Page:Small-boat sailing; an explanation of the management of small yachts, half-decked and open sailing-boats of various rigs; sailing on sea and on river; cruising, etc (IA smallboatsailing01knig).pdf/50

to preserve its spiral score, which serves as a guide in the construction of the grommet. One end of the strand is bent round and laid on the standing part so as to form a ring of the required size. Then the other end is wound round this ring twice, fitting into the score, and so forming a three-stranded rope. The ends are knotted, halved, and turned under as in a long splice.

The following are the more useful knots, bends, and hitches employed at sea for temporarily attaching ropes. They are all ingeniously contrived so as to hold securely and not to slip, while they can yet be undone easily and quickly, and do not jam like some of the wonderful and inextricable knots the greenhorn is apt to tie when carrying out an order in a hurry.

Fig. 17.

The Overhand Knot (Fig. 17) is the knot which, as has already been stated, is tied in the strands when completing a long splice or a grommet.

Fig. 18.

Fig. 18 is a Reef Knot. The reef-points of a sail are tied up with this knot, and it is also frequently of service for other purposes. It consists of two overhand knots. In tying the second knot care must be taken so to cross the ends that the standing part and end of each rope pass through the bight of the other rope together, and not from opposite sides, as they do in