7 Most Common Superstitions of Seafarers
- Thread starter Koeketiene
- Start date
neilf39
Well-Known Member
Norton blocked it as a malicious site!
Romeo
Well-Known Member
Well the two that I am most aware of are not on that list. The first is painting a boat green (not a good idea) and the second is turning "against the sun", that is turning to port when it can be avoided. Turning to starboard is to be preferred.
Fourbees
Well-Known Member
Certainly green is bad - I wouldn't wear anything green when sailing and wouldn't paint a boat green, or have a green spray hood. Also I don't think SWMBO would like to think of herself as 'bad luck' and anyway I need her! Another one they missed is not naming that animal with long floppy ears that hops and lives in a burrow (not even when teaching crew how to tie a bowline!).
dave_gibsea
Well-Known Member
Clinking glasses together? - I think that's an old Navy one .... I can't understand the stupid habit of doing it ashore anyway (you might spill your drink!)
Agree re green - horrid colour anyway.
Agree re green - horrid colour anyway.
AntarcticPilot
Well-Known Member
They missed the old chestnut about parsons on board being unlucky!
prv
Well-Known Member
Exactly, I was expecting those and didn't find them. And I would avoid choosing green for new paint, canvaswork, etc, although I don't take it seriously enough to rule out an otherwise suitable boat that's already green.
I've known someone threatened with violence for whistling at sea.
I'm also aware of the one about pasties, but I definitely don't follow that
Pete
Roberto
Well-Known Member
it is said that it goes back to Middle Age, a time when poisoning was so frequent that clinking glasses together and actually mixing a little of their content made both people happy there was no poison in the drinks.
charles_reed
Well-Known Member
Methinks now out-of-date as everyone is a free-thinker and most atheist.
There was that mention of Paul being chosen as a storm-god offering, just before the Malta shipwreck.
Last edited:
johnalison
Well-Known Member
Very interesting. I must adopt the practice.
I was surprised not to see mention of rabbits as forbidden words. There were numerous synonyms which I have forgotten.
AntarcticPilot
Well-Known Member
Most surveys don't bear that out. Free-thinking, yes, but atheist no.
PS, I made my original post tongue in cheek - I AM a lay minister!
Davy_S
Well-Known Member
I think that a dark Green hull looks every bit as good as a dark Blue hull, would have no problem with Green at all.
What is very serious though, taking a box of swan vesta matches onboard, (told to me by a Plymouth trawlerman!
What is very serious though, taking a box of swan vesta matches onboard, (told to me by a Plymouth trawlerman!
mjcoon
Well-Known Member
Is that because it is supposed to "whistle up the wind"? Which could be a Good Thing if becalmed! On our trips the analogous fault is to mention an intent to have "lunch", because the weather then worsens to make it difficult. So we use any circumlocution...
Mike.
johnalison
Well-Known Member
I gather that it is unlucky to let a redhead be the first person to board. No problem for me then.
Halcyon Yachts
Well-Known Member
Boreades
Well-Known Member
Oh dear, now you tell us!
Much too late for Alex Bennett’s Class 40 FujiFilm.
Is that why he never won anything with it?
johnalison
Well-Known Member
Brilliant. I'm off to steal some wood.
Appledore
Well-Known Member
Appledore Belle is a Macwester Rowan, but it was only a few years ago that I found out why. The tiller is (was or used to be) made of Rowan wood (Mountain Ash)!
I have a cutting from the Western Morning News from November 2009 which the writer, Trevor Beer, states that " and it was said that no boat containing Rowan would ever upset".
Not sure about that, but at about that time I knew AB's tiller needed replacing. It took me a while, but eventually I found a little craft business in Scotland that worked with Rowan, and bought a piece from them. On our way to France last year, and whilst filling in the log, my son shouted down to me that the tiller had snapped! This was late at night, and pitch dark. Fortunately I keep a spare tiller on board, and it was soon fitted. So, on my return home I got that piece of Rowan wood out of the spare room, and turned it into a new tiller!
Now looking forward to a safe new trip next season!
I have a cutting from the Western Morning News from November 2009 which the writer, Trevor Beer, states that " and it was said that no boat containing Rowan would ever upset".
Not sure about that, but at about that time I knew AB's tiller needed replacing. It took me a while, but eventually I found a little craft business in Scotland that worked with Rowan, and bought a piece from them. On our way to France last year, and whilst filling in the log, my son shouted down to me that the tiller had snapped! This was late at night, and pitch dark. Fortunately I keep a spare tiller on board, and it was soon fitted. So, on my return home I got that piece of Rowan wood out of the spare room, and turned it into a new tiller!
Now looking forward to a safe new trip next season!
OceanSprint
Well-Known Member
Sailing with Scottish fishermen, "pig" was a no no, as was rabbit, but s*lmon was even worse - always referred to as the "red fish".
I turned my bunk round once so my feet were towards the bow, and the crew thought it meant I would be carried off in a box.
Sailing with Hull fiushermen, they thought it very bad luck to wipe steam off a mirror - meant you were wiping your soul away.
I turned my bunk round once so my feet were towards the bow, and the crew thought it meant I would be carried off in a box.
Sailing with Hull fiushermen, they thought it very bad luck to wipe steam off a mirror - meant you were wiping your soul away.
Romeo
Well-Known Member
Perhaps Hull fisherman simply do not consider themselves bonny enough to want to see their own reflections.
