The “timber hitch” (Fig. 26) is a rough and ready way of securing a piece of timber or anything similar; it is made by bringing the end of a rope round the timber, then round the standing part, and then, taking two or more turns, round its own part. The pressure of the coils one over the other holds the timber securely, and the more it is hauled on the tighter it holds. It can be cast off readily.
Fig. 26.—Timber Hitch.
Fig. 27 is the “killick hitch,” a modification of the timber hitch, used for fastening a stone to the end of a rope. After making a timber hitch and hauling it taut, a single hitch is made, and slipped over the end of the stone alongside of it. Some of the best fishing grounds are on rocky coasts where an anchor would not hold; and if it did, there might be considerable risk of losing it altogether, from its jamming in the crevices of a rock. In these places a killick, or large stone, slung as shown in Fig. 27, is used, which holds the boat by its own weight, without any risk of getting fast to the ground.
Fig. 27.—Killick Hitch.
Fig. 28.—Magnus Hitch.
The “magnus hitch” (Fig. 28) is a method of securing a rope to a spar, as there is but little tendency to slip endways along the spar. In making it, take the end of the rope twice round the spar, in front of the standing part, round the spar again, and then through the last bight.
