In the 18th century Atlantic, Black mariners were critical to Great Britain’s naval and commercial successes. Moving across the Atlantic, they provided both the muscle and maritime expertise necessary to move military forces and commodities upon which Britain’s imperial might was based. However, throughout the century, Black tars found themselves at risk of being kidnapped, captured and sold as prize goods or returned to their former slave masters. This essay uses the life of William Stephens to illustrate how for most Black Atlantic seamen, independent lives in the Western Atlantic was fragile and highly contested.