Is anyone.......... have to read the rest in the post!

powerskipper

powerskipper

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Is anyone superstitious about anything to do with boating,



I have found some interesting one,
: like changing a boat name,
: unlucky to begin a voyage on a Fri,
:Having bananas on a ship, especially on a private boat or fishing yacht, is considered bad luck,
:a black cat is considered unlucky, British and Irish sailors considered adopting a black "ship's cat" because it would bring good luck.
:Whistling on board a sailing ship is thought to encourage the wind strength to increase.
 
Superstitious no but despite fastidious maintenance I am always worried that something may fail during a passage and am straining my ears for any change in engine noise etc.

Does shining drunkenly count as bad luck, SWMBO has often said that I have the signing voice that would best suit movies of the turn of the century lol
 
powerskipper said:
Is anyone superstitious about anything to do with boating,



I have found some interesting one,
: like changing a boat name,
: unlucky to begin a voyage on a Fri,
:Having bananas on a ship, especially on a private boat or fishing yacht, is considered bad luck,
:a black cat is considered unlucky, British and Irish sailors considered adopting a black "ship's cat" because it would bring good luck.
:Whistling on board a sailing ship is thought to encourage the wind strength to increase.
Click to expand...

Something about women ... I'll get my coat !
 
powerskipper said:
Is anyone superstitious about anything to do with boating,



I have found some interesting one,
: like changing a boat name,
: unlucky to begin a voyage on a Fri,
:Having bananas on a ship, especially on a private boat or fishing yacht, is considered bad luck,
:a black cat is considered unlucky, British and Irish sailors considered adopting a black "ship's cat" because it would bring good luck.
:Whistling on board a sailing ship is thought to encourage the wind strength to increase.
Click to expand...

Funny you posted this thread
I was only talking about boaty superstitions today
A Friend has a boatyard on the Menai Strait and is right old Traditionalist
If one walks into the 'Shed' and whistles the wrong tune!
Yer banned!!
If you cast a piece of certain driftwood or flotsam into the Shed you are personna none gratis and don't get a cup of tea for Months on end!
Changing boat names in the Yard has to be considerable ritual, if not even a complete or almost 'No No' unless a 'Man of the Cloth' or a High Up Mason or The Coxen of the Lifeboat locally or at least the Mayor of Bangor! has to be present
Don't go messing about, about boaty superstitions
'We are all Doomed'
Oh! by the way-- there is a new Dad'S Army' film about coming out!:D
 
When we fished for sharks off Falmouth in the 60s & 70s the skipper would NEVER allow "rabbit" to be spoken on the boat, or even on the way to the boat.
I've known him return to port on one occasion and dump the perp back on the quay!

The logic(?) was that nothing would be caught on any day rabbit was mentioned.
 
Being superstitious in psychological terms highlights a desire to sub contract actions and events to a third party, thus absolving the believer of any responsibility or blame. It denotes a reactive and victimised view of life and consequently leads to unbalanced or an avoidance of decision making. Believers will often 'invent" superstitions to support a position or avoid an unwanted course of action.

Alternatively it merely points out that you should not be surprised if something falls on your head if you walk under a ladder.
 
I'm not superstitious but Mrs jhr is Irish and absolutely everything is governed by superstition, from a ban on putting shoes on the table down below, to saying "Hello Mr Magpie, and how's yer family" whenever any solo magpies hove into view above decks (about every 15 minutes, when we're on our mooring).

The worst one was when we changed the name of the boat. She spent weeks - and I mean weeks - researching what we should do on the Interweb and, as there was no clear cut answer, she combined about 4 different ceremonies and it took bloody hours. Still, the last one was to pour a tot of rum over the side and drink the rest of the bottle. For the purpose of this exercise, I deemed a tot to be a measure equivalent to 1 ml. Unfortunately, it brought me bad luck, in the shape of a thumping hangover the next day but hey - you can't have everything :)
 
It is unlucky to take Bananas on board.
You should never set sail on a Friday.
It will bring you good luck if you through a coin in the sea.
Tattoos and piercing are said to ward off evil spirits.
Saying the word “pig” or “rabbit” on board is bad luck.
Black travelling bags are bad luck for a seaman.
Avoid people with red hair when going to the ship to begin a journey.
Never say good luck or allow someone to say good luck to you unanswered.
Avoid Flat-footed people when beginning a trip.
A stolen piece of wood mortised into the keel will make a ship sail faster.
A silver coin placed under the masthead ensures a successful voyage.
Disaster will follow if you step onto a boat with your Left Foot first.
Pouring wine on the deck will bring good luck on a long voyage.
Throwing stones into the sea will cause great waves and storms.
A stone thrown over a vessel that is putting out to sea ensures she will never return.
Flowers are unlucky onboard a ship.
Don’t look back once your ship has left port as this can bring bad luck.
A dog seen near fishing tackle is bad luck.
Black cats are considered good luck and will bring a sailor home from the sea.
Swallows seen at sea are a good omen.
Dolphins swimming with the ship are a sign of good luck.
It is unlucky to kill an albatross.
It is unlucky to kill a gull.
Handing a flag through the rungs of a ladder is bad luck.
Repairing a flag on the quarterdeck will bring bad luck.
Turning over a hatch will cause the hold to fill with seawater.
Cutting your hair or nails at sea is bad luck.
Church Bells heard at sea mean someone on the ship will die.
When the clothes of a dead sailor are worn by another sailor during the same voyage, misfortune will befall the entire ship.
If the rim of a glass rings stop it quickly or there will be a shipwreck.
Never say the word “Drowned” at sea.
The feather of a wren slain on New Years Day will protect a sailor from dying by shipwreck.
A ship’s bell will always ring when it is wrecked.
A shark following the ship is a sign of inevitable death.

I personally have a black sailing bag, always take lots of bananas and regularly set sail on a Friday… I have to say though, seeing a dolphin at the bow does always feel special!

Pete
 
my first boat was named after girlfriends---changed the name twice----it would have been unlucky not to as i had changed my girl friends----customs were very unimpressed as they had to come out and measure the new lettering----regards lenterose
 
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