Where is the main brace on a sailing ship?
Braces are always used in pairs, one at each end of a yard (yardarm), termed port brace and starboard brace of a given yard or sail (e.g., the starboard main-brace is the brace fixed to the right end of the yard of the main sail).
What does the term splice the Mainbrace mean?
Eventually the order “Splice the mainbrace” came to mean that the crew would receive an extra ration of rum, and was issued on special occasions: after victory in battle, the change of a monarch, a royal birth, a royal wedding or an inspection of the fleet.
Where does the phrase splice the Mainbrace come from?
To splice the main brace means to celebrate (with a drink). It is a nautical term from the time of sailing ships. Sailors who risked climbing the highest rigging (the main brace) to adjoin ropes (splicing) were rewarded with extra rum.
Why did the Royal Navy drink rum?
This was the signal for all men to gather on deck to receive their “daily tot” of rum. In 1740, Admiral Edward Vernon introduced a concoction of watered-down rum mixed with sugar and lime juice. This “grog” was supposed to reduce drunkenness, but many sailors saved their rations for drinking sprees.
Do sailors still get rum?
The rum ration (also called tot) was a daily amount of rum given to sailors on Royal Navy ships. It was abolished in 1970 after concerns that regular intakes of alcohol would lead to unsteady hands when working machinery.
What does a brace mean?
1 : something that adds strength or support a neck brace. 2 braces plural : a usually wire device worn to correct the position of teeth. 3 : one of a pair of marks { } used to connect words or items to be considered together. 4 : two of a kind a brace of quail.
Did sailors drink water?
To keep the crew hydrated, ships typically stored three types of liquid sustenance: water, beer, and rum. First, they’d drink the water. Of course, sailors and pirates didn’t just drink rum straight.
Why do sailors drink rum?
Since sailors would regularly save up their rum rations and get drunk, the Navy began watering down the rum as they had with earlier alcohols. By watering rum down, it would take many more rations to become inebriated and the ration itself would spoil faster (thus preventing the stockpiling of liquor).
Where does the phrase ” main brace ” come from?
A sailing ship’s main brace is a rope attached to its main spar. Splicing it (making a connection in it by interweaving strands) would have been a particularly onerous task, and the phrase probably arose from the custom of awarding sailors who did it an extra ration of rum. Want to thank TFD for its existence?
How did the order to splice the mainbrace come about?
Eventually the order “Splice the mainbrace” came to mean that the crew would receive an extra ration of rum, and was issued on special occasions: after victory in battle, the change of a monarch, a royal birth, a royal wedding or an inspection of the fleet.
Which is the largest brace on a ship?
The mainbrace would be the largest and heaviest of the braces, making it easy to identify. Historically, ship’s rigging was made from hemp rope, while other materials may be used on modern ships which use sails and this form of rigging.
What was the mainbrace used for on a ship?
A mainbrace is part of the rigging on a traditional square-rigged ship. Together, the collection of rigging known as the braces was used to move a yard, a spar used for the purpose of setting sails. The mainbrace would be the largest and heaviest of the braces, making it easy to identify.