“Can’t tie a knot, tie a lot.” or “M&%^#r F#*~&r”, might be some of the thoughts running through your head while tying or untying a knot. Either it doesn’t hold fast or you can’t figure out the bird’s nest of rope, and you end up reaching for your knife.
   Well, hopefully these four basic knots can get you out of a bind.

Scenario #1
   You eddied out and are standing on the shore. You’re about to tie your crazy concoction of a knot to secure your boat to tree, then after scratching your head, you remember the Knots 101 article in No Umbrella and execute a handsome and successful knot. Try one of these solutions.
   -Bowline (pronounced bo’lin). One of the most useful knots one can know. Sailors throughout the ages swear by this true-blue knot. The bowline forms a secure loop, is easy to tie and untie, and – as a bonus – it will not jam or take up nearly as much line as the popular figure 8 knot. And yes, this is the “...bunny comes out of the hole, around the tree, and back in the hole..” knot.
   -Rolling Hitch. This is a very secure knot and the tying method is easy. The rolling hitch holds firm in the direction of the standing line.

Scenario #2
   You are guiding a raft down a river, and the folks in the inflatable kayaks want to rejoin the folks in the rafts. That’s cool, but you’re well under way and eddying out to properly deflate and roll up the duckie isn’t on your agenda right now. The kayaks will have to be towed, and the sheet bend is going to make it so.
   -Sheet bend. This a great knot for securing separate lines together, easy to tie, strong, and works particularly well when joining two different-sized lines together.

Scenario #3
   My car drives like a dream, the A/C is icy, the suspension is sensational, and it has nothing to tie a boat onto. So I cleverly administer the Trucker’s Hitch, and win admiration from car-rack endowed people everywhere.
   -Trucker’s Hitch. Cinches down a load wonderfully. It is a combination knot, so it gets a little tricky, but it allows a line to be pulled very tight and hold fast. You can easily yard down on the bitter end without having to use excessive brawn.