Don't bring a banana onboard - it's bad luck

[Bob]

Bananas are BAD Mojo on a fishing boat. Please don’t bring them! They are a delicious fruit that we all love, but just not on the boat. We will likely throw them overboard.

Why, you may ask?



Fisherman are a very superstitious lot.

Spend more than a few days aboard a fishing boat, and you start to understand the feelings of “luck” that come with good streaks and slumps of slow fishing…and everything in between.

There are two very long standing superstitions aboard crab boats that have been passed down to fisherman of all kinds.

Namely – never bring a banana or a suitcase aboard a fishing boat.

"You probably won't find a more superstitious group of people than sailors and fishermen. Their present superstitious beliefs date back several centuries and include these prominent examples: It's bad luck to sail on a Friday. If you whistle or sing into the wind on a boat, a storm is sure to follow. Sailors who wear earrings or have tattoos won't drown.

"It's bad luck to have women onboard because they make the sea angry or jealous.

"Rats leaving a ship are a sign of trouble. (Actually, that's no superstition. You probably should pay those fleeing rats some heed, as you'll learn in How to Survive a Sinking Ship.)

"Crab boat fishermen are a particularly superstitious lot.

Perhaps it's because their jobs are so inherently dangerous -- commercial crab fishing is one of the deadliest industries in the world. Or maybe it's because the industry has been around for so long, and fishermen have spread superstition neurosis to the next generation for many, many years.

One thing we do know for sure: Try to bring a banana or a suitcase on a crab fishing boat, and you might find yourself waving goodbye at the dock. "


Two of the most enduring crab boat superstitions have to do with, of all things, bananas and suitcases. In both cases, these items are strictly forbidden onboard.

Many charter fishing boat crews have steadfast restrictions about bringing bananas on the boat. In fact, they'll return to the dock to purge the offending fruit [source: ESPN].

Some charters go so far as to prohibit Banana Boat brand sunscreen or Banana Republic brand clothes onboard.

Fishermen have even been known to object to Fruit of the Loom underwear (one sport fisher claimed he's treated wearers to wedgies and then cut the labels out) [source: LA Times].

Oddly enough, the Fruit of the Loom graphic doesn't even have a banana on it, and some say the banana was left off because of this very superstition [source: Brincefield].

"One of the creepier superstitions is that banana cargo could actually kill a man. In actuality, fermenting bananas do give off methane gas, which could conceivably get trapped below deck and kill any crew members unlucky enough to be working in the hold.

"Another popular theory was that venomous spiders hitched rides in bananas, and once those bananas were onboard, the boat would be host to any number of lethal critters. And then, of course, there's the theory that banana peels cause crew members to slip and fall on deck [source: Attah].

"Suitcases onboard is a fishing boat no-no as well. Even when camera crew boarded crab boats to film Discovery Channel's reality series "Deadliest Catch," they were asked to leave their equipment suitcases on the dock [source: Deadliest Catch]."

If one has consumed "bananas" and comes on board, this prayer is recommended:


Oh great Konpira
please, hear my plea
I am sorry for my mistake
A banana I brought to sea

it was an honest gesture
a noble means of nutrition
I had no ill intent
I brought fruit of my own volition

Please forgive my idiocy
I meant my friends no harm
We just want to go fishing
and go home with a sore arm

We beg of you to release the curse
upon which I have brought
In your honor I consume these bananas
a sacrifice all for nought


https://17371-presscdn-0-18-pagely.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/no-bananas-home.jpg

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51bS1eRt%2BHL._SX322_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg

references:

http://starcasm.net/archives/347707
http://www.magicalthinkingbook.com/2012/05/weird-fishing-superstitions-dont-bring-a-banana-on-board/
https://deadliestreports.wordpress.com/2008/04/19/very-superstitious/

[The Moss Trooper]

You must never, ever, under any circumstance, say the word, "monkey", whilst on-board, in UK waters.

You have been warned.

[Bob]

On forbidden words - never say "rabbit", also, many Westcountry seamen won't say church, pig, fox or cat. - http://www.devonlive.com/news/never-say-rabbit-boat-seven-618255

And heaven forbid, to rename a boat without consulting with the 'gods' first..


Superstition: It’s bad luck to rename your boat

Legend has it that the name of every single vessel is recorded in the Ledger of the Deep and is known personally to Poseidon, or Neptune, God of the sea. Changing a boat’s name without consulting the Gods is said to invoke their wrath.

Even if they don’t consider themselves to be particularly superstitious, most would still never dare change their boat’s name.

For those who are desperate to rename their boat – who ironically could be looking to change for superstitious reasons – a renaming ceremony must be carried out to inform the gods, which includes making a sacrifice of champagne or rum to the sea.

This is so ingrained in our culture that we see it echoed in official christenings of ships, with royals and statesmen breaking champagne or whisky bottles on the hull of a newly named vessel to invite good luck. A bottle that doesn’t break, however, is said to anger the gods and will only bring bad luck.

(One also knows of the "bring GIN" to PELE (http://www.alamy.com/stock-photo-offering-to-pele-goddess-of-volcanoes-hawaii-volcanoes-national-park-27152333.html)" when visiting Hawaii for the first time, and toss the bottle into the caldera with an intent that Pele' accept it as one's good will offering..)

Best not to anger the Gods..

[Bob]

You must never, ever, under any circumstance, say the word, "monkey", whilst on-board, in UK waters.

You have been warned.

There is a reference here to that observation:

https://books.google.com/books?id=J0wTDQAAQBAJ&pg=PT191&lpg=PT191&dq=don%27t+mention+monkeys+on+a+fishing+boat&source=bl&ots=9UU2RAYbMb&sig=oAMFRYyS6TLpdMJrbbKYRjAXNe0&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjk9d_rmO_YAhVHxmMKHcwABKYQ6AEITTAI#v=onepage&q=don't%20mention%20monkeys%20on%20a%20fishing%20boat&f=false

[avid]

Bob, has everyone gone mad? These ‘references’ are fantastic, ridiculous, funny, and living near a fishing port... true! The strange rituals and rumours of catastrophe are still emanating today. The sailors/fishermen will not be challenged, it’s their beliefs based on local incidents from even aeons ago, despite that relevance today is negated. Makes life here interesting 👍
We are from Norse stock, our dialect is still riddled with Norwegian, and of course we were ‘raped and pillaged’. Their long-boats have been made into worshipping places, and due to the isolation of our valleys, our traditions, stories, and dna is linked to the invaders... sorry, I’ve digressed....
Back to topic... (just peeling my breakfast banana) 😀

[Bob]

Bob, has everyone gone mad? These ‘references’ are fantastic, ridiculous, funny, and living near a fishing port... true! The strange rituals and rumours of catastrophe are still emanating today. The sailors/fishermen will not be challenged, it’s their beliefs based on local incidents from even aeons ago, despite that relevance today is negated. Makes life here interesting 👍
We are from Norse stock, our dialect is still riddled with Norwegian, and of course we were ‘raped and pillaged’. Their long-boats have been made into worshipping places, and due to the isolation of our valleys, our traditions, stories, and dna is linked to the invaders... sorry, I’ve digressed....
Back to topic... (just peeling my breakfast banana) 😀

Absolutely no digression at all ! Perfectly on topic - the superstitions, beliefs, myths.. Consider how scary it is out there in a small boat, on the sea during a storm.. I can recall being in an 18 foot sailboat off Key West during one of the freak lightning storms.. Where the ball lightning travels up and down on the mast, the "wires" ropes.. One would have to try to make sense, to come to terms when being so alone, on the seas, during when mother nature produces an exceptional "greeting"...

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/quotwhat-causes-the-stran/

from --The Tempest (Act I, Scene 2)
William Shakespear :


I boarded the Kings' ship; now in the beak,
Now in the waist, the deck, in every cabin,
I flamed amazement; sometime I'd divide
And burn in many places; on the topmast
The yards and bowsprit, would I flame distinctly
Then meet and join.
--The Tempest (Act I, Scene 2)
William Shakespeare

and


These "corona discharges" give a faint light that is visible in the dark. St. Elmo's fire is an example of a continuous corona discharge. It is not a form of lightning. The luminous glow of St. Elmo's fire is sometimes observed at night from the tops of ships' masts when electrified clouds are overhead. The mast appears to be on fire but does not burn. St. Elmo's' fire tends to occur toward the end of a thunderstorm. Mariners have traditionally interpreted it as a good omen.

St. Elmo is the patron saint of sailors but St. Elmo's fire is not bound to the sea. It has been observed atop tall steeples. My brother once saw it envelop metal pipes outside his home.


http://freedesignfile.com/upload/2014/07/Bright-lightning-background-vector-design-04.jpg

[The Moss Trooper]

Growing up, a very close friend's family owned trawler boats. I remember one trip particularly well, I was about 12 years old, 13 maybe, we were about 60 miles off the coast at the Dogger Bank, North Sea and a storm came up. Absolutely terrifying, waves the size of houses coming at you for hour after hour. It's not like you can get off is it!

Being buzzed by Tornado jets practicing low-level attack runs at 60ft. Awesome.

Out there at sea. Nature is phenomenal.

[Bob]

OMG - north Sea.. oye.. https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/hd-map-shipping-forecast-v2.jpg?strip=all&w=750

https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/hd-map-shipping-forecast-v2.jpg?strip=all&w=750

and

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CPy0xcwCG00/U2JcHOLwFGI/AAAAAAAApIA/TnoFAvWUy3s/s1600/Clement_Reid_-_Map_Doggerbank.jpg

To be superstitious in rough seas certainly seems like a way to come up with "cope"... To be able to make it back, to fish another day..

We have powered vessels these days, allowing to turn into the seas... Back when, with masts and sails, it was a whole lot harder..


https://i.ytimg.com/vi/ucviVgxEtLE/hqdefault.jpg

[Sunny-side-up]

Theatrical superstitions

Never say Macbeth.

Main article: The Scottish Play
William Shakespeare's play Macbeth is said to be cursed, so actors avoid saying its name when in the theatre (the euphemism "The Scottish Play" is used instead). Actors also avoid even quoting the lines from Macbeth before performances, particularly the Witches' incantations. Outside a theatre and after a performance, the play can be spoken of openly. If an actor speaks the name "Macbeth" in a theatre prior to one of the performances, they are required to leave the theatre building, spin around three times, spit, curse, and then knock to be allowed back in.[1]

One version of this legend claims that it was the actor who played Lady Macbeth who died during the play's first production run and that Shakespeare himself had to assume the role. There is no evidence that this legend is factual

A list of overs found here.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theatrical_superstitions

[petra]

And then, of course, there's the theory that banana peels cause crew members to slip and fall on deck [source: Attah].


Ha ha that was my first guess!

Everyone has gone bananas! Or as Gwen Stefani would say, B-A-N-A-N-A-S

There's lot of rumours for how bananas started to mean crazy, the best one is because someone was writing a poem and they needed a good word to rhyme so they just stuck in some bananas :]

[Bob]

Bringing apples on the boat -

We've all heard the myth, "An Apple a Day, Keeps the Doctor Away"...


But besides the fact that it rhymes, which makes it fun to say and easy to recall, does it really have any value? Could the common apple honestly help a person to maintain perfect health?

The first printed mention of this saying can be found in the February 1866 issue of the publication "Notes and Queries." The publication printed the proverb like this: "Eat an apple on going to bed, and you'll keep the doctor from earning his bread." Nearly 150 years later, variations of this adage are still quoted. It's unlikely that the saying would have maintained such popularity if there wasn't some truth to it, right? (link (https://health.howstuffworks.com/mental-health/human-nature/health-myths/an-apple-a-day.htm))

And what about tall ships sailing in the 1700's? SCURVY was a big problem - (lack of vitamin C) - Scurvy was a huge problem for English sailors in the 1600s and 1700s. Because of what Dr. James Lind discovered, the Royal Navy made sure that all sailors had lemon juice to drink when they were at sea for longer than one month. Dr. James Lind reference - http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-37320399


https://ichef-1.bbci.co.uk/news/660/cpsprodpb/D597/production/_91097645_jameslind.jpg

A myth, a story, quite possibly has a solid explanation behind it.

[Bob]

Hawaiian stories - From All about Hawaii (https://books.google.com/books?id=w0QKAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA124&lpg=PA124&dq=bananas+and+crabbing&source=bl&ots=Tr2ZLfgTGR&sig=9IKJ5gEJnczJVRZvz4SrGs4aWEU&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjFk77rtPHYAhWC6oMKHSNXAXkQ6AEIUDAI#v=onepage&q=bananas%20and%20crabbing&f=false)

The banana features prominently in Hawaii, as a food these days - though it is not a native plant.

It was introduced. (http://www.hawaiihistory.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=ig.page&PageID=528)

There is a story though, mythical, and maybe legendary... that comes with a warning about "sleeping under the banana tree" - here it is


http://chanlo.com/images/hawaii-banana-1.bmp

Is there a warning, a moral? to maybe be wary then, or that convenient shade may carry a price ? Certainly more stuff to feed the banana mythos..