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Modern Yachting Ancient Beliefs

SUPERSTITION: an unreasoning awe or fear of something unknown, mysterious or imaginary, especially in connexion with religion. [Shorter Oxford Dictionary].

To the mariners of yore, a great many things were unknown and mysterious and in setting out on the vast oceans they put their faith in many beliefs that they trusted would ensure their safe return.

Many things were thought to bring bad luck and to cause a ship to founder and many had their root in religion. Such superstition prevented many a ship from setting sail on December 31, held to be the day on which Judas Iscariot hanged himself.

Another inauspicious day to begin a voyage was the day that Cain murdered Abel, the first Monday in April. Many seamen were only too happy to subscribe to the superstition that Friday was an unlucky day to set sail. Friday was believed to be the day of Christ's crucifixion, but it was also the favorite night for seamen to carouse in the taverns.

Old salts of centuries past had many other fears and anxieties: there were especially things NOT to be done leading up to the voyage as well as on the vessel. They took care never to place their left foot first on board, to avoid red-headed people like the plague and never to look back at the port they were leaving.

Priests, flowers or women on the ship did not augur well for a successful voyage; priests because their black clothes suggested funerals, flowers because they were the material of wreaths. The nervousness about women on ships has many suggested origins, going right back to Eve leading Adam astray. What of the belief that a NAKED woman would calm the waves? Neptune too distracted to blow up a storm?
This superstition may account for the presence of the ship's figurehead, often in the form of a naked woman.

If you wanted to say that somebody looked like a drowned rat well, you couldn't! The word "drowned" uttered on board would surely condemn the whole crew to a watery grave. And, speaking of watery graves, there was a strongly held belief that those who went seafaring should never learn to swim. That way, the watery grave would be swift.

How much is the modern seaman affected by ancient superstition? Few yacht owners set off on a voyage, nowadays, fearful that they may never return. Yet, even modern yachts are ultimately at the mercy of the sea and even today, some of those centuries-old beliefs persist in the yachting world.

Many a skipper of a modern yacht would be dismayed to have someone whistle on his boat. This relates to an ancient belief that whistling could blow up a bad storm and even today, a storm is not good sailing weather.

Stories abound on the "bananas bring bad luck" belief, which originates in the bananas brought on board the wooden sailing ships from tropical ports. Often the crates would contain vermin, or snakes and thus bananas gained a bad name. Today's yacht skipper is often unwilling to accept bananas on board, perhaps without actually knowing why they are thought to be unlucky. Passenger ships crossing the Equator still perform a ceremony to appease Neptune. The breaking of a bottle of champagne on the bow of a newly launched ship harks back to the ancient superstition that wine spilled onto the deck brought good luck.

Ancient mariners set off into the unknown, at the mercy of the elements, seeing omens in many things around them and trying to attract good luck.
Modern yachting has electronic aids to safe sailing but still some of the old superstitions are remembered and respected.
Why tempt Fate?

Learn more about this author, Anne Penny.
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