SUPERSTITION:
an unreasoning awe or fear of something unknown, mysterious or imaginary,
especially in connection with religion. [Shorter Oxford Dictionary].
In St.
Maarten/St. Martin there is an undeniable tie to the sea. From the humble fishermen
heading out in a wooden dory to the mega yacht captains doing trans-Atlantic
crossings. There is also an undeniable tie to superstitions. Some can argue
that sailors are the most superstitions people on Earth. Big boat or small,
sailors are always on the lookout, keeping a watchful eye for signs. Some superstitions
were started simply for safety's sake, some have biblical references, while
other superstitions are just that - superstitions. Regardless of how or why
these superstitions evolved, the strength of sailing superstitions is
undeniable.
Most Common
Superstitions:
One very common superstation
is the rhyme: Red skies at night, sailor’s delight. Red skies at morning,
sailors take warning. There is arguable scientific fact behind this 'warning'
as changes in atmospheric pressure can change the weather, and cause
spectacular sunrises or sunsets. Many people have told how the sunrise before a
hurricane was one of the most beautiful sunrises they'd ever witnessed. Colors
used to describe these sunrises range from pink to deep crimson.
Another
very common superstition is to never leave port on a Friday. This superstition
actually dates back to Christ. Many believe it to be bad luck to leave port on
a Friday because Christ was crucified on a Friday. Sunday is the best possible
day to begin a voyage. This observation is due to Christ's resurrection on a
Sunday and that is good luck. It has led to the old saying, 'Sunday sail, never
fail'. Conversationally, Friday the 13th is double the trouble! (Never mind the
fact the Friday nights were and still are a favorite night for sailors to hit
the taverns.) Of course the albatross is still revered among sailors the world
over, because it is believed the souls of dead seamen are carried by them.
Heaven help anyone who kills one of these birds. Another very strong superstition
is "What the Sea want, the Sea shall have," along with another
saying, "What belongs to the Sea must return to the Sea." In older
days, sailors who fell overboard were rescued, but then set adrift for fear of
retribution from the sea. In other words, the Sea wanted the sailor; no one
should deny what the Sea wants. Following that tradition, it boded ill for any captain
who used ballast stones taken from the sea as opposed to taken from the land.
There
is an age-old sailing superstition that says you should never rename a boat.
Sea God Neptune keeps a record of every vessel in his waters and he doesn't
like change. So what if the name of your new boat is something unbearable like
"Dead Fish”? What can be done? The answer is to hold a renaming ceremony.
First, remove all traces of the old name, not only from the yacht itself, but
also from the lifebuoys and transom, as well as from any logbooks, charts or
papers it features in. Second, thank Neptune and Aeolus, the keeper of the
winds, for the protection they've provided your yacht so far. Then kindly
request that Neptune strike the old name from his Ledger of the Deep and ask
that the Gods give your newly named yacht their blessing. Finally, it's
necessary to sacrifice some alcohol to appease the Gods. Any bottle of
alcoholic beverage will do. Not all of us have Queen Elizabeth II on hand to
break a bottle of expensive champagne over the bow.
Other
well known superstitions include earrings use to be worn by seaman, go ahead
and call them Pirates, with a belief that it would prevent them from drowning
at sea; Fisherman wore or wears an earring because they believed it would pay
for their funeral if they died at sea. Tattoos have always had a place at sea.
A sailor might have HOLD FAST inked beneath the skin of his knuckles for
safety's sake. Another might tattoo a pig on one foot with a rooster on the
other. Why a pig and a rooster? Because the two animals hate water and
apparently cannot swim. A shark following a ship means an inevitable death
because seamen believe that sharks could sense those near death, but a pod of
dolphin is a sign of very good luck. An ancient Greek legend tells us that Dionysus,
the god of wine and mirth, set out on a voyage disguised as a traveler. But the
sailors, not knowing the true identity of their passenger, planned to kidnap Dionysus
and sell him into slavery. Once Dionysus discovered this plot, he fills the
boat with vines and the sound of pipes. He made leopards and lions to appear
and changed the oars of the boat into snakes. In order to escape the madness,
the sailors leapt into the sea, where the ocean god Poseidon changed them into dolphins,
forever destined to help sailors by guiding their boats.
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. Oddly enough, a
naked woman was believed to calm the seas. Why? Some said it was because King
Neptune would be too distracted by the naked woman to blow up a storm. This may
explain the presence of the ship's figurehead, often in the form of a naked
woman.
And
lastly: No Bananas! Transatlantic crossing in the 17th and 18th centuries was a
very risky endeavor. Often the vessels would stop along the way in tropical
islands to gather provisions such as food and water. There the passengers and
crew would often purchase wooden crates of bananas from the locals and bring
them aboard the ship. These crates would have all manner of critters in them
such as bugs, spiders, vermin and snakes, posing a danger to crew and passengers
of venomous bites and diseases. A more scientific explanation is that since
bananas give off ethylene gas when they ripen, it causes other perishable
foodstuffs to spoil more quickly, possibly leading to food poisoning or
starvation.
Some
of these superstitions might seem silly and bizarre, but many have survived and
are still found aboard modern yachts. Sailors through the ages have relied upon
these superstitious beliefs to avoid sea monsters, to calm storms, to guide
their ships away from the dangerous precipices waiting for unwary ships at the
ends of the earth, and to assure safety and prosperity for the entire crew. Why
tempt Fate?
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