Seafaring Superstitions

Sea travel has long been for the adventurous. Over the years a number of superstitions have emerged that are meant to stave off danger.

Dangerous activities are often coloured and influenced by their own unique manual of superstitions. This is especially so in the case of seafaring. The sea has always been a dangerous environment in which to venture, whether for work or recreation, and over time seafaring has accumulated its own vast catalogue of arcane traditions peculiar to that endeavour. 

Whether described as folklore, myth or legend, some of these beliefs are based on common sense, self-evident prudence or a laudable respect for practicality. Others are superstitions in the true sense, born out of fear of the supernatural or an unreasoning awe of the inexplicable. 

While modern boaters have many technical aids to make their time on the water easier and safer, the variety and persistence of marine superstitions suggests they may also have relevance in facing the unique challenges posed by the sea. 

So, whether you’re a ‘weekend warrior’ or a blue water ‘salty dog’, you might want to supplement your gadgets and know-how with a little wisdom from some of the world’s most enduring (and occasionally bizarre) seafaring superstitions.

WOMEN ON THE WATER

Of all the superstitions in the annals of seafaring, none are more controversial or contradictory, than those that relate to women at sea. 

In ancient times, maritime folklore abounded with tales of sirens, beautiful femmes-fatales whose beguiling songs lured mariners onto rocky shores and a watery grave, and mermaids who enchanted sailors by subtler means but drove them mad with desire. 

How ironic, therefore, is the universal and unvarying tradition of referring to all ships as ‘she’, often bestowed with names of cherished wives and lovers, because such vessels are the sailors’ home and refuge, both offering shelter and protecting them from an angry sea. 

Yet, for centuries it was considered bad luck to have women on board a warship or merchant vessel. The rationale behind this was that a woman in the ship’s company would arouse passions and jealousy, distracting sailors from their duties, which would incur the wrath of sea gods who would punish the ship with rough seas and stormy weather. 

All of this makes another superstition all the more surprising and ironic — that the sight of a bare-breasted woman could calm an angry sea by shaming the elements into submission, which is why topless female figureheads adorn the bows of many ships (even better with her eyes wide open so as to guide the ship to safety).

AVOID THE JONAH

Apart from women, there were other kinds of people traditionally avoided as being carriers or harbingers of bad luck. 

The origin of this superstition is the biblical tale in which the prophet Jonah was ordered by God to sail to the sinful city of Nineveh to try and restore order and piety. But Jonah chickened out and boarded a ship headed in the opposite direction. God punished him by delivering a violent storm upon the ship and, when the crew discovered Jonah’s deceit, they threw him overboard to appease the tempest. 

Though Jonah repented and carried out his mission, his name has been applied in maritime folklore to any person (whether a sailor or a passenger) on board a ship who is clumsy, ugly, disliked or otherwise considered the cause of unexplained misfortune.

Several cultures believed redheads were unlucky, possibly because they possessed fiery or volatile personalities, and were not welcome aboard ships. If sailors encountered a red-haired person on the way to boarding a ship, the bad luck could be mitigated by speaking to the person before he/she spoke to them. Likewise, people with deformities or unusual features were to be avoided before beginning a voyage. 

Clergymen were also considered bad luck because they wore black (an unlucky colour) and were associated with death and funerals.

BANANAS ARE BANNED

During the 1700s, at the height of Spain’s trading empire in the Caribbean, there emerged a superstition that it was bad luck to have bananas on board a ship, especially a fishing vessel. At that time, it was observed that many ships that disappeared were ‘banana boats’ and the hapless fruit was blamed for their demise. Coincidence? Perhaps, but the superstition persists among modern-day boaters who avoid taking bananas, with some even banning banana smelling sun tan lotion or Banana Republic branded clothing on board. 

Several explanations are touted to justify this anti-banana sentiment and some actually make sense. One is that crates of the fruit may have harboured dangerous pests, such as snakes and a particular species of venomous spider, so sailors dying suddenly (from a lethal but unsuspected bite) reinforced the fear that banana cargo was a bad omen. 

Another theory is based on scientific fact, that bananas transported in bulk can ferment in hot storage spaces below deck and release methane gas. These emissions not only cause other fruit to perish but may prove lethal to crew working in an unventilated hold.

Before the advent of refrigerated containers, banana boats had to travel as quickly as possible to deliver their cargo to its destination before it spoiled. Fishermen on board trolling for fish to supplement income for the cruise rarely caught anything on such fast-moving transits, hence the superstition that bananas are unlucky for anglers. 

Then, of course, there's the possibility that a carelessly discarded banana skin might also cause an unlucky crew member to slip and fall on deck or, even worse, overboard.

UNLUCKY DAYS

Some seafarers avoid commencing a voyage on certain days because of superstitions originating in the Christian calendar and biblical history. 

Friday is considered the worst day of the week to begin a voyage as Jesus was crucified on a Friday and setting sail on Friday the thirteenth will doubly jinx the voyage. Thursdays are believed to be unlucky because it is Thor’s day, the god of thunder and storms. The first Monday in April is the day that Cain slew his brother Abel, and God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah on the second Monday in August — both days are inauspicious for setting sail. 

Sailors may also be reluctant to depart on Candlemas Day (February 2), traditionally the end of the Christmas–Epiphany season. 

The 17th and the 29th of any month, however, are good sailing days, particularly if the voyage is planned to last many months. Sunday is the best possible day to begin a voyage as Jesus was resurrected on a Sunday, leading to the adage ‘Sunday sail, never fail’.

NEVER CHANGE THE NAME

While some ships’ names may be unbecoming or ill-advised, none are particularly unlucky, except those ending in the letter A. But attempting to change a boat’s name is a major mistake that will definitely bring bad luck. According to legend, each ship’s name was recorded in Neptune’s ‘Ledger of the Deep’ and, once christened, the ship assumed a life of its own. 

Changing the name was bad for the ship and seen as trying to deceive the sea gods whose wrath would be terrible. A more practical reason for not renaming a ship was to avoid confusion and possibly devalue goodwill and reputation among trading partners and port officials.

If a boat absolutely has to be re-named, tradition demands it be done according to proper ritual and due ceremony. First, all traces of the boat’s current name must be removed, not just from the vessel herself, but from documents, logbooks and memorabilia. The name is then written on a piece of paper and placed in a wooden box, which is then burned. The ashes must then be cast into the sea when the tide is going out. A second ceremony must then be carried out to re-christen the boat with her new name — though the superstition no longer requires launching the boat down a slipway over the bodies of slaves (as the Vikings did). A dousing with champagne is considered festive and prestigious, although smashing a bottle over a fibreglass hull may be somewhat counter-productive.

RED SKY IN THE MORNING

Perhaps the best-known weather prediction in seafaring circles is the age-old adage, ‘red sky at night, sailor's delight; red sky in the morning, sailors take warning’. 

This actually has some scientific validity in the middle latitudes where the Earth’s rotation produces winds that carry storm systems from west to east, such as in the southern half of Australia. (At the poles and in the tropics, where weather tends to progress in the opposite direction, the converse advice applies.)

The red skies at the break and close of day are caused by airborne dust particles in the atmosphere that diffract the rays of sunlight. At sunset, these conditions imply a zone of dry, high pressure between you and the sun, which generally means clear sailing next day. 

But if a red sunrise is reflected in the undersides of moisture-laden clouds, it suggests the calm high-pressure zone has already passed and that a stormy low-pressure system is imminent for the day ahead. 

Another meteorological phenomenon to light up a sailor’s imagination was ‘Saint Elmo’s Fire’, the electrical discharge that creates the bright lights seen around a ship’s masts and yards during a storm. Legend has it Saint Elmo (aka Erasmus of Formia), a patron of sailors, continued preaching even after a thunderbolt struck the ground beside him. Just before he died during a storm at sea, he promised the crew he would return and show himself in some form if they were to survive the tempest. Shortly after his demise, the sailors saw a mysterious light at the masthead of their vessel. Assuming Erasmus had kept his word, they (and sailors ever after) took it as a good omen that the storm would soon be over. But, like all good things it doesn’t last. If the ‘fire’ came down from the mastheads to the deck it meant bad luck, and if the light ringed a man’s head he was soon to die.

Many other weather superstitions have no known factual basis. Clapping aboard a ship was thought to bring thunder. Umbrellas are for foul weather use and bringing one on board was thought to tempt fate. Throwing stones into the sea was disrespectful to the gods and also caused storms and huge swells. But a horseshoe nailed to the mast provided protection from storms. 

Mariners of yore also believed that whistling on board would summon a stormy wind and considered it taboo — the cook was usually excused because, as long as he was whistling, he was not eating more than his share of the rations.

CREATURES GOOD AND BAD

Although sailors have traditionally associated the colour black with bad luck, one notable exception has been (and remains) the ship’s cat. Ships have commonly sailed with cats on board since ancient times and for good reason — they catch and kill rodents that could damage equipment and food stores, or carry disease like bubonic plague. They also provided companionship and much care was directed toward keeping them happy and healthy. Practicalities aside, cats were believed to bring good luck and to have miraculous powers that could protect ships from dangerous weather. But if a hapless feline fell or was thrown overboard, this could summon a terrible storm or curse the ship with nine years’ bad luck.

Dolphins are considered a sacred friend of fishermen and their presence near a boat is a sign of good luck. A lurking shark, on the other hand, was perceived as a portent of death.

Birds of many kinds seem to resonate with superstitious seafarers, for good or ill. Seabirds were thought to carry the souls of sailors lost at sea and it was a good omen to see them, but very unlucky to kill one. The albatross was immortalized in Coleridge’s ‘Rime of the Ancient Mariner’ in which a sailor killed the bird and was dogged by tragedy and misfortune. 

If land-based swallows are seen at sea it is a good sign as it implies that land is near, and the prospects are clear. Sighting a curlew at sea, however, is considered bad luck. The feather of a wren slain on New Year’s Day was believed to protect a sailor from dying by shipwreck — he may of course die by some other sea-related cause but at least he’d have narrowed the Grim Reaper’s options.