Create Account   Login    Cart
Cruising Comforts

$59.95

ShareThis

Splice The Mainbrace Flags
[SMF1]

Splice the Mainbrace flags will add both naval history and fun to your vessel...or your event on land! By naval custom, "Splice the Mainbrace" is an order given aboard vessels to issue the crew with drink. Originally an order for one of the most difficult repair jobs aboard a ship, it became a euphemism for celebratory drinking afterward...and then the name of the order to grant an extra ration of drink. On a Man-O-War, the mainbrace was the heaviest of all the rigging -- The mainbrace on HMS Victory was 13cm diameter -- and gunners commonly aimed for the mainbrace during naval battles. If the mainbrace was shot away, the ship was un-maneuverable. The mainbrace ran through blocks so it could not be repaired with a short splice or a knot. Splicing in a large run of hemp was strenuous work so the crew involved were rewarded with drink. Eventually the order "Splice the Mainbrace" came to mean that all the crew would receive an extra ration of rum, and the order was issued on special occasions, e.g. after victory in battle, a new monarch, a royal birth or wedding, or an inspection of the fleet. Where the order was for the whole fleet, it would be signaled with flags. Splice the Mainbrace Flags are a custom printed set of 4 x 420mm x 300mm flags on rugged premium poly woven material, mounted on an internal halyard. So hoist your own Splice the Mainbrace flags to signal your sundowners or grant an extra ration of grog to your crew...or your fleet! WORLDWIDE FREE SHIPPING!!!
Reviews

 

Related Products

I Require A Tug
Keep Clear of Me
Diver Down Below
Nauti Tees Combo
I Wish to Communicate
Nauti-Hats