Cleating

Cleats are used on docks to tie up boats, but they are also used on boats to secure lines that do not have to be adjusted often, like halyards.

To tie a line to a cleat, first wrap the line once around the cleat, so that each end of the cleat is covered just once. Then cross the line diagonally over the cleat, under one horn, and diagonally over the cleat again to form an X.

The last step is trickiest. To lock the line on the cleat, form a loop with the loose end underneath and parallel to the bottom of the X. Slip this loop over the horn of the cleat and tighten.

When cleating, don't go around the cleat more than once or make more than one X. This will just make the rope harder to untie, without making the knot any more secure.