Green Boats

[jhr]

Coloured green, that is, not environmentally friendly.

According to Olde Farte's Book of Quaint Nautical Superstitions, it is supposed to be unlucky to have a green hulled boat.

Anybody know the background to this piece of apparent tosh? Could there be a rationale for it?

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[vyv_cox]

No idea at all, but I wouldn't buy one. Somehow they never look right, IMHO.

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[Twister_Ken]

Yeoman

All of Sir Owen and Robin Aisher's latter day Yeomen were green . They were so unlucky they kept getting selcted for the British Admiral's Cup teams, so unlucky that they kept winning races.

As you say, "tosh'.

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[snowleopard]

i always have green boats, makes my complexion look better by contrast.

when selling a boat with a green sail cover to a well known old f**t he asked indignantly why it wasn't blue. he wrote an article in YM shortly afterwards about the wonderful improvements he'd made, including scrapping a brand new sail cover and replacing it with a blue one.

if i were superstitious i wouldn't sail with SWMBO or my bro-in-law the vicar! (then again...)

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[nicho]

Don't know about green boats, but it certainly seems to apply to cars - I've had three green ones, and they have all been written off (by other people I should add). Something to do with being harder to see??

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[jimi]

Same for me, I've only ever had one green car, smashed it up when it was two weeks old, dented the roof, persistent engine problems. Only car I've ever had a problem with.

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[Metabarca]

Perhaps green boats attract r-b--ts (no, NOT robots,-a-bi--, you know, the word that must not be spoke on board).

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[warrior40]

Re: the owl & the Pussy

Hasn't it got something to do with a cat and an owl or something and garden peas??

On Tracey Edwards' big cat, when she did the Jules Verne, at which she failed, one of her crew, before the start, would not allow anything green aboard, fine until they found out that all the clothing etc donated by the sponser, Royal sun Alliance, was.. Green! At this point, the crew member said that they must be changed, but Tracey put her foot down, as this was now impossible.

They never grasped the Jules Verne Trophy..

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[Martin_Billings]

I generally feel unlucky when I have to clean the green algae off

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[jhr]

Re: the owl & the Pussy

Hmm; creepy........

The reason for my question was that I'm currently looking to buy a particular boat, which is normally in plentiful supply on the 2nd hand market but which, given the time of year and reasonably good weather, has suddenly become rarer than rocking horse faeces. Except that there are 2 green-hulled models available (cue theme tune from the Twilight Zone). Nothing wrong with them and, as far as I can tell, no warren-dwelling long eared edible animals on board.

I'm not in the least superstitious but I don't want to land myself with something that I'll never then be able to re-sell because everybody else is :0(

BTW, I've had 2 green cars and yes - they've both been pranged by others; I think the visibility argument is correct. I've also had a bright red one that nearly got totalled - but that time, I confess, it was my fault.

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[Twister_Ken]

Bowlocks

I've successfully smashed up a grey Morris Minor, an orange Skoda, a red Cortina and a red Capri (I was younger then). OTOH my BRG Truimph GT6 and my metallic apple green Citroen GS both survived my tenure unscathed.

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[Jules]

Ah, but

Back in the eighties the chairman of Norwich Union Insurance would never ride in or drive a green car............

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[Martin_Billings]

Re: the owl & the Pussy

On the issue of the visibility of green items, various sorts of scriveners, copyists etc used to work with a green background to relax their eyes from what they were otherwise concentrating on.

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[warrior40]

Re:What sort of boat is it??

Out of interest..

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[Twister_Ken]

Re:What sort of boat is it??

>Out of interest<

I blame Eddy George.

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[burgundyben]

Re: Bowlocks

My great grand father was one of the first car owners in bournemouth, it was a Clyno, complete with comode!! Anyhow, he had a chauffer, one day the car broke down and grandad made the chauffer throw his green braces over the hedge as he though green was unlucky.

<hr width=100% size=1>Sod the Healey - I think I'll buy an E-Type.

 

[jhr]

I confess

It's a stinkpot, actually. But I thought there'd be more knowledge of the green = verboten convention on Scuttlebutt than on Mobochat. And so it has proved.....

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[warrior40]

Re: I confess

AH, but the superstition may not apply to stinkies..!!!

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[Pelican]

My boat has a green hull, cream decks and tan sails - stand out from all the white stuff on the water - only trouble is the water borne alcoholics can see me coming from miles away!
Pelican

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[jhr]

Re: I confess

As somebody who has always had a foot in both camps, my experience is that stinkies can be just as superstitious about colour.

Following in Nelson's footsteps, there is an official exemption to allow stinkies to carry green limes on board - not to protect against scurvy, but to go in the G&T.

)

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