Jan-Feb 2012 Issue - the Aberdeen Boat Club

Superstitions and rituals of the sea.
Words by
Peter Wheeler
Since mankind first started to
navigate the world’s waterways
superstition and lore surrounding
the boats they travelled on, and the
very water itself, has been a constant
companion. Despite enthusiastically
embracing new technologies (Kevlar and
carbon fibre laminates, ultra lightweight
alloys, high tensile nylon fibre lines, GPS
and AIS), modern sailors are still some of
the most unapologetically superstitious
people on earth.
From early attempts to explain
phenomena like the weather to complex
ceremonies involving offerings to the
sea gods, a rich tradition of rules and
rituals has emerged. Some claim not to
be superstitious at all and will flout many
of these conventions, however dig a little
deeper and these people will often display
some customary behaviour based not on
science but on ‘common knowledge’ or
tradition. Below are some of the most
common nautical superstitions, and
history behind them.
Using the same name as another
boat, either afloat or sunk. The bad luck
caused by reusing another boat’s name
stems from Poseidon’s register of ships.
Poseidon, has a list of vessels
under his protection, and if
two ships have the same
name he becomes confused and fails to
look out for both. If one of these has
already sunk, then his register shows that
she no longer requires his attention, thus
leaving the floating vessel unprotected.
This whole scenario can be avoided
by simply adding a number to indicate
that this is the second (or third, etc.)
incarnation of the original name.
Renaming a boat. Still believed to
bring bad luck upon a vessel and her
crew, the reasons for not renaming a
boat stem from the days of pirates and
privateers. Often after stealing a boat
pirates would change her name to hide
her true identity, to something more
reflective of the laissez-faire attitudes of
her new owners. However ships were
often recognised due to distinctive
features or from slap dash painting over
name plates etc. which would lead to
crews without the proper ownership
papers being imprisoned and executed.
The ceremony for renaming a boat,
which must be conducted in addition to
submitting the correct paperwork to the
HK Marine Department, is presented in
full elsewhere in this article.
The floppy eared ones. It is bad luck
to mention rabbits onboard boats, and
the only way to break the curse if their
name is said out loud, is to scratch the