The round turn and two half hitches is a
hitch used to secure the end of a
rope
A rope is a group of yarns, Plying, plies, fibres, or strands that are plying, twisted or braided together into a larger and stronger form. Ropes have high tensile strength and can be used for dragging and lifting. Rope is thicker and stronger ...
to a fixed object. The name refers to the components used to form the
knot
A knot is an intentional complication in Rope, cordage which may be practical or decorative, or both. Practical knots are classified by function, including List of hitch knots, hitches, List of bend knots, bends, List of loop knots, loop knots, ...
: a
round turn
A turn is one round of rope on a pin or cleat, or one round of a coil. Turns can be made around various objects, through rings, or around the standing part of the rope itself or another rope. A turn also denotes a component of a knot.
When the ...
wraps the rope around the object (completely encircling it) and the two
half hitch
The half hitch is a simple List of hitch knots, hitch knot, where the Knot#Working end, working end of a line is brought over and under the Knot#Standing part, standing part. Insecure on its own, it is a valuable component of a wide variety of u ...
es secure the end around the standing part. Variations of this hitch can be made with differing numbers of turns and half-hitches; an example is illustrated below. With additional turns, it becomes a
pipe hitch.
The Round Turn and Two Half Hitches is named by Steel in 1794. If a spar is small, a round turn is preferable to a single turn. It makes a stronger knot and dissipates the wear.
—
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 ...
References
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