Blacking the Yards

South Seas Companion
Concept

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Blacking the yards was the term mariners gave to painting the yards of a ship with a protective substance to prevent them being weakened by continual exposure to sea spray and the salt laden air of the sea.

Rigging was also liable to decay through prolonged exposure to salt water and so was usually coated with tar.

Needless to say the protective coating applied to yards and tar could not be slippery as this could have fatal consequences for seaman working aloft.

Online Sources

Falconer, William, Online edition of William Falconer's Universal Dictionary of the Marine, or, a Copious Explanation of the Technical Terms and Phrases employed in the Construction, ...of a Ship...derived from the text of the London 1780 edition published by Thomas Cadell, 2004 edn, South Seas, http://paulturnbull.org/projects/southseas/refs/falc/contents.html. [ Details ]

Prepared by: Turnbull, P.
Created: 28 October 2001
Modified: 1 December 2001

Published by South Seas, 1 February 2004
Comments, questions, corrections and additions: Paul.Turnbull@jcu.edu.au
Prepared by: Paul Turnbull
Updated: 28 June 2004
To cite this page use: http://nla.gov.au/nla.cs-ss-biogs-P000088

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