Superstitions at Sea

Well the bags are on their way – I certainly hope they make it to the ship.  I remember one time when our luggage apparently decided to take a flight south to warmer weather as we flew north to New Jersey for a Christmas vacation. I spent the entire holidays in various and assorted combinations of one pant suit with a matching sweater and vest. The host’s parting shot , as I walked out the door was,  “I  hope you burn that outfit when you get home” – leading me to believe they were as tired of seeing me in that outfit as I was of wearing it.
Sailing on Friday the 13^th has created some interest on my part about sailing superstitions- of which apparently there are hundreds, if not thousands!  Most people have heard that having women aboard a fishing ship is considered bad luck. Bananas are thought to be bad luck on ships especially related to fishing. It is said the superstition started in the 1700’s when it was noticed that on the south Atlantic and Caribbean trading routes the majority of the ships carrying a cargo of bananas never made their destinations. Others said the superstition came about because in the early days they used their fastest boats to transport bananas so they wouldn’t rot. The fishermen trolling never caught fish at that speed and that was the origin of the superstition. Someone else heard that the bananas fermented and gave off methane gas which was trapped below deck and poisoned the air and an occasional unlucky sailor. The last was that bananas were brought aboard in wooden crates which often contained spiders, snakes and other unwanted critters which often got loose and bit the sailors. Eventually the sailors began to associate illness and bad things with bananas. More recently, one guy told a story about going deep sea fishing and using his Banana Boat sunscreen. They caught nothing all morning.  He was reapplying another layer for the noon day sun, when a crew member walked by and without saying a word, took the can of sunscreen out of his hand and threw it far overboard. Five minutes later he caught a 900 pound Marlin. Fish story – probably, but he swears it made a believer out of him.

Sadly, Friday is supposed to be the worst day to begin a voyage and Sunday is consider the best day thus the adage, “Sunday sail, never fail”  - not sure where that leaves us. Friday sail, you have to bail? Friday sail, insures a gale? Friday sail, a coffin nail?  Sorry, got carried away there.

Anyway, there are some really weird superstitions like it is unlucky to be spoken to by someone with red hair on a ship unless you speak to them first.  Never say good luck or allow someone to say good luck to you aboard ship, especially a fishing vessel. The only way to counteract this “curse” supposedly was by drawing blood, which is why, in the past, a wish for good luck often brought the well wisher a bloody nose. Another superstition was that priests are not lucky to have on a ship. OH OH. That doesn’t bode well! Cutting your hair or nails at sea is thought to be bad luck – not only weird, but that could get a little grim on a cruise of this duration. It was fun hearing all the superstitions.