The Eskimo bowline, Cossack knot (russian: Казачий узел), reverse

bowline The bowline ( or ) is an ancient and simple knot used to form a fixed loop at the end of a rope. It has the virtues of being both easy to tie and untie; most notably, it is easy to untie after being subjected to a load. The bowline is sometimes ...

, or 'anti-

' is in a class of knots known as 'eye knots' or '

loop Loop or LOOP may refer to: Brands and enterprises * Loop (mobile), a Bulgarian virtual network operator and co-founder of Loop Live * Loop, clothing, a company founded by Carlos Vasquez in the 1990s and worn by Digable Planets * Loop Mobile, ...

knots'. The

eye Eyes are organs of the visual system. They provide living organisms with vision, the ability to receive and process visual detail, as well as enabling several photo response functions that are independent of vision. Eyes detect light and conv ...

is formed in the end of the rope to permit attachments/connections. It is quite common in Russia and is often used instead of the

(ABoK #1010). In the simple bowline, the collar component forms around the 'standing part'. In contrast, the collar component of an Eskimo bowline forms around the outgoing eye-leg. On the first of arctic explorer John Ross' expeditions (1818) the Inuit (Eskimos) presented him a sled that contained several of these knots, showing that it is a genuine Inuit knot. The knot is not mentioned in ''

The Ashley Book of Knots ''The Ashley Book of Knots'' is an encyclopedia of knots written and illustrated by the American sailor and artist Clifford W. Ashley. First published in 1944, it was the culmination of over 11 years of work. The book contains 3,857 numbered ent ...

'' but in its Russian equivalent, the book "Морские узлы" (Marine Knots) by Lev Skryagin (1930–2000). The slipped version is known as Kalmyk loop. The Eskimo bowline is about as strong as and even more secure than the

, especially in synthetic lines. Under cross load (ring loading, transverse loading profile), i.e. when the loop is pulled apart, the shown common Eskimo loop effectively mimics an ends-opposite (and inferior) left-hand sheet bend and thus can slip like the bowline; the less common Eskimo loop variant with the A–C loop (see bowline family diagram) would give a proper same-side sheet bend, thus being much stronger under cross load. Similarly, when the eye of a simple Bowline is subject to a transverse loading profile, it mimics the inferior version of the

Lapp bend The Lapp knot is an ends joint, i.e. it is used to join two cordage ends (whether of separate lines or of one, making a round sling). It is essentially a reverse sheet bend. The slipped Lapp bend also is an ''exploding knot'', which means that w ...

, and so can slip and untie; the wrongly demeaned left-handed or cowboy bowline becomes the proper Lapp bend, and should hold.. All of the maneuvers to tie this knot are generally in the opposite (or 'anti' direction) relative to the

. Dan Lehman regards the general, bowline-like structure of the A–C variant as an 'anti-bowline' in the sense that tying maneuvers are performed in a general 'anti' direction relative to the simple #1010 Bowline. After forming the 'nipping loop' with C & D (which can be formed as 'S' or 'Z' chirality) the working end is fed through that loop from the same side A as the outgoing eye leg C. This is opposite (or 'anti') direction relative to the simple (#1010) Bowline (A–D on opposite sides). Bowline knot family

The so called 'Eskimo' Bowline has also been known as ''Boas Bowline'' and ''Cossack knot'' - all of these names referring to the same structure. The Kalmyk loop Tying video for Kalmyk loop can be made 'TIB' (Tiable In the Bight); however, it will not be 'EEL' (Either End Loadable).

References

External links

* Скрягин Л. Н. (Lev Skryagin): ''Морские узлы'' (Marine Knots) a
PDF
{{Knots Knots

See also

References

External links