Knot of the Week: The Figure of Eight Knot

If there is one knot every sailor should be able to tie without thinking (even when cold, wet, and being shouted at from the bank), it is the Figure of Eight Knot.

When I started learning to sail at the Upper Thames Sailing Club, this was one of the first knots I was taught. It’s simple, secure, easy to untie — and it stops your sheets disappearing through blocks at the most inconvenient moment possible.

🔹 What Is the Figure of Eight Knot?

The Figure of Eight (sometimes called a “Figure 8 stopper”) is a stopper knot.

Its main job?
👉 To stop a rope running out of a block, cleat, or fairlead.

It’s neater and more secure than tying an overhand knot, and crucially, it’s much easier to undo after it’s been under load.

🔹 How to Tie It (Simple Steps)

Here’s the version I teach beginners — and it works every time:

Hold the working end of the rope.
Form a loop by passing the end over the standing part.
Take the end behind the standing part.
Pass the end forward through the loop you made.
Pull tight — and admire your neat “8” shape.

That’s it.

If it doesn’t look like a number 8, untie it and try again. After five or six attempts, your fingers will remember it forever.

🔹 Why Not Just Tie an Overhand Knot?

Good question.

An overhand knot:

Can jam badly under load
Is harder to untie
Looks less tidy

The Figure of Eight:

Is stronger
Less likely to jam
Is easy to inspect
Looks properly “sailor-like”

And looking sailor-like definitely helps confidence.

🔹 Common Uses in Dinghy Sailing

On our RS Toura on the Thames, we use the Figure of Eight:

At the end of sheets to stop them running through blocks
On control lines
On temporary rigging adjustments
Anywhere a simple stopper is needed

If you are learning to sail (especially as a slightly older beginner like me!), this is one knot worth practising in front of the television until you can do it in the dark.

🔹 Teaching Tip

When teaching students (whether GCSE Chemistry or sailing!), I’ve learned something important:

Don’t just show it once.

Make them:

Tie it
Untie it
Tie it again
Then explain it back to you

Muscle memory plus explanation = mastery.

🔹 Safety Note

Always check:

The knot is properly dressed (neatly formed)
The tail is long enough
It hasn’t worked loose

A poorly tied knot is worse than no knot.

🌊 Final Thought

The Figure of Eight Knot may not be glamorous.
It won’t win you races.
It won’t impress the bar after sailing.

But when your jib sheet stops exactly where it should — and doesn’t vanish through the block — you’ll be quietly grateful you took five minutes to learn it properly.

And that, on a windy Thames afternoon, is a very good feeling indeed.

pmr sailing

Friday, 13 February 2026