"Mike1" wrote in message
...

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?

Answer: Yes! -couldn't resist the temptation to

Question: what is the specific name for the items discussed?

Answer: Belaying pins. Ropes, line, halyards, sheets etc, etc,
are belayed onto the appropriate pin so that the rope-work
looks tiddly and Bristol fashion and that the crew can
fumble
in the dark and select the correct piece of string. Note
that
the rope-work is _not_ tied-off in a knot or bend which may
jam
but they are wound around the head of the pin and the tail
of the pin - belayed - then the remaining length is coiled
and
handed onto to head of the pin.

Hope that helps

--

Brian