After a few decades you begin to think you might have the hang of some aspect of sailing; but there is always something new be it the sea or a different way of doing something.

I’ve picked up a knot or two over the years. A pittance compared to Ashley’s list, but enough to impress friends and get the job done.

So its always a pleasure and perhaps a surprise to learn a new way to tie an old standby or perhaps use a different knot with some elegant property.

For instance I’ve used the mooring hitch for years as an emergency release for my swim ladder. Supposedly if I’m unfortunate enough to go for an unscheduled swim and by a miracle I’m near the ladder, pulling on the dangling line will release the hitch and voila the ladder is ready for use. This has worked for a number of years without incidence. When you yank on the bitter end the line come free of whatever it was tied to. Most hitches remain with the line still passing behind the object it tied to, so you have to let go and grab it again; not onerous, unless the sea or weather carries it off. The mooring hitch avoids such problems.

So I was quite pleased that it finally occurred to me to use the mooring hitch to tie coiled lines in the cabin to the overhead handholds. In the past using a slippery half hitch I’d pull it, then let go, the coiled line would drop and I’d have to fetch it from the cabin sole or settee, then repeat for the next line. Now in one smooth flow I grab each in succession in one even flow am top side. Fast.

A few sails later I was in need to get that main up right now. That is when I realized I needed a new way to knot those sail ties. I wanted to just walk along the boom and in one motion pull them off. This stop, pull, and fumble was not necessary.

So following the mooring hitch principle I now tie a hitch that is simply a bight pushed thru the sewn eye in the typical sail tie and a second bight pushed thru the first. Snugged up. Way back when I used a reef knot, then a slippery reef knot, both were tedious to tie. For years I used a slippery half hitch, which is really an improvement over reef knots. It will be interesting to see how it works in a variety of conditions.

Much to my surprise I learned fourth way of tying the amazing bowline. The ingenuity of sailors is a wonder. The bowline includes a loop. The same knot without a loop is the sheet bend. Make one near the bitter end, reduce its loop to nothing and you’ve got a stopper knot you can actually undo. Damn near the only necessary knot to use. Line load in the 50% to 60% range will break it – never seen that happen. It has come untied a couple of times, though I suspect it was my inattention.

My frequently used knot is the double slippery reef knot secured with a tuck, aka, the shoe lace. Learned the tuck in Ashley’s decades ago. It never fails, comes undone in a blink, and even looks better.

Then there is the alpine butterfly knot. Love tying it, yet I’ve never had a practical use for it. Can’t remember ever using it. I suppose it could be the anchor point for a trucker’s hitch; which is another knot I’ve never had a use for. Maybe some day.

Pleasure from little things.