Part of our Seamanship Course (albeit a small part) is Marlinspike Seamanship or learning the skills to use and repair rope. In this segment our instructor focuses on knots and their purposes, splicing and lashing as well as what lines made of what material to use for which purpose.
For app geeks like us, a usuful tool is Grog Knots or What Knot
In the days when sailing ships were the important means of transportation a sailor was judged by how well he knew his knots and marlinspike seamanship. So if we are to be judged as good students we had better learn our skills well.
A number of the basic knots we had learned in our White Sail Courses but a little refresher didn’t hurt. And for those who were ever scouts or girl guides these are forever etched is some deep recess of our memory.
…Figure Eight, Slipped Reef, Reef, Double Sheet Bend…
Most of these knots and skills we may never have to use again. But as with Celestial and Non-Instrument Navigation, we may never need those skills either but it’s always good to have a plan ‘B’ and even a plan ‘C’ should modern technology fail us.
…Clove Hitch, Round 2-1/2 Hitch, Constrictor Knot, Anchor Bend, Rolling Hitch…
…Sheep Shank…
…Bowline, Spanish Bowline, Bowline on Bight…
…and making good use of our time,
we practiced while waiting to have our annual blood work taken…
After all of this practice there may be a final knot to learn should one of us be driven to the edge….
“Yo ho, Haul together
Hoist the colours high,
Heave ho, Theives and Beggars,
Never shall we die!
The seas be ours and by the powers
Where we will…we’ll roam”
~ Hans Zimmer, Pirates of the Carribean