Great site! I have added to my nautical favorites list.
I worked at a the Snead Island Boatworks in Florida many years ago. While the entire Boatworks crew of seasoned men held a very large and heavy wooden mast, I struggled to untie a knot I had made to it. There was a lot of grunting and cussing involved. Afterward, the foreman called me over to show me "ONE TIME" how to tie a bowline. I have never forgotten it.