5 Need to Know Sailing Knots

It is time to dust off your boat knot tying skills! Here are 5 must-know nautical knots to have you boating like a pro, in no time at all.

Sailing Knots – Round Turn Two Half Hitches

This is a practical and easy-to-learn knot that is great for beginners and advanced boaters! This knot is used to secure the end of a rope to a fixed object. A round turn wraps the rope around the object, while the two half hitches secure the end around the standing part.
Practical Uses:
• Tying a fender
• Tying to a bull rail

Sailing Knots – Sheet Bend (& Double Sheet Bend)

This knot is used for tying two ropes together, generally of different sizes. The traditional Sheet Bend involves the working end looping around the standing end once, and you guessed it, the Double Sheet Bend involves wrapping the standing end twice. This rope is very effective when joining two ropes together that are under loading, however it will likely become untied if the ropes are not under load.
Practical Uses:
• Making nets
• Joining lines

Sailing Knots – Figure Eight Knot

Also known as a Flemish Knot, the figure of eight knot is a simple and effective way to stop a rope from slipping out of a device. It is very popular for boating as well as a primary knot for rock climbing! It is simple to tie, and easy to undo.
Practical Uses:
• Stopping a line from sliding through rigging

Sailing Knots – Bowline

 

Quite possibly the most important knot for a sailor & boater! This knot creates a loop at the end of a rope and has endless uses! If you’ve done the knot correctly, the knot should resemble a person wearing a lifejacket.
Practical Uses:
• Tying a line to a stanchion
• Fastening a halyard to a head of a sail
• Safety harness for rescuing

Sailing Knots – Reef Knot (Square Knot)

Originating from its use with reef sails, this knot is used to secure a single line around an item. It is one of the first knots that sailors learn, as it is easy to learn through the chant of “right over left and left over right”. Under tension, this knot is very secure however it is very easy to untie.
• Tying two lines of the same material and density to each other
• Reefing sails
• Securing a bundle of items to each other

Remember, practice makes perfect! Don’t worry if these knots don’t come out right the first few times you try them. With enough practice, they will become like second nature. Armed with just these few knots, when it’s time to tie up to the dock or put out the fenders, you will be able to do so like a pro.

At Van Isle Marina, we are fortunate to be located in the heart of the Gulf Islands, one of the best cruising grounds in the world. There are more than 200 islands in the region, each different than the last. The sheltered waters of the islands are wonderful for fishing, swimming, and sailing, while the isolated forests are perfect for hiking and camping. Below are five of the most popular hikes in the area, and are, of course, only accessible by boat!

Princess Margaret Perimeter Trail (Moderate – 7.2 km)

Located on Portland Island, (nice and close to Van Isle Marina!) the Princess Margaret Perimeter Trail is one of the most highly rated hiking trails in the Gulf Islands. It is a dog friendly loop trail that follows the shoreline around the island, showcasing the pristine white seashell beaches. If 3 hours is a bit too long, there are cross island trails that can shorten the hike to 1 hour. There is a dinghy dock located on the North side of the island at Princess Bay and Royal Cove for the convenience of local boaters.
Estimated time to complete this hike: 3 hours

Tumbo Island (Easy to Moderate – 3.5 km)

Take a step into seclusion on this quiet island to enjoy an easy hike through a few of British Columbia’s various ecosystems; garry oak and douglas fir forests, marshes and coastline. While you are walking, try to spot the remains of the coal mine that inhabited the island in the 1900s! This island’s name comes from “tombolo” which is a sand, shingle and driftwood bar.
Estimated time to complete this hike: 90 mins

Mt. Norman Hike (Difficult – 1.5 km)

On the southwest side of Pender Island is a short but very steep trail, leading to amazing views of the Gulf Islands, Olympic Mountain Range and Mt. Baker. There is a boardwalk and viewing platform, so you can relax and truly enjoy the beauty that you worked plenty hard for! The elevation gain is 199 m, so this trail is not for the faint of heart.
Estimated time to complete this hike: 60 minutes

Russell Island Trail (Easy to moderate – 1 km)

Russell Island is the closest you can get to feeling like you are in Hawaii, without being in Hawaii. In fact, during the mid-19th century it is estimated that at least 1000 Hawaiians came to the Pacific Northwest and some even settled on Russell Island. Take a walk around the island on the well maintained trail to experience a near-tropical environment, and to see the artifacts left over by the Hawaiian residents.
Estimated time to complete this hike: 30 Minutes

Roe Lake Trail (Moderate – 1.2 km)

Located on Pender Island, Roe Lake is a small fresh water lake on the western side of the island. The area is local to many wildlife including deer, beaver and plenty of wild birds. On any given day in the summer, the area is enjoyed by plenty of picnickers and families, as there is an easier 0.5 km trail accessible from Magic Lake Estates. The full 1.2 km trail is accessed through Shingle Bay Rd.
Estimated time to complete this hike: 55 minutes

Enjoy your hiking on the Gulf Islands!

 

Sea Glass Waterfront Grill: We are a little biased when it comes to our beloved onsite restaurant so don’t take it from us! Here is what Charlene B. from TripAdvisor.ca (where Sea Glass is rated as the number one restaurant in Sidney!) had to say:

From soup, salad, flat breads, burgers, steak, seafood and the always awesome chicken and waffles (!) there is something for everyone and the price points are reasonable considering taste delight of each and every bite. And dreaming that one of the yachts moored within sight will whisk you away after dining is worth the price of admission.

 

Tanner’s Books: A bookstore and more! After 35 years, Tanner’s has grown into a full-service bookstore with new releases, bestsellers, and new books in over 50 fiction and non-fiction categories. Come in and browse the largest newsstand on Vancouver Island – over 2000 magazines and 40 newspapers from Canada, The United States, and Great Britain. And don’t miss the games, puzzles, calendars, souvenirs, greeting cards, and more!

Quince Café & Ice Cream: Quince is a delightfully quaint cafe and ice cream shop specializing in handmade, made-from-scratch baking and lunch items, with a focus on local and seasonal ingredients. Stop by for a bite, you certainly won’t be disappointed.

Bistro Suisse: A cozy and intimate bistro serving Swiss & other European fare along with beer & wine. The friendly atmosphere is amazing, the decor beautiful, the service is immaculate, and most importantly – the food is superb.  The best schnitzel you will ever eat!

Shaw Centre for the Salish Sea: Explore the mysteries of the Salish Sea – one of the most diverse ecosystems in the world! As the only aquarium on Southern Vancouver Island, the Centre displays the natural beauty and ecological diversity of the local Salish Sea through 28 aquarium habitats holding over 160 live marine species and over 3,500 animals including a giant pacific octopus, wolf eels, and pacific salmon. The Centre is also home to a rare, fully-intact killer whale skeleton, a unique collection of Coast Salish Indigenous art, a fun ‘hands-on’ Touch Pool experience, and a Salish Sea Store with one-of-a-kind, locally sourced and environmentally friendly arts, jewelry and crafts.

 

Star Cinema: The Star is a comfortable, cozy and friendly family run cinema. The movie selections are always current with all ages considered. Their popcorn is second to none – they only use real butter!

 

Victoria Distillers: Nationally acclaimed maker of fine spirits, known for delectable, small-batch gins, vodkas, whiskies and flavourful bitters. Their tour & tasting experience guides you through the entire distillation process and around two gleaming copper pot stills. From selecting the botanicals, to the blending and bottling, to the hand-numbering of each small batch. Following a tour, visitors are invited to taste all their premium spirits neat (including their award winning Victoria Gin.)

Sidney has many more fantastic restaurants, coffee shops, book stores and boutiques to escape the winter chill. Where are your favourite places to go?

 

Pulling into a marina without knowing exactly how to maneuver your boat is one of life’s least pleasant experiences. Guests of Van Isle Marina are able to simply give a call to our Front Desk or Fuel Dock to request some assistance but not every marina functions this way! By using these tips, everyone from a rookie to an old salt, can learn to dock like a pro.

1. Mind the wind: If it’s blowing from the pier, approach at a steep angle, using reverse gear and prop torque to swing the stern toward the dock. If it’s blowing toward the dock, plan to come “alongside” a boat width or more away, allowing the wind to push you all the way home.
2. Go slowly: This one goes without saying. The so-called cardinal rule of docking a boat is “Never approach the pier any faster than you’re willing to hit it”. Just in case, always approach solid objects slowing enough that if your docking job turns into a ramming, the results won’t be tragic.
3. Reduce the sail area: Particularly on a small boat, this can have a dramatic effect on how easy or how hard it is to dock. A Bimini top or an enclosure can act like a sail on a powerboat, and throw you off.
4. Never kill the engines until all the lines are secure: Many people who don’t know how to dock a boat well make the mistake of shutting down as soon as the boat is in the slip, but you never know if a crew member is going to drop his or her line(s), or when a piling will slip out of reach.
5. Always look before you leap: Even if you have backed into your slip 100 times before. The biggest issue here is mooring lines. If any lines of yours or a neighboring slip fell into the water, current could stretch it out across your path. Tangle a mooring line in your propeller, and that docking job will go south in a hurry.
6. Learn the pivot point: An outboard or stern drive will steer from the stern, while many inboards will steer from a point forward of the transom. Learn your boat’s pivot point to determine your turning ability in tight quarters.
7. Don’t be afraid to try again: This is especially important for sailboats, single-screw inboards, and other boats with a limited ability to maneuver. If the approach doesn’t seem to be going well don’t worry about having to circle back for another try.
8. Always turn the wheel before applying power: Not during – or after- that way, you won’t get a blast of forward or reverse before the blast of the port or starboard kicks in.
9. Short bursts instead of steady power: This allows you to maneuver the boat without building up a lot of momentum, which can quickly get out of control.

Practice makes perfect: Much like when you practiced driving a car in an empty parking lot, nothing makes you more confident than repetitive practice!