Nautical Term: Monkey fist
Definition of Monkey fist
A monkey fist is a specialized knot that is used to add weight to the end of a heaving line. This knot is created by twisting and tying multiple lengths of rope together in a compact ball shape. The resulting monkey fist is not only effective in adding weight to a heaving line, but it also ensures that the line doesn’t get tangled or twisted during use.
For example, imagine a sailor on a ship in the middle of the ocean. He needs to securely attach a heaving line to the ship’s railing, so that he can throw the line to a shipmate who is on a smaller rescue boat. However, the sailor needs to ensure that the heaving line is not only long enough to reach the smaller rescue boat, but it also needs to be heavy enough to ensure that it doesn’t get carried away by the wind or current.
To address this challenge, the sailor ties a monkey fist knot to the end of the heaving line. This knot not only adds significant weight to the end of the line, but it also ensures that the line remains untangled and easy to throw, even in the challenging wind and sea conditions that the sailor
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