June 30, 2011
This is a sidebar to the full survey story. To read that, click here.
Some traditions in yachting started as superstitions. We asked captains and crew in this month’s survey if their vessels follow any of these:
Don't leave port on Friday (44 respondents).
“The No-Leaving-Port-on-Friday tradition is not a hard and fast rule,” said a captain in the industry more than 15 years. “And it would only be for re-positioning, not part of, say, a two-week run through the Bahamas.”
No whistling (41)
No bananas (24)
Crossing the line ceremony when crossing the equator (pollywog to shellback ceremony), the similar mid-Atlantic ceremony, one when first crossing the Panama Canal, even one when crossing the Arctic Circle (Bluenose Initiation) (17)
“I've participated in the good-natured fun, invocation, rum, salt-water shower and things, but I hope the hazing and abuse has been relegated to the history books.”
Crew participate in nearly a dozen different rituals before heading off on a large voyage, including taking a swig of rum or pouring one over the side for King Neptune, and throwing unused coins over the side to ensure a safe crossing.
"At the start of any passage I think it's important to ask for Neptune's blessing; a shot of rum for all the crew and Neptune, too,” said the captain of a yacht less than 80 feet.
No women as crew (7)
Step aboard with right foot first (7)
“Superstitions are from the dark ages and should be ignored,” said a captain in yachting more than 30 years. “Prepare properly for your voyage and use common sense.”
And there are many more traditions than the few we listed, including:
No rabbit aboard, not even the word (2)
No pigs
No green clothes
Wear red pants after an Atlantic crossing
Rounding the two horns means you may rest both elbows on the table at meal times; rounding one, you may rest one elbow on the table
Senior officer/captain is last in the tender, first out
Some traditions have evolved with yachting.
Paint a boat mural with crew list on the concrete in Horta, Azores, before you sail
Enlist the greenest crew member to tune the radar
First billfish dunking
Raise the davit when the bar is open to other crew (This also means there’s no owner aboard.)
Some traditions are as old as the sea itself.
Don’t rename the boat
If you do rename the boat, keep the old name somewhere onboard
When changing the boat name, put a coin in the lowest part of the bilge.
“Beware of the Boat Elf,” one veteran captain wrote in. “The boat elf is a creature that steals items that are not returned to their proper stowage location. One has to roundly curse the elf and turn the ship inside out to threaten it sufficiently to return the item. When turning the ship inside out, one must always be alert to potential dangers and aware that the elf may have stolen the object in order to bring your attention to a dangerous situation to allow you to intervene.”
Some traditions seems to have confused people. One respondent said no cats aboard; another said cats aboard are good luck.
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