How to Tie a Hitch Knot for Sailing

Knowing how to tie various hitch knots represents a necessity for sailors. Cleat hitches can secure onboard lines and mooring lines. Clove hitches provide temporary security when tying a boat up in a marina. Sailors use this knot to tie halyards to cleats on the deck of the boat.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. Tie your boat temporarily to a mooring pole or railing using a clove hitch. Loop your line around a pole or railing. Ensure that the pole or railing is strong enough to resist the pull of the boat.

2. Create an X with the line as you pass it around the pole a second time. Bring the end of the line underneath the X of the knot.

3. Tug the line tight. The clove hitch will loosen up if you release tension on the knot, so you shouldn't use the clove hitch for a secure tie-up.

4. Use a cleat hitch to tie any line to a cleat, either for docking or on board the boat. Loop the line around the base of the cleat. Bring the line up around one end of the cleat and across the top to the opposite end.

5. Make a figure "8" on top of the cleat. Loop the line around the other end of the cleat then bringing it back across the top of the cleat to the opposite end.

6. Loop the rope, and then slip the loop over one end of the cleat. This should create a second layer to the figure 8. Make sure that the end of the line follows the pattern of the 8 when you create the loop.

7. Pull the end of the line tight to complete the cleat hitch.

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