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Sailing knots: the 6 that cover 95% of charter life

Six knots and you can do almost anything a skipper will ask of you for a week. Each one is drawn step by step, free to read, written for someone tying it on a moving deck for the first time.

A finished clove hitchClove hitchFast on, fast to adjust — the fender knot for a guardrail.Learn it → A finished figure-8 knotFigure-8 knotA stopper at the end of a sheet or halyard, so the line cannot run away.Learn it → A finished reef knotReef knotTies off a reefed sail: flat, symmetrical and easy to shake out.Learn it → A finished bowlineBowlineA fixed loop that will not slip or jam, and unties easily even after being loaded.Learn it → A finished round turn and two half hitchesRound turn & two half hitchesAttaching a line to a ring, bollard or rail — under real load.Learn it → A finished cleat hitchCleat hitchThe most-tied knot on a charter — dock lines, halyards and fenders all finish on a cleat.Learn it →

Why these six

There are hundreds of knots. On a charter boat you will genuinely use a handful, and they divide up by job: a loop in a line (bowline), making fast to a cleat (cleat hitch), tying to a ring or rail (round turn and two half hitches), hanging fenders (clove hitch), stopping a line running out (figure-8) and tying off a reef (reef knot).

If you only learn two, learn the bowline and the cleat hitch. Between them they cover most of what a charter week actually asks. Learn all six and you will never stand on the foredeck waiting for someone else to do the knot.

Which knot do I need?

  • Tie a fender to the rail: Clove hitch — Goes on in seconds and slides up or down when the pontoon turns out to be higher than you thought.
  • Make the boat fast to a cleat: Cleat hitch — Round the base, two figure-8s, one locking turn. Holds a tonne and still releases in a flip.
  • Put a loop in the end of a line: Bowline — A fixed loop that will not slip and still unties after load. The one knot to learn first.
  • Tie onto a mooring ring or bollard: Round turn & two half hitches — The round turn holds the load while you tie, so one person can pull the boat in against a wall.
  • Stop a sheet running out of a block: Figure-8 knot — A bulky stopper in the tail of every sheet and halyard. Ten seconds now, no trip up the mast later.
  • Tie off a reef in the mainsail: Reef knot — Lies flat against the sailcloth and shakes out with one pull when the wind drops.
  • Join two ropes together: None of these six — Not a reef knot — it spills under load. You want a sheet bend, and it is next on our list to draw.

Test yourself

Recognising a knot is the first half of knowing it. Six pictures, sixty seconds, no account needed.

Name That Knot →

Know the answer before the captain asks.

The knot guides are the free sample. The course is 10 modules and 330+ cards of the things your skipper assumes you already know.

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