Seamanship could be summed up as the art of knots. Although knots are used in many fields, they are particularly important in the marine industry. In fact, it is often referred to as sailor's knots. At the time, all sailors were able to tie many knots quickly, even if each crew had a knot specialist: the sailmaker (sailor in charge of maneuvering the sails).
There are many knots in boating, but they all have one thing in common: they must be easy to untie. A sailor's knot should not come undone under tension, but should be able to be removed at any time, without having to pull on it, even if the line is wet.
Nodes can be classified into several categories, which we will discuss together. Otherwise, it is sufficient to know 5 basic nodes to get by in navigation.
Stop nodes
A stopper knot prevents a rope from coming out of a hole. A stopper knot is made to prevent a rope from coming out of a pulley, for example. If they are used to increase the diameter of a rope to prevent it from escaping, they can also have other uses. Made at the end, they can be used as ballast, for example to throw, to stop the strands (to prevent the ropes from unraveling), to serve as a handle or to serve as decoration.
- The full fist knot
- The capuchin knot
- The figure eight knot
- The half knot
- The dog-leg knot
- The pigtail knot
Assembly nodes
These knots - as the name suggests - are used to tie two ropes together. To choose the right name, consider the diameter of each knot, the need to easily tie and untie the knot, and the amount of tension it must withstand (continuous or intermittent tension).
- The square knot
- The Carrick's Knot
- The fisherman's knot
- The listening node
Mooring knots
Mooring knots are used to tie up a boat, or in layman's terms, to attach something with a rope. Depending on the maneuver or the particularity of the knot, other terms may be used such as "secure", "strike"..
These are mostly loop knots. They can also be used to shorten a rope, lift an object..
- The capstan knot
- Dead tower and two half keys
- The chair knot
- The cleat knot
- The grappling knot
- The miller's knot
- The knot of galley
- The mule knot
- The hump knot
- The double chair knot
Miscellaneous nodes
These are not knots per se, but techniques of seamanship that you need to know for navigation and the needs of the boat.
- Cover a hawser and insure it
- The olive knot
