Yardarms

Just as the ship flew onto the causeway and into the towers, the yardarms on the masts burned through and dropped the cauldrons onto the fire below. ❋ Philip Freeman (2011)

But Caesar surprised them by hurling hooks into the rigging of their ships and pulling down their masts and yardarms. ❋ Philip Delves Broughton (2012)

I would counsel the same wisdom that sailors of yore used to tattoo to their knuckles as a reminder of what not to forget on the yardarms of tall ships in stormy seas. ❋ Bret Stephens (2011)

In the meantime she lay dead, her lee yardarms almost touching the sea, the sea creaming solidly to her hatch-combings across the buried, unseen rail. ❋ Unknown (2010)

There were times, when rolls and gusts worked against her at the same moment, when I could have sworn the ends of her lower-yardarms swept the sea. ❋ Unknown (2010)

Of old, international sea law was very liberal towards naval intervention in cases of piracy, including the attendant executions of pirates from variously flagged yardarms. ❋ Unknown (2009)

Gone are the scores of deckhands who climb the yardarms. ❋ Unknown (2008)

On each mast were six horizontal yardarms — ranging from 40 to 74 feet in width — to support the sails. ❋ Unknown (2007)

Great lead weights and blocks of stone had to be lifted out by yardarms and lowered over the ship's side onto bright red tarps so they could locate them when they returned and put the ship back into the water. ❋ Unknown (2006)

The words were scarcely out of my mouth when smash went our bulwarks like brown paper, and our yardarms crumpled like umbrellas. ❋ Unknown (2006)

Henry stared at the hundreds of ships and steamers lining the river, their thicket of yardarms and masts like a forest stripped of foliage. ❋ JOE JACKSON (2003)

Each crew had a hatchet, and they used these to trim salvaged spars into masts, each about 10 to 15 feet long; they lashed the remaining wood to the uprights as yardarms. ❋ JOE JACKSON (2003)

The two clung together for an instant, then the burning yardarms, spars, masts, and spiderweb of rigging twisted sideways and crashed into the sea. ❋ JOE JACKSON (2003)

As the Solebay prepared to open fire, Jones sent his men aloft to the yardarms to ready a sudden sail change. ❋ 9781451603996 (2003)

Even in the trough, she lay over so far on her side that the leeward yardarms were dipping in the water. ❋ 9781451603996 (2003)

The mast and its yardarms formed a giant crucifix, and during the Reformation, men confessed to the mast when death seemed imminent and no priest was near. ❋ JOE JACKSON (2003)

Mainmasts towered 190 feet above the deck, main yardarms stretched nearly the length of a football field, lower studding sails stretched 160 feet from end to end, and a suit of sails contained about 1.75 acres of canvas. ❋ JOE JACKSON (2003)

Can we [have a drink]? [Yes], [the sun is over the yardarm]! ❋ MorkFromOrk (2011)

[The sun] is [past] the yardarm, it is time for a [drink]. ❋ Tagtech (2011)

She [grieved] over her husband for a whole year. But now it [seems like] [the sun is over the yardarm] for her. ❋ AutumnLeaves (2007)

[Uh-oh], the sun is over the yardarm, we better [get to] [the bar]. ❋ Joe.lucido (2008)