Know your knots (6) – The Stevedore

02 Sep 2016

In our sixth and final knots blog we will show you how to tie the Stevedore. Sometimes referred to as the Figure Nine Knot, the Stevedore is a stopper knot which doesn’t jam and is perfect for heavy loads. 

The Stevedore takes its name from the dock workers, Stevedores, who would load and unload cargo from ships; something Cutty Sark is very familiar with! The Stevedore is bulkier than the Figure of Eight and was used to prevent the lines running through the block and tackle (pulley) when loading and unloading cargo. 

So, continuing from Step 2 of the Figure of Eight, here’s our guide to tying a Stevedore knot!

Step 3: Take a half turn with the working end, so it’s on the opposite side it started on...

Step 4: Bring the working end through the front of your loop...

Step 5: Pull through and tighten!

We hope you enjoyed our knot tying series, and will keep practicing your knots, like the Figure of Eight, the Bowline, the Clove Hitch and the Reef Knot.  

With special thanks to our amazing Visitor Assistants Emma, for writing these blogs, and Cleveland, for showing us how to tie the knots.