After 3 Worrell 1000's, lots of Keel boat racing over the past 20 years (am
I that old??), etc., I've also NEVER seen a bowline undo, unless it was on
very inexpensive nylon rope. A half-hitch on the loose end prevented that.
Learn it, the reef knot, a clove hitch, and the sheet bed (see
http://131.230.57.1/knots.htm) and you will be set for life. Make sure you
understand the role of each knot. A figure 8 is also very handy to know.
Mike VA3MW
----- Original Message -----
From: "Dale L Martin" <kg5u@hal-pc.org>
To: <towertalk@contesting.com>
Sent: Saturday, December 21, 2002 11:28 AM
Subject: RE: [Towertalk] Knots
>
> To continue the sea stories subthread, I crewed on a Cal-40 racing in
> Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico for about 15 years. I don't recall a
> bowline ever working itself loose on our boat. I don't even remember
anyone
> checking before tacking. When on a tack, the windward sheet (line) is
slack
> and tension is off that bowline knot at the genoa clew while the leeward
> sheet has the strain.
>
> Out in the Gulf, there were opportunities for being on one tack for hours
> and hours, even days (Galveston-Vera Cruz race).
>
> I think that if there was a concern about the bowline going loose and
> possibly letting go, it wouldn't have been used or we would have done
> something to preclude it.
>
> Maybe the conditions onboard weren't conducive to knot loosening.
>
> Under exactly what conditions will an unloaded bowline knot become loose?
>
> 73,
> dale, kg5u
>
> >
> > You're close. The only problem with a bowline is that if it's under
> > no load, it tends to loosen. You can make it more secure in various
> > ways. I believe that it is one of the good knots that maintains more
> > of the strength of the line. OTOH, the figure-eight loop is easily
> > tied, even in the middle of the line and seems to stay tight, but
> > loses more of the inherent line strength, and perhaps as the obverse
> > of the above, is hard to untie. Many of us think a knot should be
> > easily untied.
> >
> > BTW, I've seen figures that indicate an eye splice is actually
> > stronger than the line, and a cunt splice is the absolute strongest
> > way of fastening two laid lines together. But I still don't know how
> > to make an eye splice in the braided lines I like.
> >
> > 73, doug
>
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