Bowline Knot

         A commonly used knot to tie a loop in the end of a rope. It has the advantage of not
         jamming, compared to some other loop forming knots (for example when using an
         overhand knot on a large bight to form a loop).

         Form a small loop (the direction is important), and pass the free end of the knot up
         through the loop, around behind the standing part of the rope, and back down through the
         loop.

         A chant used by many to remember this knot is "The rabbit comes out of the hole, round
         the tree, and back down the hole again", where the hole is the small loop, and the rabbit
         is the running end of the rope.

         In the same way that a Left Handed Sheet bend is a Sheet bend that has the running end
         of the rope coming out of the wrong side of the knot, a cowboy bowline is a bowline
         that also has the running end of the rope coming out of the wrong side of the knot. It
         suffers the same problems as the left handed sheet bend.
         Tip. Don't be afraid to use this knot to form a loop of any size in rope.

         Tip. To quickly identify if you have tied the Bowline normal or left handed, check to see
         that the running end exits the knot on the inside of the loop.

         Tip. For added security, finish the knot with a stop knot such as a Figure of Eight knot to
         remove any possibility of the Bowline slipping.

         Tip. If you use this knot in a man carrying situation - perhaps a rescue where a harness
         is unavailable - then you MUST use a stop knot as mentioned above.


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