High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! The sailor's gripping hitch (also known as gripping sailor's hitch) is a secure, jam-proof hitch used to tie one rope to another, or a rope to a pole, boom, spar, etc., when the pull is lengthwise along the object. It will even grip a tapered object, such as a marlin spike, in the direction of taper, similar to the Icicle hitch. It is much superior to the rolling hitch for that purpose.