On Sun, 26 Oct 2003 01:30:00 -0500, Mike1
wrote:


In old "pirate" movies, you'll sometimes see, during a fight, a man pull
out a special-shaped wooden pin or club and use it as a weapon.
Sometimes he has one or more on him, but often he yanks it from a
mounting bracket on the rail of the ship (where there appear to be many
of things, for, I presume, tying down lines to tack the sails).

Question: Do these pins have a specific name?


If the first pic on this ( http://www.tallshipbounty.org/belay.html ) page
is what you are talking about then, you're thinking of belaying pins, used
either for lashing/belaying running rigging, or motivating the crew.



--
Christopher Horner

"Christopher Horner" wrote in message
news
On Sun, 26 Oct 2003 01:30:00 -0500, Mike1
wrote:


In old "pirate" movies, you'll sometimes see, during a fight, a man pull
out a special-shaped wooden pin or club and use it as a weapon.
Sometimes he has one or more on him, but often he yanks it from a
mounting bracket on the rail of the ship (where there appear to be many
of things, for, I presume, tying down lines to tack the sails).

Question: Do these pins have a specific name?


If the first pic on this ( http://www.tallshipbounty.org/belay.html ) page
is what you are talking about then, you're thinking of belaying pins, used
either for lashing/belaying running rigging, or motivating the crew.

The more usual motivation tool was a "starter", a short piece of heavy line
used as a club/whip.

"Christopher Horner" wrote in message

If the first pic on this ( http://www.tallshipbounty.org/belay.html ) page
is what you are talking about then, you're thinking of belaying pins


Thankee, thankee. Those 'r the guys.

(BTW, did they have a standard dimension, or come in all sizes?)

--

Reply to sans two @@, or your reply won't reach me.

"An election is nothing more than an advance auction of stolen goods."
-- Ambrose Bierce

The belaying pin-system was an early type of quick-release cleating system.
The pins fit into holes in the fife-rail that are called "bung-holes"!




"Christopher Horner" wrote in message
news
On Sun, 26 Oct 2003 01:30:00 -0500, Mike1
wrote:


In old "pirate" movies, you'll sometimes see, during a fight, a man pull
out a special-shaped wooden pin or club and use it as a weapon.
Sometimes he has one or more on him, but often he yanks it from a
mounting bracket on the rail of the ship (where there appear to be many
of things, for, I presume, tying down lines to tack the sails).

Question: Do these pins have a specific name?


If the first pic on this ( http://www.tallshipbounty.org/belay.html ) page
is what you are talking about then, you're thinking of belaying pins, used
either for lashing/belaying running rigging, or motivating the crew.



--
Christopher Horner

"Scott" wrote in message
...
The belaying pin-system was an early type of quick-release cleating
system.
The pins fit into holes in the fife-rail that are called "bung-holes"!

Heh heh...

Bunghole.