The amateur yachtsman should be able to make all the splices and most of the knots in common use. This knowledge will come in quite handy when fitting out his craft in the spring, and will save him the expense of hiring a sailor to do the work. I have spent many happy hours in rigging a fifteen-ton cutter, doing all the work myself (except stepping the mast) with the aid of a boy.

A few fathoms of rope, a marlinespike, a knife, a small pot of grease, a ball of spun yarn, another of marline and one of roping twine, and you are equipped for work. Splicing ropes and making fancy knots may be made a quite pleasant way of spending a winter's evening. It keeps one out of mischief, and the art once learned is rarely forgotten. I think if you follow my directions and take heed of the diagrams that accompany them (which I have taken pains to make as clear as possible) you will have no difficulty in becoming quite expert in the use of a marlinespike.

The ends of all ropes, whether belonging to the running or standing rigging, must be whipped with tarred roping twine or they will unravel. Take the rope in your left hand and lap the twine round it very tight a dozen times, taking care that the end lies under the first turns so as to secure it. Then make a loop with the twine and continue the lapping for four turns round the rope and the end of the twine, as shown above. Haul taut and cut off the end.

Eye Splice—Unlay the rope and lay the strands E, F, G at the proper distance upon the standing part, as shown at A. Now push the strand H through the strand next to it, as shown in B, having first opened it with a marlinespike. Strand I is then thrust over the part through which H was passed. Strand K is thrust through the third on the other side. Repeat the process with each strand, and then hammer the splice into shape with the butt of the marlinespike. Stretch and cut off the ends of the strands. If particular neatness is required, the strands, after having been passed through the standing part the first time, should be halved and passed again, and then still further tapered by being quartered before being passed for the third and last time. An eye splice is useful. Standing rigging should have eyes spliced in to go over the mast-head, and for dead-eyes to be turned in, etc.

Short Splice—Unlay the ends of two ropes of the same size and bring their ends together, as shown in Fig. 1. Hold the rope D and the strands A, B and C in the left hand. Pass the strand E over A and under C of rope H and haul taut. Pass strand G over B and under A. Pass strand F over the strand next to it and under the second. Turn the rope round and treat the other side in the same way, when the splice will be like Fig. 2. The single tucking of the strands will not, however, be strong enough, and the process should be repeated on both sides, halving the strands for the sake of neatness. This splice is used only for rope that is not required to run through a block.

Long Splice—Unlay the ends of the two ropes that are to be joined some two or three feet, according to the size of the rope. Place the two ends together, as shown in Fig. 1. Unlay strand C and lead it back to A; then take D and lay it up in the space left by C. Do this with the strands E and F on the opposite side. The rope will now look like Fig. 2. Give the two middle strands, G and H, a lick of tar if the rope is of hemp, and grease if of manilla, and knot them together with an overhand knot, taking care that the knot is so formed as to follow the lay of the rope. Then halve these strands and pass them over one strand and under two. Treat the remaining strands in the same way, after which stretch the rope well and cut off the ends of the strands. A long splice is the neatest way there is of putting two ends of a rope together. If well made it does not increase the diameter of the rope, and therefore renders through blocks as though it did not exist. If one strand of a rope is chafed through while the other two are sound, a new strand may be put in to replace it, and the ends may be finished off in the same way as in a long splice.

Cut Splice—A cut splice is made the same as an eye splice, only with two ropes instead of one.

Overhand Knot—It is used at the ends of ropes to prevent them from unreeving. There should always be one in the end of the mainsheet, which is difficult to reeve again in anything like a breeze.

Reef Knot—It is always used to tie the reef points of a sail. First make an overhand knot and then pass the ends so that they take the same lay as the crossed parts of the overhand knot. If passed the other way, the knot will form what sailors call a granny, which will slip when it is subjected to a strain.

Bowline Knot—Take the end (1) of the rope in the right hand and the standing part (2) in the left hand. Lay the end over the standing part and turn the left wrist so that the standing part forms a loop (4) enclosing the end. Next lead the end back of the standing part and above the loop, and bring the end down through the loop as shown. This is a very useful knot.

Running Bowline—It is made by passing the end of a rope round its standing part and forming a bowline as in Fig. 8.

Bowline on a Bight—To make it, double the rope and take the doubled end (1) in the right hand, the standing part (2) of the rope in the left hand. Lay the end over the standing part, and by turning the left wrist form a loop (3) having the end inside. Next pull up enough of the end (1) to dip under the bight (4), bringing the end towards the right and dipping it under the bight, then passing it up to the left over the loop and hauling taut.

Two Half Hitches—Pass the end of the rope round the standing part and bring it up through the bight. This makes a half hitch. Repeat the process and haul taut. If the knot is to bear a great strain, seize the end back with spunyarn to the standing part.

Timber Hitch—Pass the end of a rope round the spar, then round the standing part b, then several times round its own part c against the lay of the rope.

Gaff Topsail Halyard Bend—Pass two turns round the spar, then lead the end back round the standing part and underneath all the turns, bringing it round to its own part and back again over the two outer turns and underneath the inner turn.

Blackwall Hitch—It is the simplest method known of making fast the end of a rope to the hook of a tackle. The figure is self-explanatory, the underneath part or the rope being jammed hard and fast by the strain on the hook.

Common Bend—Make a bight with the end of one rope, and pass the end of the other through the bight from beneath, and round both parts with the end under its own standing part. The greater the strain, the faster will this bend jam.

Magnus Hitch—Pass two round turns with the end of a rope over a spar, then take it before the standing part, pass it again under the spar and up through the bight.

Selvagee Strop—It is made by driving two nails into a length of plank at a distance apart equal to the desired length of the strop. Make fast one end of a ball of spunyarn or knotted ropeyarns to one of the nails and pass it round the other, continuing the process until the strop is as thick as required. Marl it down with spunyarn and sew canvas or leather round it if intended for a block.

Grommet Strop—It is made of a single strand of rope. To make it, lay one end over the other at the size required, and with the long end follow the lay round until a ring is formed with three parts of the strand all round. Finish by dividing the ends, overhand knotting, and passing them over one strand and under the other exactly as in a long splice. To make a neat job, use a strand from rope that has been some time in use and is well stretched. The strand should be about a foot more than three times the length of the strop, to allow for the knotting. It may be wormed and covered with canvas or leather if intended for a block.

Figs. 19 and 20 show a Wall Knot. Unlay the end of a rope and with the strand A in Fig. 19 form a bight, hold it down at the side B, pass the end of the next strand C, round A, the end of strand D round C and through the bight of A. Haul taut and the knot is made as in Fig. 20. This can be crowned by taking strand in Fig. 21 and laying it over the top of the knot. Then lay B over A, and C over B and through the bight of A and haul taut. Fig. 22 shows a double wall and double crown, which is made by letting the ends follow their own parts round until all the parts appear double, first walling and then crowning.

Matthew Walker Knot—Made by unlaying the end of a rope and taking the end A round the rope and through its own bight, the strand B underneath through the bight of A, and the strand C underneath through the bights of strands A and B, and hauling all the strands taut. This knot is used principally for the ends of lanyards. In making these knots a whipping of sailmaker's twine should be put round the rope where the knot is to be when formed.

This illustration shows the process of worming a rope, which consists of winding spunyarn of suitable size into the space between the strands with the lay of the rope, so as to make the rope smooth for parcelling. This must be done with the rope on the stretch. A shows the spunyarn.

This illustration shows the process of parcelling and serving. After the worming is finished wrap narrow strips of canvas—tarred, if the rope is of hemp, and painted if it is of wire—round the rope with the lay, secure the parcelling to the rope by marling it with twine, the rope can then be served against the lay. Lay the serving mallet B with its groove on the rope. Take a turn with the spunyarn round the rope and head of the mallet, round the side next you, and two turns on the other side and twist it round the handle. Get an assistant to pass the ball A round the rope while you heave round the mallet. The last half-dozen turns of the service must have the end of the spunyarn put through them and hauled taut to secure it.