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Ten Ways to Use Your Sailing Knife by Captain John Jamieson www.skippertips.com

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Step aboard any boat-- or power--and you enter a world different than any other on the planet. Soon, you will be heeled over to one side or the other, with perhaps a bit of rolling, pitching, heaving, yawing, and surging thrown in for good measure.

We who live on terra firma often find this unique environment takes some getting used to. And indeed it does. Most of us are lashed ashore like Ulysses to the --with obligations of family, business, finance and more. And once in a while, we escape to the water for a day, or a weekend, or a week, or--if lucky or fortunate enough--for a lifetime.

I believe it's worth the effort to consider how to "fit" better into this environment of water, wind, and waves. Perhaps a look to the past offers the best start to equip ourselves with the best tools to increase sailing safety. So why is it that time and again, the most ancient of seagoing tools will often be forgotten, or tucked away out of site, or lashed somewhere where we are not?

Long before the personal flotation device, sailing harness, or EPIRB came along, the sailor's knife was as common to the sailor as food. Indeed, it has been "the" essential safety tool for more than 2000 years--and this has not changed.

And yet--so often you see it missing from the belts, shorts, or trousers of the modern sailor. Perhaps tucked away? But will this serve us in an instant in the event we find a line or wrapped tight around a leg or arm--ours or that of our sailing crew or partner?

Ten Ways to Use Your Sailing Knife by Captain John Jamieson www.skippertips.com

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Will it be ready to grab if we fall overboard in order to cut us away from a harness that threatens to drown us. Or will it be there when we lean over the side--holding onto the boat as it wallows in a beam swell as we attempt to saw through a line wrapped tight onto a propeller or rudder?

These scenarios are not that unusual at sea. In the end I believe each sailor and sailing skipper must decide what works best for him or her. And of keep in mind first and foremost that your sailing crew or partner will often follow your example.

This essential tool remains at my own side from the time I step aboard to the time

I step ashore. Here are ten reasons I carry and wear these tools. Enjoy this exclusive report and thanks for taking the time to complete our sailing survey. Sail well this sailing season and sail safe--wherever in the world you choose to sail or cruise!

Warmest Regards, Captain John Jamieson

Ten Ways to Use Your Sailing Knife by Captain John Jamieson www.skippertips.com

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Why Make Your Sailing Knife the #1 Sailing Gear?

You might think the personal flotation device rises to the top--but it's a distant #2 when it comes to this one! This ultimate sailing tool can be used on any boat anywhere in the world. Pack this vital piece of sailing gear with you before you go sailing.

Sail World carried a tragic story a short time ago about a young teenage girl. Her sailing dinghy capsized. She had attached herself by a hiking harness to the boat.

When she capsized, the boat "turtled" (turned upside down) on top of her. She was unable to untangle herself from the harness and drowned.

It's understandable that folks tend to shun knifes and similar equipment on their belts. It's a bit weighty, adds bulk on a hot day, and many like to sail unencumbered.

But, I believe that you absolutely, positively must not board or sail a boat without a knife

Ten Ways to Use Your Sailing Knife by Captain John Jamieson www.skippertips.com

5 attached to you. I cannot emphasize this basic, often ignored rule of sailing seamanship enough. Here are ten ways that your sailing knife will serve you aboard any boat.

1. Cut Common Fibers and Fabric.

Find a knife that keeps its edge razor sharp, even after repeated cuts. Realize that you will need to make sharp, even cuts across sailing rope, webbing strips, sailmaker's waxed twine, sailing rigging tape, just to name a few common items.

Most sailing knives will not be up to the task. They will start with a clean cut, but then lose their edge. You will end up with jagged edges and uneven fibers. This can shorten the life of rope or fabric. Choose a knife with a superior blade that holds its edge to be rewarded with better cutting performance while sailing or cruising.

2. Shave Bitter Ends to Prolong Rope Life.

Three-strand spices top my list of one of those skills all sailors need to know.

After all, I believe the ideal line for anchoring and docking remains three strand nylon.

Sure, you can opt for the double braid variety, but it's tough and slow to splice and requires a multitude of tools above and beyond the sailing knife.

After you complete the four to five tucks in the , those bitter ends will stick out like branches on a tree. And, they can snag, fray and wear. Neaten them up when you taper the bitter ends of each strand. Shave the ends down to a point and bury

Ten Ways to Use Your Sailing Knife by Captain John Jamieson www.skippertips.com

6 them beneath the strands. Hold them in place with a sailmaker's whipping for a beautiful, seamanlike eye-splice you'll want to show off to your sailing buddies!

3. Chop Off a Jammed Sheet.

Slice through an impossible jam in just seconds. You can bet that if you sail, you will get an occasional jammed of sheet. That's where you wrap the sheet around a winch, haul in to trim it, and the outside wrap of the sheet buries itself beneath the turns like a stubborn barnacle sticks to a boat bottom!

There are ways to relieve the tension and unwrap those turns. But in an emergency, you may need to chop through the sheet to release the wind filled sail and away from a dangerous shoal or another boat. Enter the razor sharp knife-- attached to your person at all times. In just a second or two, you can slice through the sheet, tack, and clear out of harm's way.

4. Saw Through a Prop or Rudder-Wrapped Line.

What lurks just beneath the surface? These days our waterways are littered with more garbage than ever before. And that includes line and netting which can wrap around a propeller when you are under power and stop you cold in your tracks. Or it could jam your rudder and make it impossible to steer.

Ten Ways to Use Your Sailing Knife by Captain John Jamieson www.skippertips.com

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That could mean you need to hang over the side or even dive down to saw or hack the ornery line away from your propeller, propeller shaft or rudder. Keep your knife by your side to make this messy job quick and easy to remedy.

5. Slice Through a Harness to Save Your Life.

This single factor alone should make all sailors pause and consider the danger of being on deck without a sailing knife worn on the belt or clipped to your person. Time and again, racing and cruising stories have told of crew overboard being dragged alongside or trapped beneath a boat in their sailing harness.

Without a means of cutting yourself free, chances of serious or fatal injury increase tenfold. You absolutely, positively must have a way to free yourself. Carry a lightweight knife attached by lanyard to a belt loop for peace-of-mind sailing.

Ten Ways to Use Your Sailing Knife by Captain John Jamieson www.skippertips.com

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6. Splice Three-Strand Line with Ease.

Buy a knife with a marlinspike. You will find this tool ranks a close second to the knife for usefulness in rope work--in particular when splicing. Three-strand line can be tough on the fingers. And, you will need to pry those strands apart to tuck the strands for an eye-splice. Use your knife's marlinspike to make this chore faster, easier, and smooth as silk!

7. Remove Clothing from a Hypothermic Crew Member.

Imagine that one of your sailing crew or your sailing partner has fallen over the side. Even in warmer climates, they could become hypothermic in just a short time. That means they will lose precious body core heat. Once that happens they could enter into

"late stage" hypothermia. You must recover them, get them below for treatment.

First on the agenda will be to remove all wet clothing. And you do not want to pull clothing off the body like you do when you undress. Even the slightest amount of massage (by hands or peeling away wet clothing) could send the cold blood near the skin surface back to the heart. And that could result in fatal injury! Instead, cut the clothing away with a sharp knife. And that knife needs to be razor sharp. Just another top reason to choose a sailing knife with a superior blade that does not dull after multiple cuts.

Ten Ways to Use Your Sailing Knife by Captain John Jamieson www.skippertips.com

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8. Tension a Whipping and Seizing.

Wrap the bitter ends of a whipping or seizing around your knife body or a marlinspike. Pull hard to bury the turns beneath a whipping, or to tighten the twine of a seizing around the throat of an eye splice. This makes a more secure, longer lasting whipping or seizing, protects your fingers from blisters or cuts, and provides lots of leverage to make rope work easier and more fun.

9. Trim a Damaged Sail for Repair.

Keep your knife blade sharp enough to cut through multiple layers of heavy sail cloth. You will need to trim the area around the tear or hole so that it's free of frayed strands of material.

Slice off a wide, thick piece of 0.75 oz. repair tape (sticky on one side) for a temporary repair that works well in a jiffy. Rub the tape all around with the dull side of your knife to make sure the tape adheres to the sail. In just seconds, you'll be ready to hoist your sail and be on your way again!

Ten Ways to Use Your Sailing Knife by Captain John Jamieson www.skippertips.com

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10. Remove Tape or Adhesive

Nothing seems to be as stubborn to remove as old tape or adhesive. You may remember my recommendation to tape your navigation tracks and chart latitude and longitude scales. We did this with hundreds of nautical charts in the US Coast Guard.

We used dull transparent tape that could be written on, similar to Scotch Magic

Tape©. This worked well to protect the chart and it prolonged the life of lat and long scales after hundreds of "punctures" by dividers or plotting compass when navigating.

But removal proved another matter altogether. Until I discovered a super simple, fast method to remove the tape quick 'n easy.

Use any heat source (lighter or burner) to heat up the dull part of the knife blade.

Rub the dull part of the blade just in front of the tape as you peel it away. Works like a charm and makes a tough job just about effortless!

Ten Ways to Use Your Sailing Knife by Captain John Jamieson www.skippertips.com

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Put This Duo of Integrated Knife Tools to Work!

I would not board a boat without a marlinspike included with my knife. It's one of those tools you'll find comes into play time and again in a pinch (see more below).

Add a -key and you have an even more versatile tool. Some shackle-keys are installed on the knife as a separate fitting. But I believe a shackle-key cut into the marlinspike can be even better (photo above). Here are a few ways to use a marlinspike and shackle-key to make sailing tasks safer aboard your small sailboat...

Marlinspike:

 Spread fiber or wire rope strands for splicing.

 Loosen shackle pins (insert into pin-hole and twist).

 Slack rope frozen onto a or winch.

 Make whippings and seizings tighter than hand-tight.

 Pry open paint, varnish, or thinner cans.

Ten Ways to Use Your Sailing Knife by Captain John Jamieson www.skippertips.com

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Shackle- key:

 Loosen over-tight or corroded shackle pins.

 Tighten shackle pins for more security.

 Obtain leverage on a screwdriver end (to loosen stubborn screws).

These are just a few of the dozens of ways your sailing and rigging knife will serve you aboard any boat worldwide. Pass along these ten sailing safety tips to your sailing crew or partner. Stay safe and sail well on the waters of the world this season-- wherever in the world you choose to sail or cruise!

Ten Ways to Use Your Sailing Knife by Captain John Jamieson www.skippertips.com

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Ten Ways to Use Your Sailing Knife by Captain John Jamieson www.skippertips.com

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About the Author

Captain John was a search and rescue small-craft skipper, ship driver, navigator, and master training specialist in the United States Coast Guard.

He later directed the Seamanship and Chart Navigation departments at the acclaimed Chapman School of Seamanship in Florida. He taught on-the- water techniques on a fleet of 14 sailing and power vessels.

He is the author of "Seamanship Secrets" published by International Marine, McGraw-Hill, and has written 18 eBooks on sailing, navigation, seamanship and boat handling. His sailing, seamanship and navigation articles have been published by Blue Water Sailing, Sail World Cruising, Mauri Pro Sailing, UK Halsey Sailmakers, Long Island Sail and Good Old Boat magazine.

Click here to learn more about Captain John and how he can help you become a better sailor!

You can also connect with Captain John on:

Ten Ways to Use Your Sailing Knife by Captain John Jamieson www.skippertips.com