Windsurfing: learn how to tie basic knots | Photo: Creative Commons/Parkis

Windsurfers are sailors, and knots are part of daily sailing life. Learning how to tie a knot is a compulsory skill in windsurfing.

There are hundreds of knots for multiple situations. In windsurfing, there are masts, booms, and sails to be tied properly.

You don't want to be sailing and suddenly wipe out or lose part of your gear to the ocean floor.

You can only tie a knot with rope. And there are up to ten knots that you should definitely learn.

But if you only want to get basic knowledge, you must, at least, memorize three general knots - the bowline, the clove hitch, and the square knot.

The Bowline

The bowline is a simple knot used to form a fixed loop at the end of a rope.

Windsurfers will use it on the end of the downhaul line to hook the harness hook in, in order to tense the downhaul. It's easy to tie and untie.

 

The Clove Hitch

The clove hitch can be used to tie the outhaul and downhaul lines around the boom and mast extensions.

It's one of the most important knots and can also be applied to tense the downhaul.

 

The Square Knot

The square knot, also known as the reef knot, is used to tie two ropes together.

If something wrong happens out in the open ocean and a downhaul or outhaul line tears, you'll be able to tie both ends of a rope together.

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