Steve wrote:

Don, goes on a rant about someone putting a figure "8" Stopper Knot
in the end of a sheet. Something I have been doing for 40 years of
sailing. To me, it keeps the lazy sheet from being pulled through
the sheet lead block. Anyway, if there was a reason for "not"
putting a Stopper Knot in the sheet end, it must have been edited
out of the footage I have seen and no where in his books does he
mentions a reason (that I can recall).

How about it, can anyone persuade me not to put a Stopper Knot in my
sheets??

I can make a reasonable argument against that _particular_ knot. I would
argue that the _true_ stopper knot is not the figure eight knot but rather
the double overhand version. The figure eight can indeed harden up and
become difficult if not impossible to loosen. The "stopper knot" (i.e., the
double overhand version) does not suffer this drawback. One most boats I've
encountered, it's one or the other, depending on the skipper. I vote for
the "other."

I would also submit that it is good practice to avoid any type of stopper in
the spinnaker sheets. Aside from these comments, I think what you are
seeing in Street's books are examples of a vain old man holding court.

..--
Good luck and good sailing.
s/v Kerry Deare of Barnegat
http://kerrydeare.home.comcast.net/