Sailing and its relationship with strikes.

[Seashoreman]

I am sure most are aware of the amount of sailing terms that became common-place in the English language, here is a new one to me:

'On a hot May afternoon in 1768 a mob of angry sailors descended on the Sunderland docks demanding higher wages.
There they boarded several merchant vessels, climbed the masts and "struck" the topgallant sails - lowering or removing that set of sails.
The square-rigged ships were in effect immobilised. The seamen refused to go back to work until the shipowners agreed to negotiate.
This was the first use of the word "strike" to denote a group of workers taking industrial action in pursuit of wage claims. Workers have been
"striking", periodically, ever since.
( Ben Macintyre, The Times Dec 31 2022)

This is in no way intended to be a controversial or political post, please don't make it one.
I am simply sharing this as I found it Quite Interesting.

 

[johnalison]

I disagree. I thought it was very interesting.

 

[Poignard]

From Falconer's Dictionary of the Marine:
"To STRIKE, in navigation, to run ashore, or to beat upon the ground in passing over a bank or shallow.

To Strike also implies to lower or let down any thing; as an ensign, or topsail, in saluting; or, as the yards and topmasts in tempestuous weather. It is, however, more particularly used to express the lowering of the colours, in token of surrender, to a victorious enemy."

https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/57705/pg57705-images.html

 

[NealB]

I disagree. I thought it was very interesting.

It struck me as very interesting, too.

 

[mjcoon]

It struck me as very interesting, too.

Strikingly so?

 

[Poignard]

It struck me as very interestig, too'

[/QUOTE]

 

[Bodach na mara]

I also found it very interesting but was surprised that it was the topgallant sails that were struck and that this act effectively disabled the vessels. I would have expected the seamen in the dispute to tackle the lower main courses as being easier to reach and harder and heavier to replace. Of course this is a contemporary account possibly from a news sheet and may not be completely accurate.

 

[capnsensible]

Well scupper me starboard flip flop, Jack.

 

[justanothersailboat]

That IS interesting.

It's still a better term than "industrial action", which really should be industrial INaction.

But we're stuck with it until one side strikes their colours...

 

[Seashoreman]

That IS interesting.

It's still a better term than "industrial action", which really should be industrial INaction.

But we're stuck with it until one side strikes their colours...

Sailing close to the wind, or post will be struck?

 

[Resolution]

One often reads that discipline on board was maintained by brutal floggings. Might one suggest this to Mr Sunak?

 

[Seashoreman]

Here we go, the evening has arrived and the irrelevant comments are a flowing.
Please dont do this to a rare forum that we have to discuss and share boating interests.
There are no doubt plenty of internet forums to vent political views, go there.
If you are new, read the rules. If not you are just being provocative and makes me wonder why I bother to post.

 

[Poignard]

One often reads that discipline on board was maintained by brutal floggings. (...)

Until the introduction of steam propulsion, when they found that if the machinery broke down, flogging the Chief Engineer did little to help the situation.

 

[mjcoon]

Here we go, the evening has arrived and the irrelevant comments are a flowing.
Please dont do this to a rare forum that we have to discuss and share boating interests.
There are no doubt plenty of internet forums to vent political views, go there.
If you are new, read the rules. If not you are just being provocative and makes me wonder why I bother to post.

I wonder that, too...

 

[Spirit (of Glenans)]

That IS interesting.

It's still a better term than "industrial action", which really should be industrial INaction.

But we're stuck with it until one side strikes their colours...

Reminds me of newsreaders describing traffic conditions as "chaos" when the more apt word would be "stasis"?