Mike’s Quick Rope Whipping

Mike’s-Quick-Rope-Whipping

Mike’s quick line whipping

This is the quick and secure whipping I use to whip the ends on double braid line.  I have not seen this in any book.  It has some of the elements of the classic quick temporary whipping but this method is much more secure  and almost as quick as the classic quick temporary whipping.  Properly whipped line ends in addition to keeping line ends from fraying also helps give your boat more “style points” and adds to your reputation as a knowledgeable sailor.

Whipping the ends of the line with this whipping is much easier for me to do than the classic regular whipping that has two frapping turns at 90 degrees from each other and the tough (for me anyway) ending knot and bury.  I use a single set of frapping turns to hold the whipping together with a quick secure bury of the two ends of the whipping twine.

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The New Non-Skid

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The New Non-Skid on the Bow

Here are a few lessons I learned from my Do It Myself non-skid project on the deck of my boat.

Paint: I used Interlux Interdeck, a Pre-mixed one part Polyurethane Non-skid paint which comes with fine non-skid particles already in the paint.  Interdeck has been “flattened” (gloss removed, low sheen) and is ready to go right from the can (more on this below).  I had used Interdeck on the cockpit sole and hatch cover several years ago and it had held up well and provided good non-skid properties when used with additional coarse grit added.

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Double Constrictor Knot

Double-Constrictor-Knot-Part-7-Finished

Double Constrictor Knot

The Double Constrictor Knot is another very useful knot that should be in every boaters skill set and is quick and easy to tie.  This knot can be used for emergency repairs and quick whipping on the end of a line to keep the line from unraveling until a permanent repair can be made. The Double Constrictor is a more powerful version of the Constrictor Knot   The Double Constrictor is a binding knot that is difficult to untie, many times it needs to be cut off and  can be tied either right or left handed. Continue reading

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Constrictor Knot

Constrictor-Knot-Part-4-Finished

Constrictor Knot

The Constrictor Knot is a knot that should be in every boaters skill set.  This knot can be used for emergency repairs and quick whipping on the end of a line to keep the line from unraveling until a permanent repair can be made.  The Double Constrictor is a variation that clamps a bit harder.  The Constrictor is a binding knot that is difficult to untie, many times it needs to be cut off.  The Constrictor can be tied easily and quickly either right or left handed.  A Single Constrictor is a variation of the Clove Hitch with a single overhand knot tucked from the outside  to the center under the crossing wrap section. Continue reading

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Coiling line using the Ballantine Coil on the Adventuress

Ballantine-coil-on-the-Adventurous

Line coiled with a Ballantine Coil on the Schooner Adventuress

On a recent evening sail with the Mountaineers Sailing Group aboard the Schooner Adventurous (Wikipedia, Adventurous Web Site) I saw the crew using the Ballantine Coil to coil the halyards when a sail is raised. With masts that rise over 100 feet above the water and using a multi-part halyard the halyards are quite long requiring very careful coiling to keep the lines organized so they will run free if needed and not become tangled. Continue reading

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Coiling line using the Valentine Coil on the Adventuress

valentine-coil-on-the-Adventurous

Line coiled with a Valentine Coil on the Schooner Adventuress

My original article identified the coil as “Valentine” it should have been “Ballantine Coil” Zach from the Adventuress graciously corrected my error. I have made a new article at:

Coiling line using the Ballantine Coil on the Adventuress

that correctly identifies the coil. I have left the old URL intact for those of you that subscribe to my site, Leaving the old URL with a link to the corrected article will prevent you from the dreaded 404 Error – Page Not Found.

My apologies for the error.

c/m

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Sailing Crew Class Resources–Fall 2011

Below are a few links to help the students in the Fall Sailing Crew Class that I helped with.  Links are provided to the Nav. Problems, handouts and additional information on charts, links to PowerPoint presentations and additional practice problems and resources for beginning boaters.

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Introduction-to-Marine-Charts-Part 1

Introduction-to-Marine-Charts-Part 1A short PowerPoint Introduction to Marine Charts showing different scales and explains some basic information that is found on a chart and a few hints on what to look for on a chart and points out some often overlooked tidbits that will help make your boating safer.

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