Deadeyes Boxwood

A deadeye is an item used in the standing and running rigging of traditional sailing ships. It is a smallish round thick wooden disc with one or more holes through it, perpendicular to the plane of the disc. Single and triple-hole deadeyes are most commonly seen. The use of deadeyes and lanyards in setting up a ship as standing rigging may date from Roman times or earlier. During the middle Ages, deadeyes were triangular. The solid deadeye is stronger than a pulley block, yet the lanyard can be taken up as needed to eliminate slack in the standing rigging.