1) Nautical terminology 2) Sailboat component 
A fife rail is a design element of the bulwarks of a European-style sailing ship used to belay the ship`s halyards at the base of a mast. When surrounding a mast, a fife rail is sometimes referred to specifically by the name of the mast with which it is associated: the main fife rail surrounds the main mast; the mizzen fife rail surrounds the miz....
A freestanding pinrail surrounding the base of a mast and used for securing that mast's sails' halyards with a series of belaying pins.
A freestanding pinrail surrounding the base of a mast and used for securing that mast's sails' halyards with a series of belaying pins.
Rail around masts with pins for belaying rigging lines. The crosspiece or fife rail was attached to heavy bitts or supported by round or square stanchions.
[n] - the railing surrounding the mast of a sailing vessel
noun the railing surrounding the mast of a sailing vessel
a rail surrounding or next to the mast of a sailing vessel for use in holding the pins to which some of the running rigging is belayed. Cf. pin rail.