“THREE SHEETS” is in the water! On Saturday, I helped my brother Matt move his sailboat to its mooring at the City Island Yacht Club. Raising the mainsail always amazes the landlubber in me. Two bowline knots hold two of three corners of the mainsail’s triangle in place. The “king of knots” keeps the sail secure in 15 knots of wind, moving a 7-ton, 36-ft sailboat! Here’s Matt tying the “foot” and the “head” of the mainsail with bowline knots. And I can’t keep my New Balance sneaker laces tied!
And who knew? The “sheets” are not the sails. They’re the lines that secure them. There is a steep vocabulary mountain to climb in sailing!
oh my, he looks like a mdconough of course, he should, how long ago was that wedding we all went to?? i can still tie a bowline, with my eyes closed and a running bowline too. used to call it my 100,000 dollar knot. and city island, memories.