BAD LUCK and SAILING MYTHS (or truths)

[sailingabe41ds]

I like to start a thread about sailing superstition, bad luck, and myths....
What are they and how did they come about.

Recently someone mentioned not bringing bananas on a boat.
Red boats are bad luck.
If the champagne bottle does not break on christening...bad luck
Follow proper rituals to rename a boat that if not ...bad luck
I did not make this one up...women were bad luck because they distracted the crew and would anger the seas. However, naked
women would calm the seas which is why so many figureheads were of women with bare breasts.


If anyone knows how these came about and like to add, great. If it has already been discussed, then sorry I brought it up.

Abe

[boatman61]

Avoid Redheads
People with red hair were also believed to be unlucky. Redheads were not welcome aboard ships and were avoided by sailors before beginning a journey. If a sailor met a red-headed person before boarding a ship, the sailor had to speak to the redhead before the redhead spoke to them. This would mitigate the bad luck of encountering a redhead before setting sail... A redhead female on board is even worse..
Never sail on a Friday.. which I never do..

[DMF Sailing]

You have to throw a penny at Halfway Rock.


So come, all you lads, and list to me:
Don't ever venture out to sea
Without a copper penny tossed
To the man at Halfway Rock.
If there would be a stock in trade,
A penny spent is a dollar made,
A fair one, sure, if the penny's paid
To the man at Halfway Rock.

It may just be a stupid song, but we always throw one.

Besides, a penny ain't worth a dime these days

[Heathenly Twins]

Confirmation bias is amusing

[Joh.Ghurt]

Bad luck: Giving a boat a stupid name. Even worse when it involves a pun.

[LittleWing77]

Never begin a passage on a Friday.
(Not sure the origin of this one.)

Always give Posideon his dram before sailing (i.e. when sharing a drink the night before a passage, ensure a shot goes into the ocean).

Also have no idea where I learned this one, only that the one time Poseidon didn't get his dram, we experienced F9 for 4 days out of a 2-week offshore passage en route to the Carribean....!

Fair winds, All,
LittleWing77

[StuM]

You'll find lots of them in the Wiki by following the link at the top of the page, or go directly to the Superstitions page:


https://www.cruiserswiki.org/wiki/Sea_Superstitions

[GordMay]

[miketo]

It is bad luck to hold a cat and a Dustbuster at the same time.

[SVTatia]

Never store anything upside down, ever! Or else..

And of course, if you whistle towards the bow, hang on for the upcoming heavy contrary winds.

[sv_pelagia]

Never say "rabbit" on a boat (a sailor from Cornwall told me this)...

Green boats...

Cans upside down....

[redhead]

Originally Posted by boatman61

Avoid Redheads
People with red hair were also believed to be unlucky. Redheads were not welcome aboard ships and were avoided by sailors before beginning a journey. If a sailor met a red-headed person before boarding a ship, the sailor had to speak to the redhead before the redhead spoke to them. This would mitigate the bad luck of encountering a redhead before setting sail... A redhead female on board is even worse..
Never sail on a Friday.. which I never do..

Now, wait a minute.

[sv_pelagia]

Originally Posted by redhead

Now, wait a minute.

ditto...

[captmikem]

Originally Posted by Joh.Ghurt

Bad luck: Giving a boat a stupid name. Even worse when it involves a pun.

like Q T 𝝅

Actually saw that on a boat...

M

[DMF Sailing]

Do on-land superstitions apply to boats?

For example, in Russia, where I lived for a long time, it's bad luck to shake hands across a threshold.

So would that include the threshold between the cockpit and the companionway?

Or do I have to be in Russian waters for that to apply? Or do I have to be Russian?

So many questions....