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Paula
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Don Alley
A local captain recently told us that the secret to a good day's fishing was to take apples. Don't eat them until on the way home.
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Don is withholding part of the info here.
Specifically, it was two shiny red apples. Not just any old apples.
Hope this ancient secret ju-ju makes someone's day
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Don Alley
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Paula
Don is withholding part of the info here....
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Oh, great, next you'll give away the location of my Secret Spots.
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Skipjack Joe
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Some more maritime superstitions:
Never start a voyage on the first Monday in April.
This is the day that Cain slew Able.
Don’t start a voyage on the second Monday in August.
This is the day sondom & gommrrah was destroyed.
Starting a cruise on Dec. 31 is bad.
This is the day Judas Iscariat hanged himself.
Black traveling bags are bad luck for a seaman.
Black is the color of death and indicative of the depths of the sea.
Avoid people with red hair when going to the ship to begin a journey.
Red heads bring bad luck to a ship, which can be averted if you speak to the red-head before they speak to you.
Never say good luck or allow someone to say good luck to you unanswered.
If someone says “good luck” to you, it is most assuredly a bad omen and sure to bring about bad luck. The only way this can be countered is by drawing
blood. A swift punch in the nose is usually sufficient to reverse this curse.
Avoid Flat-footed people when beginning a trip.
They, like red heads, are bad luck. The danger can be avoided by speaking to them before they speak to you.
A stolen piece of wood mortised into the keel will make a ship sail faster.
A silver coin placed under the masthead ensures a successful voyage.
Disaster will follow if you step onto a boat with your Left Foot first.
Pouring wine on the deck will bring good luck on a long voyage.
An offering to the gods.
Throwing stones into the sea will cause great waves and storms.
A sign of disrespect to the sea, ensuring retaliation in the form of stormy seas.
A stone thrown over a vessel that is putting out to sea ensures she will never return.
A sign of disrespect to the sea, dooming the ship and all aboard.
Flowers are unlucky onboard a ship.
They could later be used to make a funeral wreath for the dead, therefore, becoming a symbol that someone could die on the voyage.
Priests are not lucky to have on a ship.
They dress in black and perform funeral services. They are a symbol of possible death and anything that makes you think of death or dying is a bad
omen.
Don’t look back once your ship has left port as this can bring bad luck.
Looking back to port implies that you are not truly ready to brave the seas and complete your voyage, bringing about bad luck on yourself and the
ship.
A dog seen near fishing tackle is bad luck.
Black cats are considered good luck and will bring a sailor home from the sea.
While black is the color of death, and black bags or clothing are harbingers of doom, black cats are considered lucky on the sea. Mostly this is
believed to be the result of the opposite effect of land based superstition, where a black cat is unlucky.
Swallows seen at sea are a good sign.
Swallows are a land based bird and seeing them at sea implies that land is near and your prospects are clear.
Sighting a curlew at sea is considered bad luck.
A cormorant sighted at sea is bad luck.
Dolphins swimming with the ship are a sign of good luck.
Dolphins are considered a sacred friend of fishermen, they have the good fortunes of man in mind and their presence indicates that you are under their
protection.
It is unlucky to kill an albatross.
They host the soul of dead sailors and are considered to be an omen of bad luck at sea, especially if killed.
It is unlucky to kill a gull.
They also contain the souls of sailors lost at sea.
Handing a flag thru the rungs of a ladder is bad luck.
Loosening a mop or bucket overboard is a sign of bad luck.
Repairing a flag on the quarterdeck will bring bad luck.
Turning over a hatch will cause the hold to fill with seawater.
Cutting your hair or nails at sea is bad luck.
These were used as offerings to Proserpina, and Neptune will become jealous if these offerings are made while in his kingdom.
Church Bells heard at sea mean someone on the ship will die.
St. Elmo’s Fire around a sailors head means he will die within a day.
When the clothes of a dead sailor are worn by another sailor during the same voyage, misfortune will befall the entire ship.
If the rim of a glass rings stop it quickly or there will be a shipwreck.
Never say the word Drowned at sea.
The caul of the head of a new-born child is protection against drowning and will bring the owner good luck.
The feather of a wren slain on New Years Day, will protect a sailor from dying by shipwreck.
A ships bell will always ring when it is wrecked.
A shark following the ship is a sign of inevitable death.
Sharks were believed to be able to sense those near death.
A sailor who died from violence or being lost at sea was said to go to “Davy Jone’s Locker”.
A sailor with over 50 years of service was said to go to “Fiddler’s Green” when he died.
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I think most of these superstitions are nonsense. All except one. The one that says you will have bad luck if someone wishes you 'good luck' for the
trip itself. I've tested this many times and indeed it is true. The only antitode I've discovered is to turn away and spit shortly after the remark is
passed. That has worked for me, although not always.
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bajajudy
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Never whistle on a sail boat or you will whistle up more wind than you need.
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Skipjack Joe
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GOOD LUCK - the reversed curse
I once made the mistake of telling one of my companions about my belief in this superstition. There was a group of us staying in Los Barriles on this
trip many years ago.
The following morning at breakfast each one in our group made a point of walking by my table with a broad smile on their kisser and wished me good
luck. Well, it didn't work. That day I did real well on yellowfin tuna.
My conclusion was that this curse only works if said by someone who is unaware of it's power. You see, the power comes from beyond. No mortal can
willingly invoke it.
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Pompano
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Don't play around with Posiedon.
Since I was a young kid on my first fishing boat, I was always amazed at the sheer number of superstitions and myths surrounding this industry and
sport. It's a dangerous way to make a buck, and even with all the modern technology available to today's commercial fishermen...and to the sporting
angler...almost all I know still pay very strict attention to some timeless beliefs that are as old as seafaring itself. Confronting rough weather
which results in higher mortality rates than any other profession, most multi-generation fishermen will use any tool/technique/superstition at hand to
ensure luck=fish=success. Once out there, you need a full warbag.
Besides, it's all fun! Life is way too serious to be taken seriously.
Good list, Igor! Lots of nationalities represented there.
For myself, I don't wish anyone good luck before a fishing or hunting trip...sometimes we will say 'Bad Rice', something we picked up from Japanese
fishermen. Rubbing a red-headed kid's noggin will bring me good luck. Eating a banana cream pie before a fishing day is a no-no (and I know someone
who makes a killer pie!). Dolphins have always shown me the way. Whales are known pots of gold...even dead floaters. Albatross are too be avoided
at all costs...lest they become the anchor around your neck.
Here's one of the most common beliefs:
A Woman on Board is Bad Luck.
Most any old salt will tell you that having a woman aboard is bad luck. Most likely stemming from old maritime sailing days of the English
Navy..where discipline reigned supreme. It was traditionally believed that women were not as physically or emotionally capable as men. Therefore,
they had no place at sea. It was also observed that when women were aboard, men were prone to distraction or other vices that may take away from their
duties. This, among other things, would anger the seas and doom the ship.
Interestingly enough, there is a way to counter this effect. While having a woman on board would anger the sea, having a “naked” woman on board would
calm the sea. Imagine that. This is why many vessels have a figure of a woman on the bow of the ship, this figure almost always being bare-breasted.
It was believed that a woman’s bare breasts would “shame” the stormy seas into calm. Ah, the ancient power of female nudity. Hey..that works for me!
Next boat will have a regular Dolly Parton up front.
I do what the voices in my tackle box tell me.
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Skipjack Joe
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Pompano
Next boat will have a regular Dolly Parton up front.
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As Benny Hill once said parodying a german on his show: grossen ta taasen.
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Oso
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What I wanna know is how United Fruit Company gets any sailors to man its ships, i.e.; "Banana boats" to ship those bananas from the "Banana
Republics" to the U..S. and other markets. If they're such bad luck, why don't these ships end up on the rocks all the time?
Day-O, He say Day-O, daylight come an me wan go home.
All my childhood I wanted to be older. Now I\'m older and this chitn sucks.
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Paulina
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Oso,
Maybe they're all topless women sailors?
P<*)))><
\"Well behaved women rarely make history.\" Laurel Thatcher Ulrich
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TonyC
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Oso
What I wanna know is how United Fruit Company gets any sailors to man its ships, i.e.; "Banana boats" to ship those bananas from the "Banana
Republics" to the U..S. and other markets. If they're such bad luck, why don't these ships end up on the rocks all the time?
Day-O, He say Day-O, daylight come an me wan go home, |
cuz me git bit by a spideo.
I heard that's where the banana bad luck thing started. Spiders on board with the bananas, or maybe they weren't fishing.
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Pompano
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'Come mistah tolly-mon, tolly me ba-non-a.
...Daylight she come and me wan go home.'
Somehow I doubt old Belafonte ever toted a load of bananas on his back, but the song brings to mind the banana republics and boat scenes.
There were certain dangers involved with these banana boats. During the heyday of the Spanish South Atlantic and Caribbean trading empire, it was
noted that nearly every ship that disappeared and did not reach it's destination was carrying a cargo of bananas....and thus started the banana
legend.
How come? Some theories:
- As mentioned the ships were fast..maybe too fast for safety in some waters...plus too fast to fish while underway.
- Given the lack of inspections back then, we can suppose that lots of critters came aboard with the fruit. Imagine the thrill of waking up with a
bunch of tarantulas..or some truly deadly spiders..scampering around your hammock in the fo'csle. Crewmen dying of a lethal spider bite, plus the
cargo being thrown overboard, would certainly be cause enough to have started the banana curse.
- Another theory is that bananas carried aboard slave ships fermented and gave off methane gas, which would be trapped below deck. Anyone in the hold,
including cargoes of imprisoned humanity, would succumb to the poisoned air, and anyone trying to climb down into the hold to help them would fall
prey to the dangerous gas.
'Day-O...Day-O, fear the banana and love duh apple.'
I do what the voices in my tackle box tell me.
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Bajagypsy
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Everyone knows that you have to paint your toe nails, and dipy your feet in the water in order to catch fish!
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aha baja
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Does this thread refer to "is that a banana in your boat or are you just happy your "rod" has "hooked up"?
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Skipjack Joe
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Jinx
In connection to this thread, Roger, no one has mentioned the role of the 'jinx' in fishing. Everywhere I've traveled people have a word for this and
therefore must believe in it. I'll bet the Mexicans do too.
It seemed to be more common in my younger years. That is, sharing a boat with a group of people during a particularly unsuccessful outing and having
them all stare daggers at you.
The jinx is usually someone who just doesn't belong socially anyway. Sometimes the youngest in the group. Often a fellow that just doesn't have a
knack for fishing.
I thought about the whole thing last night and decided it has a lot in common with those early American witch hunts you read about in history books.
Whenever things got real tough for those colonists and people needed an outlet they would hunt up some poor soul, invent something or other about her
(e.g. fornicating with the devil) and off to the gallows. It made the townfolks feel better. Well, the jinx serves the same person: someone to blame
when you're having a bad day on the water.
It must suck to be a jinx.
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Pompano
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A famous 'Jinx'
| Quote: | Originally posted by Skipjack Joe
In connection to this thread, Roger, no one has mentioned the role of the 'jinx'....
...I thought about the whole thing last night and decided it has a lot in common with those early American witch hunts you read about in history
books. Whenever things got real tough for those colonists and people needed an outlet they would hunt up some poor soul, invent something or other
about her (e.g. fornicating with the devil) and off to the gallows. It made the townfolks feel better. Well, the jinx serves the same person: someone
to blame when you're having a bad day on the water.
It must suck to be a jinx. |
Igor, indeed, unlike the early superstitious colonists, the enlightened today will know those New England witch trials were 'jinxed' by the supposed
'hex' cast on them by the accused and soon-to-die unfortunates. I liken those events to our modern-day political witch hunts being conducted as we
type...ha!..now there's a real bunch of 'Jonahs'! 
Here's a notable example of a jinx that seemed to curse 3 huge ships:
A certain Violet Jessup was employed by the famous White Star Lines in the early 1900's. First a stewardress aboard RMS Olympic, sistership of the
Titanic, she barely survived the flooding of this new vessel when it ran into another ship.
Next she crewed on the Titanic itself. She survived by having had a baby thrust upon her and being shoved into one of the first lifeboats.
Next, Violet was aboard the Brittanic, the third and final vessel of the Olympic class. The ship was torpedoed and sank. Violet again escaped
death...even after her lifeboat was sucked into the ship's giant propellors.
She outlived all three vessels and died in 1971 at age 83...called a jinx throughout her life.
Now that must have REALLY sucked.
Now...I know Mexican pangueros are as superstitious as the rest of us. Remember the story of the Golden Grouper?
I do what the voices in my tackle box tell me.
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mulegemichael
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A panguero I once fished with in La Ribera had us all throw a 5 or 10 peso note overboard an hour or so into our day claiming it would bring us good
luck....can't really tell if it worked as we were doing o.k. as it was..I do now carry change with me when fishing and find myself flipping a coin
occasionally.
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