Knots made easy BY KEVIN CALLAN
Knowing how to tie a perfect knot may come as second nature to some people, but to most the skill seems elusive. I’m with the majority. I never “got it” back in the days of Boy Scouts. And it’s not that I didn’t try to master this art. I’ve bought knot books, sat on the front porch for hours practising things like the sheet bend, monkey’s fist, Turk’s head and hangman’s noose. When it came to actually using
them in the field, however, I pan- icked and tied things down with half a dozen granny knots, then hoped for the best. The day I watched my canoe drift off down some rapids because of a poorly tied bowline
was the day I committed to learn- ing at least eight of the 4,000 known and documented knots. Here’s one of them, the bowline.
BOWLINE This is the best knot to
form a non-slip loop. It’s considered the king of knots, and has the advantage of that catchy “rabbit and the hole” chant to help you remember how to tie it: “The rabbit comes out of the hole, goes around the tree, and back down the hole again.” Looping the rope forms the “hole.” The rabbit is the
rope’s free end, and the tree is the other standing part of the rope. For added security, end the knot with a figure eight or two half hitches. From Kevin Callan, The Happy Camper: An Essential Guide to Life Outdoors, Boston Mills Press.
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