The Sheep-Shank. A Scout should never cut rope unless absolutely necessary. To shorten a guy rope on tent or marquee, gather the rope in the form of two long loops and pass a half-hitch over each loop. It remains firm under a good strain and can be easily undone when required.
Middleman's Knot. Somewhat similar to the fisherman's knot but in this case only one rope is used. Can safely be used as a halter.
The Slip Knot. You sometimes want to release a knot quickly so this knot is used. It is simply the reef knot with one of the ends (A) pushed through one of the loops. To release, pull end A.
Overhand Loop Knot. When pulling a rope you may wish to gain more purchase on it or you may wish to insert a short stick to pull with. Use the loop knot shown in our diagram.
Important. Many of the knots shown on these pages are open so that you may more easily see their working, but when in use they should always be drawn taut.
The Mariner's Compass
Boxing the compass consists in enumerating the points beginning with north and working around the circle as follows:
North
North by East
North, Northeast
Northeast by North
Northeast
Northeast by East
East, Northeast
East by North
East
East by South
East, Southeast
Southeast by East
Southeast
Southeast by South
South, Southeast
South by East
South
South by West
South, Southwest
Southwest by South
Southwest
Southwest by West
West, Southwest
West by South
West
West by North
West, Northwest
Northwest by West
Northwest
Northwest by North
North, Northwest
North by West
North
