Anchor Bend

A hitch that cinches to the ring or shackle and is not meant to break by hand.

• !Second turn tied outside — two half hitches, not a jam
• !Expected to untie after a snatch
• !HMPE without a splice — the hitch strips the cover

• !The end is tucked under only one turn, and the knot eases open under a pulsing load
• !Only one pass went through the ring, so the knot is plain half hitches with no turns clamping the end
• !The half hitch is missing or loose, and the tucked end works back out of the turns as the rode swings
• !The tail was left unseized on a rode that stays down, and over weeks of soaking and swinging the hitch loosens unseen

• Single pass, no round turn

  Hitch slips on the ring in a swell

  The round turn is the hitch · step 01

• Working end missed a turn

  Tuck does not lock and the rode walks

  The working end must pass through both turns · step 02

• Unseized standing job

  Soak and swell work the tail loose

  A rode that lives underwater gets seized or taped · step 04

• Hitch works loose after a soak

  Check

  • ?Working end through both turns
  • ?Half hitch dressed

  Then

  • →Seize the tail
  • →Retie wet

• Single pass, no round turn

  Check

  • ?Hitch slips on the ring in a swell
  • ?Inspect step 01

  Then

  • →Retie. Do not dress a defective structure and call it seated.

• Working end missed a turn

  Check

  • ?Tuck does not lock and the rode walks
  • ?Inspect step 02

  Then

  • →Retie. Do not dress a defective structure and call it seated.

• Unseized standing job

  Check

  • ?Soak and swell work the tail loose
  • ?Inspect step 04

  Then

  • →Retie. Do not dress a defective structure and call it seated.

Same failure class, different geometry. Open the plates — Diagnose still starts from the symptom.

• Buntline Hitch
• Halyard Hitch