Spanish bowline complicated knot however and if not properly tightened, it can slip. A fireman's chair knot is another double loop knot which is more practical, easier to tie and less prone to slipping although it lacks the elegance of a Spanish bowline. Spanish bowline The Spanish bowline is a double loop knot that can be used to lift a person. For a conscious person, each loop is placed around a leg and the person holds onto the standing part of the rope. This knot can serve as a makeshift Bosun's chair. For an unconscious person one loop is placed around the
Bowline developed for use in safety-critical applications. The bowline's name has an earlier meaning, dating to the age of sail. On a square-rigged ship, a bowline (sometimes spelled as two words, "bow line") is a rope that holds the edge of a square sail towards the bow of the ship and into the wind, preventing it from being taken aback. A ship is said to be on a "taut bowline" when these lines are made as taut as possible in order to sail close-hauled to the wind. The bowline knot is thought to have been first mentioned in John Smith's 1691