Seafaring superstitions and nonsense Turkish style

[Irish Rover]

The best of boat traditions and superstitions in Turkey
A load of cobblers but nothing better to do as it's too bloody hot here to go outside.

 

[penfold]

Indeed, that wouldn't look out of place cut-and-pasta into the Wail Online without attribution.

A load of cobblers

 

[johnalison]

Teşekkür ederim

 

[Irish Rover]

Teşekkür ederim

Rica ederim

 

[Poignard]

Better not tell Geest Lines that.

 

[Stingo]

The problem with a hand of bananas is that the bananas will all ripen on the same day.

 

[johnalison]

The problem with a hand of bananas is that the bananas will all ripen on the same day.

You could split them so that the ethylene isn't distributed equally. Putting fruit such as peaches and mangoes in a bag with a ripe banana is a very effective way of ripening them quickly. I doesn't work with apples and other pseudo fruit.

 

[AntarcticPilot]

They forgot the one about ministers of religion being unlucky. As I am one, I can vouch for it being wrong, at least, at sea.

 

[Resolution]

They forgot the one about ministers of religion being unlucky. As I am one, I can vouch for it being wrong, at least, at sea.

And nothing about umbrellas or naval officers.

 

[penfold]

Or wheelbarrows.

 

[Bouba]

I’m not superstitious, but I was told about bananas being unlucky about a year ago and I haven’t let one onboard since. We try not buy them just before spending time afloat or make the effort to eat them first

 

[oilybilge]

Proud to say I have bananas, umbrellas, and even women aboard.

But I won't sail with red-heads. You have to draw the line somewhere.

 

[Slowboat35]

I wonder how or why these things are claimed to be Turkish. I was aware of all of them (except the bananas one) from traditional British sources although the list missed out priests of any kind as their tendency to interfere theologically in nautical matters quite rightly offends Lord Neptune.

 

[johnalison]

I think the Turkish connection was abandoned after the title.

Unlike Bouba, who is clearly superstitious in spite of his disclaimer, I have invented my own superstition. When I haul up the mainsail I do so when standing at the aft end of the cockpit, leaving a pile of halyard at my feet. Inevitablty, one coil of this gets around the throttle lever and has to be removed before proceeding further. We always regard this as a sign of good fortune for the rest of the voyage.

 

[penfold]

All nonsense of course, I've scoffed bananas afloat, talked about rabbits, been onboard with a preacher and never sunk once.

 

[newtothis]

All nonsense of course, I've scoffed bananas afloat, talked about rabbits, been onboard with a preacher and never sunk once.

The damn rabbit ate my bananas, just as my red-headed wife was running off with the priest.

 

[penfold]

I live in Scotland, meeting redheads is an occupational hazard; whether this constitutes bad luck is probably an ecumenical question.