No, not speed.  The kind you tie :)  In no particular order...


		       Twelve Essential Knots For Sailing


    Bowline (pronounced bow-lynn)

	Used for: Attaching sheets to a sail.  Suitable for many other tasks

	Does not slip under (varying) load, very secure.

	There are four variations of the simple bowline: Regular (or "inside"),
	Cowboy (or "outside"), tied to the right or to the left.  Whether you
	tie the bowline right or left, a regular (inside) bowline is preferred
	on sailboats so the bitter end isn't hanging out there to catch on the
	rigging.


    Clove Hitch

	Used for: Tying-up to a fixed point (post, piling, spar, etc.) for
		  short-term mooring, or for hitching fenders to a rail.

	Fairly secure under load.  Unsecure when unloaded.  Make it somewhat
	more secure with a long working end.  (Rolling Hitch is more secure.)


    Double Overhand Stopper Knot

	Used for: End of a line to prevent it from slipping through blocks
	and fairleads.  (A Figure-Eight is often used, but comes apart much
	more easily.)


    Anchor Bend (aka: Fisherman's Bend)

	Used for: Tying an anchor rode to the anchor or a mooring warp to
		  a ring.

	More secure than round turn and two half-hitches.  Very secure when
	unloaded.


    Half-Hitch and Slipped Half-Hitch

	Used for: Temporarily tying up to a ring.  Temporarily hanging
		  fenders.  (The key word is "temporarily.")

	Somewhat secure when under load.  Unsecure when unloaded.  (Round
	Turn and Two Half-Hitches is much more secure.)


    Reef Knot (aka: square knot)

	Used for: Tying reefs in big sails.  Tying two equally-sized lines

	Secure under load.  Unsecure when unloaded.  The Zepplin Bend is
	far surperior for tying two lines together.  (A "Granny knot" is
	a mis-tied Reef knot.)
	
	Little-known factoid: Most people tie their shoelaces with
	Granny knots--which is often why shoelaces come untied.


    Rolling Hitch

	Used for: Tying to spars or posts.  Unloading a jammed sheet.

	Very secure under load.  Relatively secure when unloaded.


    Round Turn and Two Half-Hitches

	Used for: Tying-up to a fixed point (post, spar, ring, etc.)

	Very secure under load.  Relatively secure when unloaded.  Easy to
	untie under load.  Good for moorings.  (Anchor/Fisherman's Bend is
	considered more secure.)


    Sheet Bend, Double Sheet Bend

	Used for: Tying two differently-sized ropes together.  Belaying to
		  a cleat.

	Very secure under load.  Unsecure (except to a cleat) when unloaded.


    Zepplin Bend (aka: Rosendahl Bend)

	Used for: Tying two ropes of the same size together.

	Exceedingly secure under any load, or none at all.

	http://www.geocities.com/roo_two/Zeppelin.html


    Buntline Hitch

	Used for: Tying up to a rail, ring or piling

	Very secure under any load (tends to tighten itself under load).
	More secure than two half-hitches.  But when heavily-loaded is
	more liable to jam and may be awkward to release.

	The slipped buntline hitch is nearly as secure and more easily
	undone.  (Pass a bight through last, instead of the bitter end.)

    Constrictor Knot

	Used for: Binding... almost anything, and for temporary whipping

	Simple, secure and, when done properly, can be near impossible
	to untie, once tightened.  Kind of a "clove hitch on steroids."