1. No Bananas On Board
Aside from their peels causing many comedians to trip and fall down, bananas have long been thought to bring bad luck, especially on ships. At the height of the trading empire between Spain and the Caribbean in the 1700’s, most cases of disappearing ships happened to be carrying a cargo of bananas at the time.Another theory suggests that because bananas spoiled so quickly, transporters had to get to their destination much quicker. Fisherman never has the chance to catch any fish while bananas were on board. A final theory on the perils of bananas at sea (though there are tons) is that a species of deadly spider would hide inside banana bunches. Their deadly bite caused crewman to die suddenly, heightening the fear of bananas on board.
2. No Women on Board
Women were said to bring bad luck on board because they distracted the sailors from their sea duties. Funny enough, naked women on board were completely welcome. That’s because naked women “calmed the sea”. This is why ships’ typically had a figure of a topless women perched on the bow of the ship.
3. Son of A Gun
Male children born on the ship were referred to as “son of a gun” because the most convenient place to give birth on deck (if you weren’t too afraid of having a woman on board) was on the gun deck. Having a male child on board was a sign of good luck.
4. No Whistling on Board
Mariners have long held the belief that whistling or singing into the wind will “whistle up a storm”.
5. Red Sky At Night…
“Red sky at night, sailor’s delight; red sky in the morning, sailors take warning” the old saying goes. A red sunset indicates a beautiful day to come, while a red sunrise indicates rain and bad weather.
6. Deathly Lexis
At sea, 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 the curse is by drawing blood, so usually a good punch in the nose of swift kick in the shin would suffice.
7. Beware of the Lurking Shark
A shark following the ship is a sign of inevitable death while at sea. On the contrary….
8. Welcome the Lurking Dolphins
Dolphins swimming with the ship are seen as a good sign.
9. Don’t Sail On These Days…
Don’t Sail On Thursdays, Fridays, the first Monday in April or the second Monday in August.
- Fridays: Fridays have long been considered unlucky days, likely because Jesus Christ was crucified on a Friday.
- Thursdays: Thursdays are bad sailing days because that is Thor’s day, the god of thunders and storms.
- First Monday in April: The first Monday in April is the day Cain slew Abel
- Second Monday in August: The second Monday in August is the day the kingdoms of Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed.
10. The Pirate’s Look is a Look For Me
A pierced earlobe on a sailor meant that he had sailed around the world or had crossed the equator. Superstitious sailors wore gold hoop earrings because they believed it brought good fortune. Some believed that the gold possessed magic healing powers or that it served as a protective talisman that would prevent the wearer from drowning. Tattoos were also seen as lucky. Seafarers would usually tattoo a nautical star on their bodies as the North Star represented a signal that they were nearing home.
11. Don’t Change the Name of the Boat
It’s bad luck to change the name of the boat. Boats develop a life and 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
12. Pay Your Dues
Seamen that hadn’t paid their debts were blamed for storms and any other misfortunate events that would occur on the ship.
13. Avoid Gingers
Redheads were known to be bad luck if a sailor happened to run into one before departure. To avoid this curse, a sailor must speak to the redhead before they speak to him.
These are some of our favorite sailor superstitions. Do you have any of your own at-sea superstitions? If so we would love to hear them on your next cruise!
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