Thread: O/T: knots
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Old December 15th 15, 11:49 AM posted to rec.bicycles.misc
John B.[_6_]
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Default O/T: knots

On Tue, 15 Dec 2015 03:38:45 +0100, "Jakob Krieger"
wrote:

- John B. / Tue, 15 Dec 2015 00:58:10 +0100


But what sort of exotic reefs and bends do you think people use in
these days of aluminum spars and synthetic ropes?


Well, seamens' knots have one thing in common:
They stay tight, but can be opened quite easily -
unlike the parcel knot that is best opened with a knife.

Then there are two main classes:
1 the ones that tighten when pulled
(like the reef-knot, sheet-bend, or the lynch knot)
2 the ones that keep-up a sling which does not tighten,
like the palstek (bowline knot) e.g. for rescue purpose
(not strangulating the victim)

Of course with plastic ropes and fixtures,
you don't need a knot any more for many things.

But for rescuing »man overboard« or joinig ropes
for more length, classical knots are still used.


What ropes would that be? The main halyard? About 80% wire rope? The
main sheet? Wire again, or the jib sheet... wire once again. I only
see rope on little boats that go zigging and zagging around the
harbour on Sunday afternoon.


May be except for GPS sailors, they don't know
what a knot or even a rope is.


Sort of snarky remark isn't it? After all big ships navigate with GPS,
airplanes navigate with GPS. It has been quite a number of years now
since anything commercial used the stars.

When they go to disembark, they don't try to approach
a footbridge and tie the boat, but crash at beach low-waters
and buy a new boat for continuing their sailing trip.


[I was a inland-lake sports sailer in long-ago younger years,
and in my dreams, I surrounded earth at least twice
wich a shabby plastic dinghy -- so I MUST know]



jk

--
cheers,

John B.

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