It may be a silly post, but it's something that I hear a lot of people always forget or struggle with. Which way do you twist the cleat hitch to get the working end coming out of the hitch correctly? After struggling with this for a couple years, I eventually decided to pay attention when it turned out correctly. Which ever direction you make the bight, or bend, you twist in that direction. In other words, bend the line as if it were going over the cleat, then put the end from the cleat over the working end (loose end) and put the loop over the cleat and pull tight. It works every time! I'll see if I can find an animation of this to get it right, or I'll record it and post it.

I have trouble with this all the time. Thanks for the tip!

LOL, you saw me struggle (brain fart)

Funny how things that should be so easy can mess you up.

Thanks for the tip.

hahah
No - I didn't see you struggling with it. I just saw the cleats tied with the locking turn going down the wrong side of the cleat.
I still get it wrong half the time. In fact, at the beginning of this season, I was consistently tying it wrong. It just takes practice.
Like I told Paul, my wife laughs at me the night before a race when I'm sitting in bed practicing my knots.

Let me preface this by saying that I consider myself something of a

Uh Gene, there are 2 ways shown on the animated site. Are you of the half-hitch completes it school or of the no-half-hitch school?

I was brought up with the no-half-hitch-on-a-halyard-no-matter-what school but always use the half-hitch on a dock line. Tow lines were no half-hitch in case the idiot you're towing won't steer and you need to take off the tow line with one hand.

Joe says he can always tell guys I use to sail with when he sees them tie a cleat.

Todd,
I was brought up in the school

Yeah, the right knot in the right place can make sailing safer, more fun, easier and last but least cheaper