IVIV: Chapter 7—Belaying Pin

[Robin Landseadel]

Marine lawyer Sauncho gets kinda squirrelly when Doc starts askin'  
questions about the Golden Fang. Even though Sauncho is jabbering on  
with full stoner affect about Ginger, Thurston Howell III, the Skipper  
and Lovey that somehow sounded ominously like an assessment of the  
whole Shasta, Wolfmann, Doc and Sloane situation, Doc gets the feeling  
that Saunco's being evasive. In any case, Sauncho suggests they meet  
for lunch at "The Belaying Pin" which happens to be located at a yacht  
harbor in San Pedro.

	A belaying pin is a device used on traditional sailing vessels to
	secure lines. Their function on modern vessels has been
	replaced by cleats, but they are still used, particularly on square
	rigged ships.

	A belaying pin is a solid metal or wooden bar with a curved top
	portion and cylindrical bottom part. It is inserted into a hole in a
	wooden pinrail, which usually runs along the inside of the
	bulwarks as shown (although free-standing pinrails are also
	used). Although the belaying pin can be lifted out and removed,
	it is usually left in place.

The size, heft and shape of a Belaying Pin make it useful as a  
substitute for other tools in a pinch:

	• Belaying pins were apparently commonly used as improvised
	weapons (as well as a method of discipline) on both military
	and civilian ships. Certainly their shape and weight would make
	a formidable short-range club.

. . . in other words, makes for a formidable 'sap' should the occasion  
call for it. A belaying pin can also function as a substitute for a  
"monkey's fist":

	• A belaying pin can also be tied to the end of a line being
	thrown, the extra weight helping it carry further. This is also an
	improvised use - the proper tool for the job is a monkey's fist - a
	lump of lead wrapped in a woven rope cover to form a small but
	heavy ball with a loop for attaching the end of a line.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belaying_pin