Page:Small-boat sailing; an explanation of the management of small yachts, half-decked and open sailing-boats of various rigs; sailing on sea and on river; cruising, etc (IA smallboatsailing01knig).pdf/46

 as possible, one end being made fast to the bits or other convenient place, while the other end is hauled out with a tackle. If the rope is a large one, the serving is laid on with a serving mallet.

The free ends of all ropes should be (Fig. 11) so as to prevent their unravelling. To do this lay one end of a piece of tarred spun-yarn along the end of the rope; wind the spun-yarn (working upwards towards the end of the rope) several times tightly round the rope and over the end of the spun-yarn, thus gripping the latter. Make a loop of the remaining portion of the spun-yarn, and lay the end of this loop on the rope, pointing downwards away from the rope's end. Then take three or four more turns with the spun-yarn round the rope and over the loose end of the yarn. Pull the yarn-end taut until the loop is closed, and cut the ends short off.

In the following description of the splices, knots, etc., certain terms will be employed which it will be well to define beforehand. The standing part of a rope is the part held in the hand; the end is that end of the rope in which the knot, or bend, is to be made; the bight is the loop formed when making a knot, or bend.

When two rope-ends have to be joined permanently, this is neatly effected by the various splices employed by sailors.

A (Fig. 12) is thus made: The