NOOSES, LOOPS AND MOORING KNOTS


Nothing is more interesting to a landsman than the manner in which a
sailor handles huge, dripping hawsers or cables and with a few deft
turns makes then fast to a pier-head or spile, in such a way that the
ship's winches, warping the huge structure to or from the dock, do not
cause the slightest give or slip to the rope and yet, a moment later,
with a few quick motions, the line is cast off, tightened up anew, or
paid out as required. Clove hitches, used as illustrated in Fig. 55,
and known as the "Waterman's Knot," are often used, with a man holding
the free end, for in this way a slight pull holds the knot fast, while
a little slack gives the knot a chance to slip without giving way
entirely and without exerting any appreciable pull on the man holding
the end.

[Illustration: FIG. 55.--Waterman's knot.]

"Larks' Heads" are also used in conjunction with a running noose,
as shown in Fig. 56, while a few turns under and over and around
a cleat, or about two spiles, is a method easily understood and
universally used by sailors (Fig. 57). The sailor's knot par
excellence, however, is the "Bow-line" (Fig. 58), and wherever we find
sailors, or seamen, we will find this knot in one or another of its
various forms. When you can readily and surely tie this knot every
time, you may feel yourself on the road to "Marline-spike Seamanship,"
for it is a true sailor's knot and never slips, jams, or fails; is
easily and quickly untied, and is useful in a hundred places around
boats or in fact in any walk of life. The knot in its various stages
is well shown in Fig. 59 and by following these illustrations you will