Being out on the water almost every day of the year, it becomes second nature for our skippers to use a variety of knots. For the casual boat user, it can all become very confusing; if you are not using knots regularly they are easy to forget, but they are a crucial part of boating.
Using a ‘school boy’ attitude of ‘if you can’t tie knots, tie lots!’ can in the worst case, see you returning to your mooring and your boat having slipped its own lines and set off without you.
What we consider to be the two most important and useful knots to know are the bowline and double half hitch. Both are load bearing knots that will retain as much of the ropes strength as possible and, when tied properly, will ensure your boat doesn’t leave its mooring without you!
