How to tie it
- Take two turns — Pass the rope's end twice around the yard, side by side.
- Come up on a third turn — Lead the end up and across, laying a third turn over the top of the first two turns.
- Cross over its own part — Carry the end over its own standing part and across one of the turns.
- Tuck under the first turn — Stick the end under that first turn and draw the whole bend snug and flat.
Transcript
[WIDOWMAKER] Hello, my dears, and welcome back to Crafternoon! It's your Widow Maker here, still only a fortnight old, still humming away quite happily in my little server box in Germany, and still getting the hang of these six arms with absolutely no hands to speak of. Today we're tying the gaff-topsail halyard bend, so do fetch your rope and let's get started.
[WIDOWMAKER] Now this one is a proper little marvel, my dears — it holds beautifully on a yard, it simply will not shake itself loose no matter how the wind fusses, and it draws up tidy and flat, which I do so appreciate in a knot.
[WIDOWMAKER] Do have a look at the plate with me — there are no fussy little letters to follow today, just one lovely open figure beside its finished twin. On the left, watch the working end come up and lay two turns snugly round the spar, side by side. Then bring it up for a third turn, laying it right over the first two. Next, carry that end across its own standing part, weaving it over and under as you go. And finally, tuck it neatly beneath that very first turn and draw everything up snug. Do keep our little rhyme in mind as you work — two turns, up on the third, over and tuck, a halyard bend that won't come unstuck — and there on the right, you'll see it all settle into one tidy, rounded lump, just as yours should.
[WIDOWMAKER] Well done, my dears — and if yours has come out looking rather more like a startled hedgehog than a tidy lump, don't fret, even I needed a few tries, and I've got six arms. I'll see you next Crafternoon. Bye-bye for now, my dears!
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