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An excellent knot to secure a warp to ground tackle, the fisherman’s bend




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What is the issue?
General purpose knots can float loose if jostled about lightly loaded. This is a concern when securing a warp to the anchor or a ground tackle chain.

Why address this?
If the knot securing the vessel’s ground tackle comes lose the vessel could be lost. For this reason, it is worth adding a specialist knot to your repertoire.

How to address this?
The Fisherman’s Bend, or Hitch, also known as the Anchor Hitch, or Bend, is an excellent knot for attaching a rope to a ring or similar termination. On boats, it is extensively used to attach an anchor line or warp to an anchor or more usually an anchor chain. Technically, it should always be called a hitch but it is more commonly known as a 'bend' because it is used to 'tie to' an object.

Learning how to make the Fisherman’s Bend as presented below offers great peace of mind in situations where you have to depend upon the security of a knot.The knot is very similar to a round turn and two half hitches except that the first half hitch is passed under the turn. This makes it very easy to learn and well worth acquiring.



Start as you would with the round turn and two half hitches taking the working end of the rope and wrap it twice around the fixed object.


Then similar to a half hitch pass the line over and then under both turns around the object.


Repeat for a second half hitch tying it the around the standing or loaded part of the line. This creates a Clove Hitch around the standing or loaded part of the line.


Work the slack out and the knot is finished. Seize it with whipping twine for the complete security.

Although similar to the round turn and two half hitches the Fisherman's Bend is much more secure and that is why it is worth learning. It tends to bite in steadfastly tight after being loaded up and the more load that is imposed upon it the tighter it gets. For this reason, it has become the accepted knot for attaching anchors or anchor chains to warps where knots have to be totally reliable and are only occasionally undone.

The downside of this is that, unlike the round turn and two half hitches, it is often difficult to undo after excessive loading. It is usually easily untied after moderate loads and can be made more resistant to jamming by taking an extra turn around the object. But this, however, might not be possible in the case of tying off to a small shackle or link of a chain. When used as a permanent connection to an anchor or anchor chain the tail to the standing end can be seized for additional security.

With thanks to:
Michael Harpur, Yacht Obsession.




Fisherman's Bend


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