How to Tie a Bowline ("Bowl - lin")

The fast, efficient, high-percentage way to tie "the king of knots!" No narratives about rabbits...

We use the bowline (pronounced BOWL - LIN) on the Opti to:

1. Rig the mainsheet/ switch the mainsheet from 3:1 to 4:1.  Its important to tie a bowline rather than a stopper knot through the top mainsheet block so that it pulls evenly - reducing friction (and wear and tear) on you mainsheet. 

2. Rig the bowline (the "Bow - line") or painter as it is also called. Floating bowline rope comes untied really easily so I recommend a "safety" half-hitch of the bowline tail around 1 strand of the loop. 

3. Tiying bungies to anything. The bowline can't be untied under load which makes it ideal for the hiking strap bungies. Also good for tying the bailor bungies to the airbag straps or bulkhead (with a side safety hitch). 

4. Great for tying in your daggerboard.  

5. Tie your boat up to the rings on the dock quickly if you launched and forgot something! 

So Opti sailors that have mastered a quick bowline have a competitive advantage over those who don't. They can quickly switch the purchase on their mainsheet without the need for a heavy shackle. They have fewer breakdowns and can recover faster (before the Measurement boat!) and they can mark the Daggerboard tie in line to a precise "seaweed clearing length" and tie it to the trunk eye the same way every day! 

Be forewarned: If you cannot tie a bowline in a timely manner by the time you get to Lasers at LYC, the coach will leave you off the towline and head out to practice on the ocean without you 😭!