Boy Scout Troop 236 - Sailor's Bend

Sailor's Knot

( Also called The Anchor Bend, Carrick Bend and Full Carrick Bend)

The Sailor's Knot is a knot used for joining two lines. It is particularly appropriate for very heavy rope or cable that is too large and stiff to easily be formed into other common bends. It will not jam even after carrying a significant load or being soaked with water. The Sailor's Knot aesthetically pleasing interwoven and symmetrical shape has also made it popular for decorative purposes.

Uses: The Sailor's Knot joins two ropes together. It used to be widely used to join large hawsers. To preserve the attractive shape of the knot, the bitter end of each hawser was often fastened with a seizing back to its own standing end. This seizing, however, is not required for safety.
Structure: The knot curls up under strain and the attractive, mat-like appearance vanishes. It is important that the bitter ends lie diagonally opposite each other; otherwise an intermittent pull will gradually work the knot towards the bitter ends until it is undone!
Place: Because the Sailor's Knot is reliable and has the enormous advantage of being easy to undo, it probably deserves to be used more often. However, it is slightly awkward to assemble and it is too easy to make a mistake and find you have both bitter ends on the same side of the knot.