Keep On Knotting!

Carrying on with our outdoor Scouting, and tidying up a few loose ends for our Gold Boomerang Cub Scouts, we revised our knots, learnt some lashings and built chariots tonight.

However first it was ‘Knot a Relay’, the Cub Scouts took it in turn to run to the end of the hall and attach a bit of rope they each had to another. The Golds did a sheetbend, silvers either sheetbend of a reef knot and the bronze used just a reef knot. Once everyone had attached their rope the Sixer ran down to tie the two ends together making the ropes in to a circle.

We then briefly split up in to two groups, the Golds revised the sheetbend and bowline:

: Cowboy/Dutch Bowline

: Regular Bowline

Remember if ‘the rabbit’ goes over the log it becomes a cowboy/dutch bowline, you want him to go under the log first.

and the Bronze and Silver the clove hitch, reef and sheetbend.

For our Gold Boomerang Cub Scouts if you can show those knots again next week we will be signing them off…

The last event for the night was to be Chariot Racing, but first the Cub Scouts needed to learn how to create a square lashing which they would use to construct their chairots.

We learnt how, and where, to start the lashing so the load helps keep it tight and then everyone had a practice using small sticks.

There were some excellent efforts from everyone, there is something about sticks which always keeps Cub Scouts interested!

It was then on to building the real thing, with some much bigger bits of wood. A total of 6 square lashings were needed, and then a rope tied to the front with a bowline was added to each as well.

Some very sturdy looking chariots were constructed, but would they stand up to some racing? There was only one way to find out…

We had enough time to run 2 races, after which we put the chariots away ready for next week when everyone else will get a turn to ride. The knots must all have been well made as not a single chariot fell apart.

Lastly we just had enough time to present a couple of badges for camping and sailing to one of the older Cub Scouts, not too much longer and you’ll be heading on up to Scouts!