Are there any superstitious readers? Do you have one that I have not mentioned on this blog?
Here is a short list of just some of the superstitions that we have heard on our travels on Annecam and I'm sure that there are a lot more where these have come from.
1. Bananas; No bananas on board, bananas have long been thought to bring bad luck, especially on ships. At the height of the trading between Europe and the Caribbean in the 1700's, most cases of disappearing ships were carrying a cargo of bananas at the time. Another theory is that the ship would be overloaded and would sink in an Atlantic storm. Fisherman, say they never catch anything while bananas are on board. Many boaters continue to avoid bananas at sea, some even avoiding banana smelling or branded sun tan lotion.
2. Women; No Women on Board, I love this one but I can't talk Annie into following it through.
Women were said to bring bad luck if you let them on board because they angered the sea gods, thus causing the seas to become rough as they take their revenge out on the ship with the women on board. To calm the seas all of the woman on board would have to parade on the decks naked, this would then calm and please the sea gods, not to mention the captain and the rest of the crew. It is for this reason that you will see on a lot of the classic ships have a figure of a naked women on their bow, her bare breasts were meant to calm and please the sea gods plus her open eyes would guide the ship to safety.
3. No Whistling on Board; Mariners have long held the belief that whistling or singing into the wind will whistle up a storm or squall, just as well neither Annie or I can whistle.
4. Most of you reading this would have heard the old saying "Red sky and night is the shepherds delight and a red sky in the morning is the shepherds warning'. The sailors version is red sky at night is the sailor's delight and a red sky in the morning means sailors take warning. A red sunset is an indication of a high pressure system and very dry air, usually a beautiful day will follow, while a red sunrise is an indicator of moisture in the atmosphere usually followed by rain and bad weather from an approaching low pressure system, we don't like bad weather on Annecam.
5. Be aware of a lurking shark, a shark following the ship is a sign of inevitable death on board. We do get to see the odd shark while sailing, they love taking a freshly hooked fish before we can get them on board. However most sharks we come across are the two-legged variety on land and we have had plenty of experience with this type of shark, they usually wear a uniform and disguise themselves as a government official and are only happy when they have consumed the contents of our wallets and purse with big bites out of our credit cards. There is another variety quite often are found in chandlers, we have found that spare parts like oil filters and drive belts are quite cheap when purchased from an automotive retailer and the same item purchased from a chandler when the word marine is included on the product label, it is then marked up by several thousand percent.
6. Never start a passage on a Friday or a Thursday or a Monday, Haha! Fridays have long been considered a bad day to start a passage as this was the day that Jesus Christ was crucified. Thursdays are Thor's day, the god of thunder and lightning, we do not like sailing in a thunderstorm, who wants to be out on a flat ocean with a tall metal mast just sitting there waiting for a lightning strike, not us. Monday, the first Monday in April is the day that Cain slew Abel and the second Monday in August is the day the kingdoms of Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed and who wants to be there when it happens again. Most sailors say that the best day to start a passage is Sunday. We on Annecam have had some of our best sails starting on a Friday.
7. Sighting Dolphin, Dolphin are meant to be a sign of good luck and a safe passage, we love to watch and film the Dolphin surfing on our bow wave on Annecam.
8. Never change the name of the boat; Woops we did. It's meant to be bad luck to change the name of the boat. Boats develop a character and a mind of their own once they are named and Christened. If you do rename the boat, you absolutely must have a de-naming ceremony. This ceremony can be performed by writing the current boat name on a piece of paper, folding the paper and placing it in a wooden box then burning the box. After, scoop up the ashes and throw them into the sea, or you must pay homage to Neptune the God of the sea while christening the boat with the new name.
9. Look like a Pirate; a pierced earlobe on a sailor is meant that he is a circumnavigator or had crossed the Equator. Sailors and Pirates wore gold hoop earrings because they believed it brought good fortune. Some believed that the gold served as a protective and that it would prevent them from drowning. Tattoos are also a sign of good luck. Sailors would tattoo a nautical star on their bodies as the North Star represented a signal that they were nearing home. We on Annecam would have to get the Southern Cross tattoos for our home. Cutting our hair, nail trimming, and beard shaving as they are seen as bad luck, that is why I grew my beard and we look a little scruffy most of the time, just take a look at the photo to see how scruffy we really Rrrrrrr.
10. Death curse; At sea or on the dock as you are leaving, some words must be strictly avoided to ensure the ship and crew's safe return. These include obvious ones like "drowned" and "goodbye". If someone says "good luck" to you, it is sure to bring about bad luck. The only way to reverse this curse is by drawing blood from the one who gave it, so usually a good punch in the nose will do. We are not sure about punching someone on the nose but wishing someone "fair winds" and "see ya later mate" are always nice ones to hear.
These are just some of the sailor's superstitions, have you heard of any more? Let us know.
The secret of life is to go from mistake to mistake without losing your enthusiasm.