meet a proper bowline

Pull knot tight and check until it sets

I see in Diane’s 3-4-2017 Blog entry: "Bowlines are great knots. But they do occasionally slip. Make sure you pull the knot tight and leave enough of a tail on the bitter end." 
The word “occasionally” implies a random event. I disagree. Do it right every time, and it won’t be:

1. something to fear or
2. an excuse. 

The bowline can be dangerous given its false reputation for never failing (“king of knots”). See links below for cases of rock climber injury and death. When tying on jib sheets there are four steps to bowline success:

1. Tie bowline correctly
2. Leave extra tail
3. Pull the knot as tight as you can
4. Make sure the knot has “set”

It is only after the knot has been put under great tension of wind on the jib that the knot becomes “set.” Until then,  inspect it often – especially as it alternates between tension and slack because that might cause the knot to come loose. 

In my experience, after many days of high tension use, the jib sheet bowline becomes so tight that it’s impossible to untie it with bare fingers. That is set. 

With a set jib sheet bowline, you are much more assured that it will not untie itself; however, it is still up to you to inspect and determine that it remains OK, and that the amount of tail has remained constant. When it comes time to untie the bowline, you may need to use a marlinspike to loosen the knot and “break its back.”
 
​So be wary of two characteristics of a correctly tied bowline having extra tail: 

• Until it is set, it can come untied on its own when alternating between slack and tension
• After it is set you may not be able to untie it 

Finally, do your own research and gather your own evidence. Be wary of conclusions about knots including this one. 

Discussion of knots is a slippery topic.
​ 
Two References: 
1. Outside Magazine discussion about what happened to a climber when a bowline came undone.
2.  The Great Outdoors site reviews how the bowline performs in different situations.

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