Coiling The Attached Rope

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To tie the knot move the mouse along the numbers 1 - 8.
To release the halyard, move to Drop Coil and Runs Free.

Uses: An attached rope (like a halyard) is best hung by a twisted bight from the cleat or belaying pin (ABOK # 3088, p 513). The loop on which the coil is hanging can be unhooked very quickly to allow the coil to be rapidly released: when the coil is laid on the deck the rope should run freely without kinks or tangles.

Variations: The animation demonstrates a figure 8 coil being hooked on to a cleat but there are several options:

Plain Coil: A Plain coil can be used instead of the figure 8 coil as shown in the Unattached Coil.
Nothing to Hang the Coil On: If there is no convenient cleat to hang the coil on, the coil can be finished like the Unattached Coil: wrap the coil and pass a loop over the top of the coil. The disadvantage of this method is that it takes slightly longer to release the coil.
More Secure Loop: If the slack is left long enough, the twisted loop can be passed behind the tight halyard before being hooked on the cleat. In heavy weather, the halyard is then more likely to stay securely coiled but it can still be released very rapidly.
Untwisted Wraps: Instead of forming a twisted loop, the slack can be passed two or three times through the coil and then hooked on to the cleat. These turns bind the coil and may hold it more securely.
If the Bitter End is Secured: To avoid the risk that the halyard end will be pulled up out of reach, the bitter end is often secured to the foot of the mast. The coil can still be made, and should still be started from the cleat. The rope is coiled until there is no more rope left. The coil is still hooked on to the mast as shown. In this situation it is essential to make the coil using alternating under and over coils to avoid accumulating multiple twists.

Disclaimer: Any activity that involves ropes is potentially hazardous. Lives may be at risk - possibly your own. Considerable attention and effort have been made to ensure that these descriptions are accurate. However, many critical factors cannot be controlled, including: the choice of materials; the age, size, and condition of ropes; and the accuracy with which these descriptions have been followed. For this reason no responsibility is accepted for incidents arising from the use of this material.

Updated:
Jun 24^th 2009