-
- Unfortunately,
the Reef knot can easily change into a slipping , so it should never
be used where life or limb are at risk.
- Holding
one end of each line in each hand, pass the left rline over the
right, and tuck under. Then pass the same line, now in the right
hand, over the left line, and tuck under.
- It
is common to chant "Left over Right and Under, Right over Left
and Under" when tying the knot. (This can also be performed
as "Right over Left and Under, Left over Right and Under".)
- The
reef knot can easliy be undone by gripping one loose end, and pulling
it back over the knot, in the opposite direction, thus straightening
the rope which is pulled. T
- The
knot gets its name from its use on sailing ships, when the sails
were "reefed" - rolled up and tied to the cross spar with
a reef knot. To release the sail, the sailors would climb the rigging,
and work their way along the cross spar, pulling the top end of
the reef knot down. They only had to use one hand, holding on with
the other. The weight of the sail would cause the reef knot to slip,
and the sail would be released.
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