Upper Yard Sailor

A prime able seaman trusted to work the highest yards of a square-rigged ship, the topgallant and royal yards far above the deck. Sent aloft to loose, furl, and reef the upper sails in any weather, these topmen were the fittest and most agile of the crew; a captain judged a ship’s company partly by how fast they could send up and cross the upper yards. The term marks the top of the seaman’s hierarchy below the petty officers, above the waisters and afterguard who worked on deck.