How to tie the bowline video

I probably use the bowline more than any other knot. The bowline forms a loop in the end of a line that will not slip, and is easy to untie with only your fingers. This loop can be used to tie a line onto almost anything, even another bowline which is one way to tie two lines together. A large bowline can be looped around a person's chest, perhaps to help them get back onboard after falling in the water. Since it won't slip, it won't squeeze them and prevent their breathing. I use bowlines to tie on my bow and stern lines, to tie my mainsheet to its block, to tie my boom vang line to its block, to tie my outhaul to the clew of the mainsail, to tie the spinnaker halyard to the head of the spinnaker, and many other things. You need the Flash plugin to see the video, click the play button to start the video. This video was taken with the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ2. A $200 camera designed mainly for still photography, it will take a 30 minute 30 frames/second video with sound if you have the 1 Gig memory card. See how to tie other knots in the Sailing Video Index

Click the play button (maybe twice) to start the video.