Knots & Ropework

From surgeons to sailors, there are many professions and pastimes that need the knowledge of how to tie successful knots. Have you ever thought about how to tie proper knots that work rather then just the ones on your shoes (if you have shoelaces, that is). Knots and ropework are nearly as old as civilisation and are one of those things we usually take for granted. But without ropes, cables, cords, threads, and strings much of our modern life would be very different. Yes, you can suspend a bridge with metal rods and mend your torn clothes with staples (if you really want to), but would you even have clothes to mend without the strong, flexible fibres from which their fabric is woven?

Tying knots requires a number of manual and mental skills to be applied in unison to be successful. This activity is, of course, very useful if you are a keen sailor or want to become one, but everyone should learn how to tie basic knots because you never know when you might need to do it properly.

So, why not take a look at the following site and learn and practise how to tie a new knot each week.

http://www.handymariner.com/ropework/

You may use this activity to contribute to your DofE SKILLS Section as long as you provide suitable evidence - this could be images, logs, and dates/hours you do the activity uploaded to Google Classroom.

Please join class code xt5vkjf in Google Classroom