How to Tie a Bowline

The bowline is one of the most used knots in the time I’ve spent on the water. On many racing boats, it is ued to attach halyards (the lines that raise the sail) and sheets (the lines that trim the sails) to the sails. Often, it’s just assumed the people know how to tie this knot (read as – tie it quickly and confidently in a fast moving race situation). When I started racing, I had tied bowlines many times – for years. However, I often had to think about the visual of the rabbit coming out of the hole, around the tree, and going back into the hole. Even then, it would take me two or three tries to get a knot that I believed would hold. My slow speed and lack of confidence did not make me the most valuable sailor on the boat.

There are many methods that can be used to tie this knot. Two methods will be shared in this post.

When I took a Safety at Sea class, one of the instructors showed me a method that I could finally remember quickly and reliably during races. Here are the steps that I think about when tying this knot.

Start with the line in the shape of an upside down P. Note the tail (that goes to the right) is under the vertical section of line.

Tighten up the loop a bit to make it easier to work with.

Put the tail of the line into the P.

Bring the tail of line around the under side of the post.

Bring the tail back through the inside the P.

Pull the tail to tighten the knot.

Here’s a picture of the completed knot.

The other benefit of tying the knot like this is that the tail ends up inside the loop. This is a good thing because if it’s inside the loop, it’s less likely to get caught on things. For example, the tail on a jib sheet could get caught on deck hardware or the mast when going through a tack. That’s not fast.

Sometimes I over think how to tie this knot and can still get myself confused. Don’t think about this too much. Just do it. If you’re finding it difficult, try tying it around something. For example, use a post to represent a piling or something to represent the clew of a sail. I find that easier than just tying the knot on its own.

Here’s a video using a “Q” technique if you want to watch someone tie a bowline in real time.