The ghouls and ghosts are all dressed and ready to get their treats. Full of mystery, history and lore, Halloween is a fan favorite holiday.  Rather than talk about the origin or the history we wanted to explore and show some of the boating superstitions of the nautical world. 

1. A boat without a name

We need to know who we are hailing and lets us know where our travelers are coming from, but this superstition is still going strong in the modern world. Many sailors/ boaters will not hop aboard or disembark on any vessels without a name. Keeping the superstition continuing.

• 1.   It’s bad luck to sail on a boat without a name.
• 2.   It’s bad luck to rename a boat (unless the proper name purging and renaming ceremonies are performed, we have a whole blog about the steps of this) 
• 3.   It’s bad luck to name a boat something brash or arrogant. Stay away from names that will tempt the sea. Boat names like Victory, Millionaire, or Hurricane may tempt Poseidon himself. Lets keep him happy. 

2. Red Sky in the Morning

“Red sky at night, sailor’s delight. Red sky in morning, sailor’s warning”

Most have heard this old adage remembered because of its easy rhyme. But this superstition has been used in other areas many don’t realize.

Shakespeare did. He said something similar in his play, Venus and Adonis. “Like a red morn that ever yet betokened, Wreck to the seaman, tempest to the field, Sorrow to the shepherds, woe unto the birds, Gusts and foul flaws to herdmen and to herds.”

In the Bible, (Matthew XVI: 2-3,) Jesus said, “When in evening, ye say, it will be fair weather: For the sky is red. And in the morning, it will be foul weather today; for the sky is red and lowering.”

That being said, is there any truth in the story?  

Yes actually. 

Usually, weather moves from west to east. In the mid-latitudes, the prevailing winds are westerlies. This means storm systems generally move in from the West. Which coincides with the sun. The colors we see in the sky are due to the sunlight being split into colors of the spectrum as they pass through the atmosphere and the water vapor in the atmosphere. These amounts of water vapor and dust particles in the atmosphere are good indicators of weather conditions. They also determine which colors we will see in the sky.

Sunrise and sunset the sun are the lowest points of it in the sky, so it transmits light through the thickest part of the atmosphere. A red sky suggests an atmosphere loaded with dust and moisture. We see the red, because red wavelengths (the longest in the color spectrum) are breaking through the atmosphere

A red sunrise can mean that a high pressure system (good weather) has already passed, thus indicating that a storm system (low pressure) may be moving to the east. A morning sky that is a deep, fiery red can indicate that there is high water content in the atmosphere. So, rain could be on its way.

Red sky at night, sailors delight.

When we see a red sky at night, this means that the setting sun is sending its light through a high concentration of dust particles. This usually indicates high pressure and stable air coming in from the west. Basically good weather will follow.

3. Never set sail on Friday

Sounds very different from most of the weekend warriors we know. The weekend is the best time ( or only time available) to hit the water.  Believed to be rooted in biblical history. Friday was considered unlucky overall because it was when Jesus Christ was crucified. How that was transferred into the nautical world is not 100 percent understood. Many traditional sailing ballads tell the stories of ships that set sail on Fridays to their inevitable doom. Take a look at this excerpt is from “The Mermaid“.

“One Friday morning when we set sail
Our ship was close to the land
We did see a fair mermaid
A comb and a glass in hand
Our gallant ship was then re-routed three times.
She went three times around.
Our gallant ship was then re-routed three times.
Before she fell to the bottom of he sea”

4. Whistling on Board

Many sailors/ boaters are avid about this one. Whistling aboard a ship, is not acceptable. Believed to be interpreted as a taunt to Mother Nature, it challenges her to create the wind. Used throughout history stories, and even movies. Steven Spielberg’s 1975 film JAWS shows Captain Quint infamously whistling to himself just before their boat, The Orca is attacked by The Killer Shark.

5. A cat onboard is good luck

Unlike the sad history of the black cats on land. Cats have been aboard ships since antiquity to catch and kill rats and vermin that chew on the lines or eat food and can carry diseases. They were also considered to be companions and could help shield ships from storms. Cats are more sensitive to barometric pressure than other animals and can make you nervous before a storm. Watch a cat run and hide, take note!

8. No Bananas On Board

Almost all Sailors/ Boaters often believe that bananas onboard is bad luck. This superstition is probably the most well-known and strangest in boating. This belief stems from the fact that tarantulas spiders were known to hide in bananas and then appear on fruit-carrying boats.Other stories of the sweetness of the bananas were bad for fishing lines and were added to the scarcity for the catch. Either way, grab an orange!