to the dockIt’s really very simple and yet we get all sorts of birds’ nests perched atop the cleats. OXO is all you need. Pic A Round once Pic B, cross Pic C over the top Pic D and round once again Pic E and leave it. It won’t slip and it can’t seize. If you are leaving a boat for a while and want peace of mind then you can add in a back hitch Pic F – but only one. Make sure that the crossover of the back hitch lies in line with the cross and not on top of it, for neatness. And if you are going to run a bow line to a cleat on the dock and then up to a midships cleat for a head spring

don’t take the spring off the top of the belay for the bow line, take it under a wing of the cleat Pic G and then up to your midships cleat. The same goes for the stern line Pics H.

And now how to how to use warps to turn a boat end for end. We have arrived at the harbour on a flood tide but now we want to leave and the tide is ebbing. So we have our stern to the tide and we want to turn the boat so that we are facing into the tide in order to make a graceful exit from the berth. We are port side to and there is enough room ahead of us on the dock for us to swing the boat though 180º Pic I. There are only two of you. First we need to fender up the starboard side of the boat.

Then we need to run a warp – in our case a spinnaker sheet – from the starboard stern cleat down the deck Pic J, up onto the pulpit, outside the forestay and onto the dock Pic K. With the tide astern we can hang the boat off the stern line. We need to keep the bow line attached as the boat will swing round the bow which will be the fulcrum for the turn. Now we need to give the stern a shove to get it out into the tide Pic L. If there is very little tide we can lose the stern line by throwing this on board. If there is a reasonably strong tide then we will need to control the speed of the turn by taking the stern line, now a warp under a cleat and easing it out gently. The stronger the

tide and the wind, the more careful one needs to be. Of course waiting until the tide has eased a little will help Pic M. As the boat approaches 90º to the dock so the starboard warp can be used to bring her alongside Pic N, unless of course the tide does this for you. In any event it is another useful line with which to control the boat. She will be inclined to bury her bow into the dock so we need to be very careful to hold her off Pic O. One person can do

this while the other, either controls the port warp for strong tide or the starboard warp if the tide is slackening and the boat needs a helping hand to turn Pics P, Q, R. Next month we look at flaking lines, the intelligent pile, coiling lines, the Gasket Coil Hitch, how to hang up coils of rope, the Pedigree Cow Hitch and how to turn the boat end for end in her own length when the harbour is full and there is isn’t room to swing a cat!

February 2010 Sailing Today 101

warping and knotsSEAMANSHIP

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100 Sailing Today Febraury 2010

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Pic A The lead in. Pic B O. Pic C Start the X. Pic D Complete the X. Pic E O to finish. Pic F And one back hitch in line and neat.

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Pic G Under the wing of the cleat and up to the midships cleat. Pic H The stern line and back spring, nice and tidy. Pic I Fender up the starboard side. Pic J Lead the warp down the deck. Pic K board side. Pics L- R Turn the boat around, keeping both lines attached to shore.

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Figure of eight knot Pics 1 to 4The figure of eight knot, vital as a stopper knot for our jib sheets – never use them on spinnaker sheets – but can we remember how to tie them ? Try this for size - “Make a head Pic 1, strangle it Pic 2, and poke him in the eye Pic 3, then tighten Pic 4”.

Double figure of eight knot Pics 5 to 10And don’t forget to borrow from the climbers when we send someone up the mast in the bosun’s chair. We don’t just clip the snap shackle of a spinnaker halyard to the D ring on the chair, not unless we are feeling particularly cavalier. Use a double figure of eight knot. Tie the figure of eight knot with plenty of working end available Pic 5 and take this end through the D ring of the chair Pic 6 and back into the figure of eight knot Pic 7. Follow this through Pic 8 until you have a double figure of eight knot Pic 9 and then take the snap shackle and attach it to another D ring or strong point on the bosun’s chair Pic 10. Safe.

“Make a head, strangle it and poke him in the eye. . .”

Fenders stored tidily inside the pushpit.