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C. TYING A BOWLINE
The bowline is the seaman's most reliable and useful knot. A quick, strong
method of making an eye in a line, the bowline never slips or jams. It can be
tied in the end of a line or in the middle, with one loop or two, depending on
the situation. In fact, if a sailor were able to learn only four knots in his
life, this should be one of them. (The others are the square, the half hitch
and the figure eight.) The bowline is the knot used with your jib sheet.
Here is the simplest and most reliable method for tying the basic bowline in
a line's end:
1. Form an overhand loop, holding the junction firmly between the thumb and
fingers of your right hand.
