"Spanking", the word

Yet another version begins:

There was a young girl named Bianca ...

The sail, the spanker, flies back and forth in the right wind making a sharp loud smacking sound. Kinda like a really big strap.

Also there is the term 'brand spanking new' meaning very new and pristine. I can't think of the connection to our spanking term here. Also, I read recently and it reminded me that in the UK we used to be more likely growing up to be threatened with 'a smacked bottom' rather than a spanking. You don't hear that anymore as smacking of children is really not allowed and mostly illegal.

That is my recollection of growing up in the UK too. The word "spanking" was not often used. We were far more likely to be threatened with "a smacked bottom", "a good hiding" or "the slipper".